Chapter 498 Men Are the Best at Acting
As soon as she walked in, she saw Bella holding her phone, about to call her.
"Ms. Smith."
"Got the package?"
"Yes."
"You know what to do, right?" Thalia's question was brief and to the point.
Bella nodded.
Thalia looked at her intently, as if giving her a way out. "You can still back out now if you want."
"No need."
She never regretted any decision she'd made. Those people from the Jimenez family who had hurt her before - she would make them pay, every single one of them.
Thalia's lips curved slightly, and as Bella lowered her head, she hid the smile on her face.
"Where did you go?"
"Bathroom." Bella had just returned to the center of the banquet hall when Sean grabbed her hand and asked gently. People around them saw this, praised and teased them one after another, saying Sean was a good man.
Sean was in his early thirties, a senior executive at some company in Regal City, so naturally, his social circle wasn't small either. Some businessmen from Emerald City who were close to William would naturally be close to him too. At such a big event tonight, with everyone gathered together, it was hard not to run into acquaintances.
After going back and forth, they became familiar with each other.
With so many people around, some rumors about Sean in Regal City also came out.
But that was all behind-the-scenes talk.
"Mr. Jimenez, you're young and successful, and you and Mrs. Jimenez are so loving - is there good news ?"
"Half a year ago, when we ran into you at a business dinner, your excuse for not drinking was that you were trying to have a baby. We're all waiting to give you gifts!"
"Yeah, it's been half a year now. Everyone wants to hear the good news."
Sean put his arm around Bella's waist, his fingers slowly wandering across it, smiling casually. "Today is Mr. Brown's event - why is everyone giving me a hard time?"
When William was mentioned, everyone looked around and realized William's figure hadn't appeared in their line of sight at all.
"Is Mr. Brown running late?"
"Maybe he went to pick up Ms. Smith?"
Someone joked with a laugh. Hearing Thalia's name, Bella's body flinched slightly.
Sean sensed her reaction and looked down, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Bella's "nothing" made Sean's suspicion rise to his throat.
His staring gaze was like a searchlight, as if he wanted to see right through her the next second.
And Bella, knowing his naturally suspicious nature, knew that at times like this, besides staying calm, she couldn't make any other moves.
From a distance, Bella saw Steven and Eileen and walked over to greet them.
Steven was fine, responding politely, but Eileen didn't care whether this was a public place or not when her harsh voice rang out. "Why aren't you staying by Sean's side? What are you doing here with us?"
Embarrassment flashed across Bella's face. Hearing Eileen's words, Steven glanced at her and spoke in a low voice. "When you scold her in this kind of setting, whose face are you making lose? Isn't it Sean's face?"
Only then did Eileen rein in her emotions a bit.
Steven comforted Bella. "Your grandmother means no harm, don't take it to heart."
Bella didn't speak, just nodded and turned to leave.
In that instant, her determination to destroy the Jimenezes became stronger.
Upstairs, Thalia watched the show from a distance.
Amara looked at the scene before her, somewhat puzzled. "This Eileen is really annoying."
"Indeed." Thalia withdrew her gaze and saw a familiar figure approaching from the elevator from a distance.
William walked over confidently, surrounded by several shareholders of the Celestia Group. As he approached, the chatter throughout the venue stopped because of him.
Businessmen all around looked for opportunities to crowd around him, but William went straight to the stage, picked up the microphone, and gave a welcoming and polite speech.
His tone was official and polite, no different from his speeches in the previous years.
With so many guests tonight, as the leader of the Celestia Group, William could spend quite a bit of time just walking around each venue giving opening remarks.
By the time he returned to the sixth floor, it was already nine o'clock at night, when the reception was in full swing.
The cruise ship had many entertainment facilities, from billiard rooms to nightclubs, not to mention places for the wealthy to enjoy themselves. Starting from the sixth-floor elevator entrance, there were guards at every level - people who weren't supposed to be upstairs couldn't get up.
If anyone wanted to use this opportunity to climb the social ladder, there was no chance at all.
"What's that noise?"
Thalia was about to walk from the sixth-floor stairs up to the seventh floor when she heard the commotion and asked.
The security guard said, "Someone's trying to come up."
She raised her eyebrows but didn't respond.
In this world, there were always some girls who, relying on their education and getting into a good workplace, thought they could be superior to others and have a chance to climb up the social ladder. Little did they know, with class hierarchy right there, these steps weren't opportunities but insurmountable class barriers.
On the seventh floor at the card table, a group of people gathered together. Service staff dealt cards one by one. William sat on one side watching the deal and bet big.
People followed behind him, and others operated in the opposite direction.
"Mr. Brown is generous - pushing it all in?"
The man removed the cigarette from his lips, exhaled a thin mist of smoke, and glanced at the speaker, his tone light and teasing. "Scared?"
The other person laughed. "I'm not scared. Based on my past experience, Mr. Brown has been giving away money at the opening every year for the past few years. I'm betting small."
In the end, the other person won.
William's luck over these past few years really didn't seem very good.
"How much did William lose just then?"
"Enough for you to get several PhDs."
Amara was stunned. "Is this how you all usually play?"
"Money can create many things, and those things will eventually return to your own pocket."
This was the high-stakes game.
Sean was also at the card table, sitting across from William. Although they hadn't exchanged a single word, they were undoubtedly competing in secret.
After several rounds, everyone's wine glasses at hand had been changed out.
Bella was sitting next to Sean, about to change his drink-because she got up too quickly, she didn't see the server behind her carrying a tray.
In her panic, she bumped into them.
"Ah!"
"Are you okay?" Hearing the noise, Sean stood up almost reflexively.
Amara watched with some confusion. "Looking at how Sean treats Bella, it doesn't seem fake at all?"
"Men are best at acting. Keep watching."
Bella shook her head. "I'm fine, just my dress got dirty."
William sat across from them, watching this scene, his slender fingers playing with chips as he called over a server. "Take Mrs. Jimenez to a guest room to change clothes."
"Mr. Jimenez, Mrs. Jimenez, this way please."
Eighth-floor guest room - Sean and Bella entered one after the other.
"Good thing I brought a change of clothes and a backup dress. I'll change first, you don't need to wait for me."
"No problem, you go ahead and change," Sean said, picking up the bottled water in the room, unscrewing it, and drinking about half.
In the bathroom, Bella heard the sound of the bottle being opened, and her eyes darkened.