Chapter 113

Cordelia couldn’t help but feel an odd connection every time she heard the name Calvert,reminiscent of a certain “Little Fang” that seemed to stir a strange feeling within her.

Next to her, Flame No.1 was nosily probing for information, “Bro Yates, who the heck in Calvert,anyway? I mean, there’s no such high–flyer on the national scene, right? Yet your granddad seemsto think the world of him.”

Yates glance kept darting towards the entrance of the grand hall, his Impatience flickering acrosshis face.

осгова When would Cordelia’s boyfriend show up? He wasn’t getting cold feet, was he? Had he beenscared off? Yates wished he had forewarned Merry, so that she wouldn’t have spilled the beans toLla, saving her from this potential embarrassment.

Distracted, he replied, “Ever heard of Bill?”

The mention of Calvert had, for once, captured Cordelia’s attention, preventing her mind fromwandering off to memorize textbook passages.

Flame No. 1’s eyes widened, “Of course, Bill, the richest man in the Superiority Country. Legendhas it he’s got a Midas touch. Just hearing his name, you can tell the man’s loaded.”

Merry quizzed, “How loaded?”

Flame No. 1 gestured broadly, “Saying he makes money hand over fist would be anunderstatement. There’s this joke that if he dropped his million–dollar watch, he wouldn’t even needto pick it up. In the seconds it would take to retrieve it, his company would’ve already made enoughto buy him ten more.”

Merry was duly impressed, “That rich, huh?”

Flame No.1 then turned to Yates, “So, what’s the deal with Calvert and him? The man’s like afinancial wizard, elusive as hell. So many folks want to collaborate with him but can never get aface–to–face. And it seems like he’s the secret backer of countless corporations.”

Yates smirked, “My Gramps says Calvert’s a close friend and has a say in a lot of businessmatters.”

That revelation stunned everyone within earshot.

They all came from influential families and understood the weight of Yates‘ statement.

No wonder so many were bending over backward to curry favor with Calvert. When Hackettmentioned setting him up with a girlfriend, eligible bachelorettes from the finest families were beingparaded before him as if on a conveyor belt.

Who wouldn’t want to latch onto such a powerhouse?

A mere trickle from Calvert could fund their hedonistic lifestyles for generations.

While the others marveled, Cordelia was indifferent.

As long as she had enough for her needs, what was the point of amassing more wealth?

She wasn’t particularly interested in meeting Calvert, so she quietly picked up her phone andimmersed herself in the world of advanced calculus problems.

Yates wasn’t inclined to go upstairs, but he still spoke up. “Gramps said I need to play nice tonight,not to offend Calvert. So no going upstairs.”

He was usually quite rebellious but knew where to draw the line.

Just as he was about to return to his mobile game, he caught sight of a familiar figure entering thefoyer.

Everard was tall and brooding, with a presence that belied his lack of wealth, yet demandedattention. It was Lia’s boyfriend, wasn’t it?

Yates stood up abruptly, taking a good look. Everard wasn’t dressed in his usual all–black. Instead,he sported a crisp white suit jacket paired with tailored black trousers, highlighting his long, straightlegs. That outfit wasn’t the store’s showpiece? How did it end up on him?

Yates was baffled Following his gaze, Flame No.1 too caught sight of Everard.

They had seen him around school and recognized him as Cordelia’s beau. But upon noticing theclothes, Flame No.1’s first thought was, “Damn. Where did he get that outfit? It looks like a knockoff.How awkward would it be if he bumped into Calvert?”

They might not be heading upstairs, but it was a given that Calvert would come down.

Yates shot back, “A knockoff?”

The quality and style didn’t seem to fit that label.

Flame No. 1 nodded, “What else could it be? The real deal costs tens of thousands. Can he affordit? These days, knockoffs are scarily accurate. Yates, better pull him aside and get him changedbefore everyone notices. I’ll go call him over.”

With that, Flame No. 1 darted off toward Everard.

Cordelia, meanwhile, was staggered by the mention of the outfit’s cost. Tens of thousands for asuit? She was certain that Flame No. 1 must have been mistaken.

She watched as Flame No. 1 approached Everard, whispering som that made Everard lazily lift his gaze.

Their eyes met across the room, Everard’s deep eyes colliding with hers in the air.

Then, he followed Flame No. 1 over, step by step.

The hall was a cacophony of voices and lively chatter.

Men in suits were a dime a dozen, yet Everard seemed to gather all the splendor, dazzling themoment, making all the noise and hubbub feel distant as if everyone’s gaze was glued to him andcouldn’t be torn away.

“He’s so hot it’s making my knees weak. No, I can’t. I’m a married woman. I mustn’t fall for him.”Merry’s muttering snapped Cordelia back to reality.

She thought her reaction was far too strange. For a split second, her heart skipped a beat.

Comparing herself to Merry, who seemed ready to drool, Cordelia’s brief lapse suddenly seemedquite normal.

As these thoughts flitted through her mind, Everard reached their balcony. His tall frame dwarfedeven Yates by half a head, making the spacious balcony feel cramped with his presence.

Silence fell.

Finally, Yates collected himself and handed over a suit jacket, “Try this on.”

Everard hadn’t expected to be summoned by the kids to switch outfits. He raised an eyebrow, aquestion in his gaze.

Yates choked on his words, unsure how to proceed.

To say outright that Everard was wearing a fake seemed too harsh.

In a flash of desperation, Yates blurted out, “Lia loves you in this suit.”

Cordelia was confused.

The next second, Everard chuckled lowly, his laugh enticing in the dim light, his voice a sensualcaress, “Sweetie, you like?”

After a two–second silence, Cordelia braved it out, “Yeah.”

But Everard pushed further, “Really?”

Cordelia was speechless.

Seeing that Everard seemed to be waiting for her response before changing, Cordelia racked herbrain for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Like enjoying a math problem?”

A hush fell over the balcony, and the members of the Flame Union found the scene almost tooawkward to witness.

Even Merry couldn’t help but facepalm.

That answer was so strange.

Everard chuckled again, his voice tinged with indulgence, “Alright, I’ll change.”

He was about to swap out a suit worth tens of thousands for one merely in the thousands. But whatcould he do? Cordelia liked it.

Yates led Everard to the lounge to change, but just as they were about to enter, a commotion arosefrom the crowd. Through the buzz, they could faintly hear someone exclaim, “Calvert’s comedown.”