Chapter 26
Madeline Grant was in a daze. Did her son really just gift her a helicopter? She had to admit it was a
rather sweet gesture on his part, but she could not help but wonder where he got the money from.
She thanked the pilot before returning to her room and contacting her son.
âYou little punk, where did you get the money to buy a helicopter?!â she scolded Thomas through the
phone.
âI see youâve received your present, Mommy. What do you think? Are you impressed with your son
yet?â Thomas said cheekily on the other line.
âIâll decide whether or not Iâm impressed once you tell me where the money came from,â Madeline said
sternly.
âOh, it was a gift from my dear Auntie Angie,â Thomas chuckled.
âWell, your dear Auntie Angie is about to realize that sheâs been fooled very soon. Youâd better watch
out,â she warned her son whilst rubbing her temple. How was her young son such a genius conman?
âWell, Mommy, are you impressed now?â
Thomas asked once again.
âYes, yes. Very impressedâ¦,â Madeline trailed off as her cellphone indicated an incoming phone call
from Albert. She wished her son a quick goodbye before she picking up Albertâs call.
âMs. Grant, itâs almost time to head to the charity dinner. Your gown is ready and placed just outside
your room,â Albert notified her, ever so professionally.
âAlright,â Madeline said in response.
â¦â¦
Angie Grant had arrived at the VIP lounge of the Imperial Hotel together with her mother, Suzanne. She
was ahead of schedule, well excited for the charity dinner happening that night. After all, she was the
philanthropic darling of Imperia. She would not let the citizens of Imperia down, knowing they were
eagerly waiting for her appearance tonight.
After receiving the Global Ambassador of Philanthropy award tonight, she was also going to announce
the news of her engagement to Noah Quincy. The mere thought of it made her giddy with excitement.
âMother, what do you think of my dress? Is it a little too plain?â Angie was posing in front of Suzanne,
doing a little twirl to show off her dress.
She chose a pearl white ball gown adorned with beautiful pink pearls. It was elegant yet sexy at the
same time.
Suzanne was seated on the sofa, seemingly distracted as she sipped a cup of tea. She snapped back
to reality as she saw her daughter approaching. âDarling, youâd look beautiful even if you were dressed
in rags,â she assured her daughter.
âOh, Mother, stop with the empty flattery! Thereâs only half an hour until the dinner, I must be ready!â
Angie was beginning to feel slightly anxious.
âYou look fine just the way you are. Come here and sit down with me,â Suzanne persuaded her
daughter.
âNo, I canât sit down. The dress will be crumpled!â Angie replied.
âAlright then, you can continue standing. I have something to ask you,â Suzanne told her daughter
while simultaneously signaling for the assistants and make-up artists to leave the room.
They hastily packed up and left, leaving Suzanne and Angie alone in the room.
âBut Mother, my hairâs not done yet! Why did you ask them to leave?â Angie asked with a hint of
impatience in her voice as she turned around to call the hairstylist back in.
Suzanne grabbed her daughter by the arm before she could leave. âAngie, didnât we agree on using
only 400 million dollars? James told me yesterday you took 600 million dollars. What are you doing with
all that money? That was meant be the start-up capital for Shallow Bay. You must return it immediately
before your father finds out!â Suzanne was clearly panicked.
James was the companyâs Chief Financial Officer. If he was asking around, it could very well mean
there was a cash flow problem. Grant Corporation spent too much effort on this project for it to fail now
because of a cash flow issue. A disaster of that magnitude would shake Grant Corporation to its core.
There was too much on the line for Suzanne.
âOh, donât worry about it, Mother. I took the money for the wedding! Iâm going to become Mrs. Quincy
very soon, and whatâs a mere 6 million dollars to the Quincies?â Angie brushed the matter off.
Angie was determined to be an engaged woman by the end of tonight. Once the news got out, she
would be married to Noah Quincy in no time.
âFine, but you must act quick. If your father finds out about the money, you and I both will be in trouble.
Angie, Iâm counting on you,â Suzanne urged her daughter. The one thing she had faith in was her
daughterâs ability to charm a man. Everything will be right again once Angie becomes a Quincy.
Guests started filling the hotel ballroom as the charity night began. Angie was still affected by the
Facebook incident, but she reminded herself that she was still an influential character within the
philanthropic circle of Imperia. As she waltzed into the ballroom, Angie was relieved to catch plenty of
heads turning and looks of admiration thrown her way. It was like a dream come true.
She felt a huge sense of self-importance as she signed the event registry with a black fountain pen.
Her signature commanded honor and respect from everyone present here today. On the red carpet,
she was directed by the ushers to the very front row for the VIPs. As she found her name plate
indicating her seat, she was especially pleased to find Noahâs next to hers. Everyone in Imperia would
know the man belonged to her!
She took a seat, as elegant as ever. She had practiced her soft smile and angles prior to tonight, so the
cameras were having a field day capturing her beautiful features. She was slightly worried as Noah had
yet to show up although the dinner was about to begin. She should be used to it by now, but she could
not help feeling disappointed at times like this.
âMr. Quincy!â
âMr. Quincy is here!â
âOh, look, itâs Mr. Quincy! Still as handsome as I remembered!â
There was a flurry of activity at the entrance of the ballroom. Piecing together the commotion and the
excited whispers all around her, Angie knew Noah Quincy had arrived. She stood up excitedly, eager to
get to his side so the crowd could see what a good-looking couple they made.
As she turned around, she caught sight of the most eye-catching gentleman in the entire ballroom. He
looked tall and regal in his fitted tuxedo, commanding everyoneâs attention. As she stepped forward to
get closer to Noah, Angie suddenly noticed a woman by his side.