Chapter 1450

The man met the curious eyes of the crowd as he approached the table where Stella was seated. Once in front of her, he extended his hand and introduced himself, “Good evening, miss. I am the head chef for tonight, Nathan Turner.

I am honored to have prepared this feast for you and your family and friends. I hope the food met your expectations.”

Stella promptly stood and shook hands with the seasoned chef. “It’s nice to meet you, Nathan. The dishes were absolutely splendid. Thank you for your hard work.”

The chef beamed. “It’s my privilege.”

With a graceful motion of his hand, his apprentices promptly served the dishes from the cart.

Nathan elaborated, “This is the special dish I’ve crafted for you. It’s called Bitter Moments to Sweet Delight. I hope your journey ahead mirrors this dish-sweetness will follow after a touch of bitterness.”

“I can’t believe it’s Nathan Turner! The heir to the Turner family’s culinary legacy, winner of the national Master Chef competition five times in a row! And they managed to invite him to cook!”

“What? Who?”

“You know, the chef mentioned in the news… The owner of that restaurant where the president hosted a leader from another country to sample his creations. Nathan Turner personally prepared the meal. It is said that after the leader returned to his country, he couldn’t stop raving about the food. Later on, he even sent a representative to invite him to cook in their country.”

“So that’s why the dishes at tonight’s banquet are so extraordinary. It turns out they specifically invited this chef.”

“Allow me to correct you. Nathan Turner is not just any chef. He’s the five-time national Master Chef champion and the culinary expert admired by presidents.”

“The fact that the Sauns requested both Lancelot and the Master Chef champion to attend this event shows that they hold Stella in high regard. The money spent on inviting Nathan alone could’ve covered a three-day stay at the Emperor Suite.”

Olivia could not help but massage her temples as she listened to the conversations. She knew that her late-night efforts and early-morning calls had not been in vain.

The venue for the ceremony was set, and she could not alter it. She had to put in extra effort elsewhere to enhance the event’s prestige, like securing Lancelot and Nathan to make up for it.

Both of these figures were not easy to invite. It was not primarily about money; it was about their networks. Olivia was fortunate to have invested years into cultivating these relationships, even though it demanded significant effort. She managed to pull it off.

Darcie shot a cool glance at Olivia, who responded with a gracious smile.

After surveying the entire banquet, no one dared to claim that the Saun family did not hold their long-

lost daughter in high esteem.

Stella had initially intended to find Keegan and Felicity. But as soon as she left her seat, a few ladies surrounded her for a conversation. These people held no prior grievances with her. They likely knew her background and wanted to get acquainted, so they came over to exchange pleasantries.

Jaylene, emerging from the restroom, spotted Stella engrossed in a conversation. She pursed her lips and approached.

Before she could reach them, Michael appeared. “Ms. Saun, allow me to touch up your makeup.”

Stella’s makeup had outshined what he had done for Jaylene. Michael could not help but worry that Jaylene might lose her spotlight if he did not act swiftly. So, he displayed extra attentiveness.

However, Jaylene was not in the mood for touch-ups at the moment. She calmly declined, “No thanks.”

Michael persisted, “There’s a bit of smudging on the sides of your nose. I strongly recommend a quick touch-up.

Otherwise, it might not look as good in photos.”

Jaylene furrowed her brows, about to retort, when she heard Stella’s voice nearby, “Are you Michael Caleb?”

Michael was taken aback, clearly flattered by the inquiry from the esteemed heiress. “Wait. You know me?”

Stella smiled, “We haven’t met before, but my friend is well- acquainted with you. He tried to arrange for you to design my look tonight, but you were tied up with a new project. I was right there when you were on the phone with my friend Mr. Snyder last night. I see the Ms. Saun you mentioned was my sister, Jaylene.”

Michael’s face turned ashen.