Chapter 79: Invitations For Charity Gala

Briena and Ivan quietly entered Albert’s hospital room, where he appeared to be sleeping. In reality, Albert was only pretending, hoping his family would leave him in peace.

"How’s Grandpa?" Briena asked softly.

"He has to stay in the hospital for another month," Sephina replied with a frown.

Briena pulled a worried expression. "Why? Wasn’t he well enough to visit Natalie’s home?"

"That’s probably why his condition worsened," Sephina grumbled, clearly displeased.

"Oh, by the way, I saw Natalie leaving with her husband. Did he come here?" Briena asked, curios.

Sephina’s face flushed with anger at the mention of him. "Don’t bring him up. That wretch married a rude, ill-mannered bastard just like her, who doesn’t even know how to speak to his in-laws."

Briena felt a wave of satisfaction, though she hid it behind her concerned expression. Ivan, standing beside her, felt the same sense of relief.

"She met us outside, acting as if she’d married the most powerful man in the country," Briena complained, her tone laced with frustration. "She didn’t even speak to us properly. I’m used to it, but Ivan—after everything she’s done to him, she couldn’t even show him respect."

"She’s just covering her shame with arrogance," Clara chimed in, holding her daughter’s hand. "Don’t worry, Briena. She’ll soon realize the mistake she’s made."

Sephina’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully at these words. "There’s a charity gala tomorrow evening. Every company will be represented, and since Natalie is now CEO, she’ll receive an invitation. But her husband won’t but let’s see if she brings him. That’s your chance to show her where she and her husband truly belongs," she said, turning her gaze to Ivan. "And remind her of what she’s lost."

Briena and Ivan understood what Sephina meant and nodded.

’Natalie, this time, entire business world will see you getting humiliated,’ Briana thought with a smirk. ’CEO? Tsk! You would be left as nothing but a joke.’

----

After Natalie returned to her office, Dan greeted her and followed her in. "Ms. Natalie, there’s an invitation for you," he said, placing an elegant card on her desk.

Natalie glanced at the card while Dan explained, "It’s for the annual charity gala. All the major company representatives are invited, and as the CEO, you’re expected to attend."

She closed the invitation and tossed it onto the table dismissively. "We don’t have time for this right now. We’re the ones seeking capital at the moment, not in a position to offer it to charity."

"Maybe just your presence there could help us attract an investor..." Dan suggested cautiously.

"With my spotless reputation, what do you think will really happen?" Natalie asked sarcastically, as she opened a file and began working.

Dan understood her meaning and remained silent.

"I assume you don’t want your CEO cozying up to some bald, pot-bellied rich man to secure funding?" she added bluntly.

"Absolutely not, Ms. Natalie," Dan quickly denied, before handing her another file. "Here’s the list of artists you asked for. Most of them have potential, but they don’t have the right opportunities yet."

Natalie was about to review the list when her phone rang. It was Mia. Natalie, having been worried about her friend who had been out of touch for a while, answered immediately.

"So you’re not dead yet?" Natalie asked with mock annoyance.

"Calm down, girl. I finally escaped my grandmother’s clutches and made it back home," Mia’s exhausted voice came through the line.

"What did the bandit queen do to you?"

"I’ll tell you when we meet. First, answer me—did you get an invitation to the charity gala?"

"Yes, I did. And no, I’m not going," Natalie replied flatly.

"No, no, you to go!" Mia protested. "That’s the only reason I managed to slip away from my grandmother—by convincing her I’d meet ’desirable’ men there. If I don’t show up, she’ll drag me back! And there’s no way I’m going alone."

"I’m broke. I need someone’s charity more than the gala does," Natalie said dryly.

"Just come with me! I’ll spend my dad’s fortune for both of us. You’re coming, and that’s final—or I’ll get dragged back home and married off to some insufferable man."

Natalie sighed, "Alright, alright."

She hung up the phone and looked at Dan. "You heard that. Got your wish fulfilled?"

Dan didn’t know how to react and nodded.

She resumed her work while she spoke, "But don’t worry, I won’t be cozying upto an old man."

"I know. Ms Natalie is not that kind of a person...."

"I am sure there is at least one desirable hot and handsome guy who’s worth cozying up," she interrupted him, turning him utterly speechless.

-----

In Justin’s study, he was in the middle of an important meeting with his father and key board members.

"...Mr. Justin, we believe it’s time for us to enter this sector," one of the board members began. "NextEra is currently the leading company in the artificial intelligence space. Every major corporation is trying to do business with them, and I think we shouldn’t fall behind."

"Yes, Mr. Justin," another added. "We’ve recently heard that the founder of NextEra is in the Imperial City. This is the perfect opportunity to approach him. While the Harper Group is far ahead of most companies, if we want to dominate the AI sector completely, we’ll need to collaborate with NextEra."

"Mr. Chairman, what’s your view?" one of them asked James Harper.

James looked at Justin through the screen and said, "I agree with the board, but the final decision rests with Justin. If he believes partnering with NextEra is the right move, then we’ll proceed. I trust his judgment."

The board turned their attention to Justin. "Mr. Justin, what’s your opinion?" one of them asked.

Justin gave a brief nod. "We’ll move forward with it."

Murmurs of approval spread across the screen, as the board members seemed pleased with his decision. Justin glanced at his father, who remained calm and unreadable, offering no indication of his personal thoughts on the matter.

"We’ve heard that the founder of NextEra is as mysterious as you, Mr. Justin. No one knows much about him or where he comes from. But we’re confident he won’t refuse a meeting with you. Once you meet, we believe the two of you will get along well," one of the men remarked.

Justin responded with a simple hum, and the meeting concluded shortly after.

Once the screen went dark, Noah stepped forward. "Mr Harper, what shall we do about it?"

"Proceed with what they suggested," Justin replied, already shifting his focus back to his work.

Noah nodded, placing an elegant invitation card on the desk. "Mr. Rowan sent this for you. It’s an invitation to attend charity gala."

Without even looking at the card, Justin dismissed it. "I don’t have time for this."

Noah wasn’t surprised by the response but fulfilled his duty of informing him nonetheless.