They didn’t dare ignore him, and hurriedly raised their glasses in return.
Spurred by Jeremy’s hospitality and the steady stream of alcohol, the atmosphere slowly loosened up.
One member of the Turner family caught sight of Brandon and Natalie, and immediately whispered to Jeremy with a smirk, “Mr. Button, you might not be aware, but the customers you just apologized to at that table were none other than Mr. Larson of the Larson Group and his wife, Natalie White.”
Following his gaze, Jeremy glanced over to where the couple was seated enjoying a romantic ambiance.
A mischievous smile immediately appeared on his face.
“Mr. Larson of the Larson Group, you say?”
The man nodded eagerly and remarked, “These days, the Larson Group is the number one enterprise in Barnes.
Although Mr. Larson is new in the industry, he’s proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with, as he deploys brutal methods that we can’t compete with.”
Jeremy swirled the wine glass in his hand deviously, with his eyes beaming with confidence as he spoke arrogantly.
“Not to worry. I believe that under my steady guidance and leadership, the Turner Group will outdo the Larson Group in no time. As for Mr. Larson…”
He threw his head back, chugged the entire glass of red wine, and fixed his eyes on Brandon with a sinister smile.
“He’ll become a complete failure in no time.” The members of the Turner family, however, thought that Jeremy was simply bragging after having had one too many drinks.
“Don’t underestimate him, Mr. Button. People who have opposed him in the past haven’t had a very good outcome.”
What a coincidence! Anyone who dared to oppose him would have an unfortunate end! A smug smile appeared on Jeremy’s face, and he said intently, “Well, let’s just wait and see.”
He had been successful at manipulating Brandon from behind the scenes in the past, so it was no impossible task for him now.
Now that he had acquired the Turner Group, he only needed a little more time to expand its business.
Having completed that, he’d have enough leverage to take Brandon on face-to-face, with no need to manipulate events from behind the scenes.
Jeremy looked forward to that day eagerly.
The mere thought of it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in anticipation.
Natalie wasn’t enjoying her meal very much.
She had a constant feeling that there was a hostile gaze upon her, watching her every move.
When she tried to spot the person that might’ve been making her feel that way, she couldn’t, which her even more uncomfortable.
So after a few quick bites, she laid down her cutlery and said, “I’m done, Brandon. Let’s go.”
Upon noticing that Natalie had barely touched her food, Brandon couldn’t help but ask in a concerned tone, “What’s wrong? Does the food not taste very good? I can have them make something else for you, if you’d like.”
Natalie forced a weak smile and replied, “No, not at all. I’m just a bit worried about Carly’s order. It’s made me lose my appetite completely.”
Brandon let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, “You scared me for a second there. I thought it was something serious. Are you really worried so much about one small order that you’ve lost your appetite?”
Natalie pouted and grumbled, “I’m an independent designer now, and every client is important to me.
I need to explain to Carly that I didn’t mean to offend her grandmother in the studio.”
Brandon then arched one eyebrow, and wore a mischievous look on his face.
He jokingly whispered to Natalie, “When would you be able to channel your passion for work into making babies instead?”
“Brandon!” Natalie’s face immediately turned a subtle shade of pink.
Ever since the two of them parted last night, Draco had never left Mandy’s mind. He was the only one she could think about.
She wanted to apologize to Draco, but she was too embarrassed to even approach him. Still, the longing in her heart was too loud.
Eventually, she gave up resisting and went back to the W Marks Studio.
This time, she dressed up and brought a lot of gifts. All so that Draco would forgive her.
Elizabeth was just passing by the reception desk when she spotted Mandy looking around. She instantly pulled a long face. The last time Mandy was in W Marks Studio was still fresh in her mind.
Mandy had made a scene and it impacted negatively on their reputation. Some clients even canceled their orders.
Mandy saw Elizabeth looking at her. She put on a friendly and bright smile and gave a brief wave.
“Hi, Elizabeth. Long time no see.” It was the first time Elizabeth had seen Mandy so friendly. Her instinct immediately told her something was off.
“What are you doing here?” Mandy seemed oblivious to Elizabeth’s vigilance. Blinking innocently, she raised the gifts in her hand.
“I’m here to visit everyone.” The corners of Elizabeth’s mouth twitched.
It was hard to believe Elizabeth really came with good intentions.
Mandy’s gaze fell on the seat Natalie once occupied.
Looking at the empty seat, Mandy let out a little gasp of surprise.
“It’s still office hours, right? Why is Mrs. Larson not in her seat? I heard a rumor that she left to open her own studio. Is that true?” Inside, Elizabeth was rolling her eyes, but on the outside, she kept a blank expression.
“Miss Hamilton, you know it’s not our break yet. So, if there’s nothing else you need, please go.”
The sharp request made Mandy’s expression dim. “Don’t…”
Before she could finish her words, a clear voice sounded behind her, “Is everything okay?”
At the sound of a familiar voice, Mandy’s heart skipped a beat.
She held her anger in and instantly hid it as she awkwardly turned around.
The sight of Draco made her eyes light up.
“Draco… I’m here to see you.” Elizabeth got chills from watching Mandy pretend to be coy.
She couldn’t help rolling her eyes again.
Not wanting Mandy to cause a ruckus in the studio, Draco politely led her to his office. As soon as the door closed behind him, he asked, “What brings you here?” Indifference was clear in his voice. Mandy blushed, feeling shy.
She took out an invitation card from her bag and handed it to Draco.
“I’m here to invite you to the art exhibition. We can go together.”
Draco politely refused but a frown settled on his face.
“I’m sorry, Miss Hamilton but I’m very busy these days.
I can’t spare time to go to the art exhibition.
You’d better find someone else to go with you.” Only after he spoke that he noticed the name on the invitation card.
Surprise quickly flashed through his eyes.
“This is…” Mandy smiled, reading what Draco was thinking.
“This is the art exhibition held by Mr. Nelson Nixon. I thought you might be interested, so I came to invite you.” Draco fell silent.
Nelson Nixon was his mentor.
He could refuse Mandy, but not Nelson’s art exhibition.
He had no reason to not go.
Mandy watched the storm of emotions on Draco’s face.
He was obviously hesitating, so she added, “Mr. Nixon is retiring. This may be his last art exhibition. You don’t want to miss it, do you?”
Watching Draco deeply consider his choices sent a jolt of satisfaction in Mandy’s chest.
The Hamilton family had a good relationship with Nelson.
When she found out that Nelson was going to hold an art exhibition, Mandy did not hesitate to use her family connections to get the invitation.
