Chapter 62 – Whispers Beneath the Crystal Lights

“Well, well... what do we have here? How entertaining,” Dimitri mused silently, sipping his drink from a short distance away. Watching the scene unfold before him was thoroughly amusing. This was the perfect opportunity to pit Leonel and Jefran against each other—an ideal way to ruin Leonel’s life.

The woman clinging to Jefran’s arm was Luna—his secret lover. And tonight, she had no qualms about showing herself in public.

She walked up to Jefran, gently patted his arm, and whispered something that drew a faint smile from the man’s lips.

“Don’t look. Let’s go greet our host,” Leonel whispered into Jeslyn’s ear.

Jeslyn quickly shifted her gaze and followed Leonel, forcing herself to remain composed, her expression calm as if unaffected by the scene.

Meanwhile, in a dim corner of the hall, Dimitri took another slow sip, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

“Fascinating,” he thought, observing the invisible tension crackling between Leonel, Jeslyn, and Jefran. “The drama hasn’t even started, yet I can already taste the destruction in the air.”

He watched as Luna stood confidently beside Jefran, completely unbothered by the gazes of the elite crowd. She touched Jefran like she owned him—and he didn’t push her away.

Leonel and Jeslyn soon approached Mr. and Mrs. Valente, the elderly couple who owned Halder International. They greeted them warmly, and light conversation followed, full of polite formalities and talk of investments and the company’s future.

From afar, Dimitri chuckled into his wine glass.

After their brief exchange with the hosts, Leonel was quickly approached by two influential-looking men. One was Mr. Collins, a silver-haired gentleman in an exclusive suit, and the other, Kenji Nakamura, a key technology investor from Japan.

“Leonel, I’ve reviewed Clovies’ latest quarterly report,” said Mr. Collins, shaking Leonel’s hand. “The growth is impressive. But I have concerns about the expansion into bio-AI. Isn’t that a bit risky?”

Leonel nodded calmly. “You’re right. But the greatest risk lies in not innovating. We’ve partnered with Neurotix Lab, a brain-AI research company in Boston. They’ve developed adaptive learning systems for medical tech and automation. The initial integration is costly, but the long-term value is substantial.”

Mr. Collins furrowed his brow. “But according to what I’ve read, their system hasn’t been FDA-approved yet.”

“That’s correct,” Leonel replied quickly. “We won’t launch until all validation processes are complete. For now, we’re focusing on securing patents and strengthening the predictive algorithm. Within the next two quarters, we’re expecting an ROI increase of 18 to 22 percent.”

Kenji Nakamura finally joined in, his accent distinct, “We at Osaka Group are open to reassessing the funding scheme—but we want more transparency in the integration cost breakdown.”

Leonel responded in detail, “Of course. We can send a summary update this week. It includes lab equipment, anonymized patient data licensing, and AI specialists from MIT.”

Jeslyn stood quietly beside Leonel throughout the exchange. Though she knew quite a bit about his business, tonight’s conversation had taken a deep dive into technicalities and legal jargon she could barely follow.

The polite smile on her face began to feel forced.

She glanced around, searching for an excuse to step away. When Mr. Collins began discussing second-round funding using terms like equity dilution and preferred shares, Jeslyn leaned toward Leonel and whispered, “Excuse me, I’m going to get a drink.”

Leonel gave her a quick glance and nodded. “Okay.”

Finally, Jeslyn slipped away from the dry business talk. She appreciated the world of business—but only when she understood what was going on.

She walked to a nearby table lined with clear glasses filled with golden-brown liquid. She picked one up and took a slow sip.

“How have you been, Jeslyn? It’s been a while,” came a voice that made her freeze in place.

Jeslyn turned slowly. Standing before her was Dimitri Clovies, dressed in black with his usual insincere smile. His sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe, as if evaluating every inch of her appearance.

Jeslyn raised an eyebrow, keeping her composure. “Oh, Uncle Dimitri.”

“Still as flat-toned as ever?” he said with a smirk, grabbing a drink of his own. “But elegant as always.”

Jeslyn didn’t respond to the compliment. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I own a small stake in one of Halder’s vendors,” Dimitri said casually, swirling his drink. “Besides, who’d want to miss a night full of surprises?”

Jeslyn eyed him warily. “Surprises?”

He nodded, taking a sip. “For instance, seeing you arrive with Leonel... and Jefran with another woman. So I wasn’t wrong about your relationship, was I? Since when did you become Leonel’s mistress?”

Jeslyn tensed. Her once-neutral gaze turned sharp.

“Excuse me?” Her voice was cold. “You’ve clearly had too much to drink.”

Dimitri chuckled as if savoring the tension. “Relax. I’m not judging. Just observing. You’re smart, Jeslyn. If Jefran’s useless now, it makes sense to move on to someone more powerful, doesn’t it?”

“Leonel isn’t my rebound,” Jeslyn snapped, keeping her temper in check. “And I don’t belong to anyone. I'm not a mistress. Leonel and I—we’re not in a relationship.”

Dimitri stepped closer, lowering his voice. “But everyone sees it, darling. You’re young, beautiful, and now standing at an investor gala with the most powerful man in the room. That won’t go unnoticed. The corporate world is never kind to women who rise too quickly. Especially when she’s the fiancée of his brother.”

Jeslyn exhaled deeply, struggling to stay calm. Inside, she was boiling. She hated how he spoke to her—like she was nothing but a pawn.

“If that’s all you have to say,” she said, placing her glass firmly back on the table, “then I think we’re done here.”

“Don’t be so sensitive, Jeslyn. I’m just telling you how it is,” Dimitri replied smoothly. “But if you ever get tired of being the doll passed between two powerful men, my door’s always open. This world needs women like you—who know how to survive... and seduce.”

***