The next day, during Celine’s birthday banquet.At 8:00 pm at Dijue Hotel.Although the banquet just started, most of the guests had already arrived.Most of Jincheng’s powerful and famous people were gathered in the luxuriously decorated hall and mingled under gorgeous chandeliers. The atmosphere was lively with extravagantly dressed up guests.Celine Jennings wore a lilac hand-embroidered long dress with a tube top design. The lining of the dress reached her ankles, and layer upon layer of sheer cotton pooled on the ground, making her look celestial and beautiful.With a glass in hand, she moved among the crowd and greeted the guests one by one.The way she spoke and acted was graceful and calm, and her manners were of a perfect lady from high society.Low bursts of praise immediately rang out around her.“Ms. Jennings is truly beautiful. She’s worthy of being an A-list flower in the entertainment industry.”“Naturally. Not only is she pretty, she knows how to pick partners!
There were already people whispering. “Who is that? She’s beautiful!”“I don’t know, but I think she’s a guest invited by the Jennings family!”Nell was still young when she left the Jennings five years ago. Her facial features had not matured then and she spent most of her time studying, so very few people had seen her before.So much so that now that she had reappeared, no one seemed to recognize her.However, even if no one recognized her, Celine did.Celine was surrounded by a group of people when she saw the woman walking in from the entrance. She could not help but be stunned too.That was Nell Jennings?In her impression, Nell was always either dressed in professional attire or ordinary casual outfits.Although she looked clean and crisp, it was also plain and boring. If people looked at her for an extended amount of time, they would feel that she lacked femininity.Furthermore, she did not like to use make-up and did not take care of her hair either. Her long black hai
Mrs. Jones’s froze and Sylvia’s expression changed too.“What nonsense are you spouting? I didn’t…”Nell interrupted her. “Grand-godmother, Jason and I aren’t suitable for each other, so we broke up long ago. You don’t have to worry about our affairs.”Mrs. Jones frowned and looked at Sylvia suspiciously.“Nelly, did she tell you to say this?”Nell smiled and said nothing, not commenting.Sylvia immediately became flustered. “Nell! What are you saying? When did I tell you to say such things? You were the one who said that you wanted to explain it personally to Mrs. Jones because this was the only way that she would forgive you. Did you forget already?”Nell smiled sarcastically. “Hm? I’m not quite sure what I did wrong that would require grand-godmother’s forgiveness.”At that moment, Celine and Jason walked over, hand-in-hand.She stood beside Sally and looked at Nell as if wronged.“Sister, things have already come to a head, so stop being stubborn. Who in our family doesn’
Mrs. Jones shook her head, heartbroken.“Nelly, your mother entrusted you to me and asked me to take good care of you, but when that incident happened, you went abroad without saying a word. I couldn’t contact you at all, but that’s due to my negligence. However, I never thought that you’d go on such a crooked path!“It doesn’t matter if you want to be with a man like Isaac Collins, but you should have told me honestly! Even if I don’t agree, if you insist on marrying him, I’d still accept it!“Even if this trash wants to bully you, with the Jones and Garrett families by my side, he wouldn’t dare to even touch you! But instead, you kept it secret from me and still refused to confess after repeated questioning. Just what do you take me for?“Am I still your most respected and dearest elder? In those five years where I didn’t hear from you, I worried day and night that I was letting your mother down, but what about you? Is this how you repay me?”Nell’s face went white.She opened
“Gideon Leith, from Leith Corporation, has arrived!”The noisy crowd gave way spontaneously, turning to look in surprise. At the end of the crowd, a slender figure gradually came to view.Nell shook as her eyes widened.The man seemed to sweep in with the wind. His pace was fast, yet it did not appear hurried. His eyebrows were sharp and his piercing black eyes were like the finest black jade, glowing with cold light. His entire body emitted a cold and stern aura that dissuaded others from approaching him.Behind him was Matthew Starks. A few bodyguards dressed in black lingered at the door and did not enter.Matthew handed the congratulatory gift in his hands to the reception before following Gideon inside.“Gideon Leith! It’s really him! What is he doing here?”Someone among the guests murmured in a low voice, rousing the others back to their senses. Everyone was shocked.Most of the guests here today were people with status in society, so even if they had not seen Gideon Lei
The Jennings family, including Isaac Collins who had tried to escape, were eventually brought under control.The banquet was naturally scattered and the guests left confused and stunned by the sudden farce.However, with Gideon Leith present, no one dared to ask anything.They could only guess all sorts of speculations privately.Who was Gideon Leith?He was the heir to the Leith family magnate; the man who held the lifeblood of the whole Chinese business community.It was not an exaggeration to say that a man like him would be able to marry a princess if he so wished.Furthermore, the Leith family, along with Graham, Garrett, and Foster, were known as the Four Great Clans. They could be considered the founding fathers of China, and members of these families rarely had the right to decide on their own marriages. Most of them were political marriages.How could the Leith family allow their most outstanding successor to marry a commoner’s daughter?The crowd could not stop talki
“There was yellow snake grass mixed into the drug which has an effect of temporarily paralyzing the vocal cords, but it doesn’t last long. She should be able to speak soon.”Gideon nodded and let Matthew send the doctor out.After they left, he went to the bed and looked at the woman lying on it.Nell was much quieter now as she lay on the bed motionless. It seemed as if she was sleeping.Only her still-scarlet face inadvertently revealed her pain and endurance.Gideon watched her for a while wordlessly before walking away.A few seconds later, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom.Nell opened her eyes in a daze when she felt a large, tall shadow hanging over her.“Let’s go soak in some cold water, hm?”She looked at him and nodded.Gideon picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.The spacious bathtub was already filled with water. When Gideon put her in, the cold water caused her to shiver, and she immediately wrapped her arms around her.“Can you sit up?
#Nell’s straightforward answer made Gideon surprised, but he immediately lifted the corner of his lips.“But I have conditions.”“Say it!”“First, we’re not allowed to disclose our relationship to the public before I give consent. Second, no touching me without my permission!”The smile in Gideon’s eyes cooled a little. “Is there a third?”Nell thought for a moment but did not think of anything else, and shook her head. “No.”After a pause, she added. “I’ll think about it later.”Gideon said in a low voice. “So you want me to be a monk?”Nell was startled.“Mrs. Leith, I’m also a man. If you never allow it, won’t I have to abstain for the rest of my life?”His body approached her as he spoke, and Nell could only try her best to shrink away.“T-That’s not what I meant…”The reason why she put forward these conditions was because she subconsciously thought that this marriage would not last.So much so that she did not even consider what would happen in the future.Gideon sc