That weekend, Katrina and her colleagues arrived an hour early for dinner.All the guests attending the banquet are important business figures of Abbe. No one can get in without an invitation.
As security detail for the event, it"s counterproductive for them to appear at the banquet with great fanfare. The police cars are parked outside the hall, where they all sit and watch the premises attentively. In case of an emergency, they can rush in at any time to provide protection for the important guests.
The captain also has undercover cops monitoring the party from the inside. Every hour, two police officers dressed in civilian clothes will be sent in to survey the venue.
They don"t have the luxury of the guests to enjoy wine and c.o.c.ktails, nor do they have the freedom to drink and mingle with the guests.
Their sole mission is to keep everyone safe.
The police cars parked in the shade by the roadside look unremarkable.
From their position, they can see the luxury cars coming and going to the party.
"A Lamborghini Phantom!"
"That"s a Rolls Royce Roadster!"
"Look at that Porsche sports car!"
One luxury car after another arrives at the venue. The policemen watch the cars in a daze, looking at them in awe. All the expensive and high-end cars in Abbe City are probably here tonight. The outside of the hall looks like a grand auto show.
It"s hard not to marvel at the sight upon seeing so many expensive cars in one place.
One of the policemen exclaims, "These people are so rich! Any of these cars would cost millions, even tens of millions! Ten million... I"ll never be able to make that much money in my entire life!"
Another colleague smiles and points out, "These people can"t have only one car. They"ll surely have many cars parked in their own carports."
At this, the first policeman leans back, clutching his chest dramatically. "Life truly is unfair. These wealthy people buy cars like they"re buying food, but I can"t even afford a car worth fifty thousand."
"Who said it was? The captain must have an ulterior motive for making us carry out this task! He wants us to get a deep understanding of how poor we are, so we work harder to make more money!"
"Despite how much I save, I won"t get even a fraction of the money they have!"
The expensive and outrageous cars of the rich guests make the young policemen jealous.
All the sharply dressed guests getting out of the limousines gracefully take out their invitations as they walk inside the banquet hall.
Just then, a black Maybach arrives and stops at the entrance of the venue.
The doorman trots over and opens the door for the guest.
A slender leg emerges, followed by the rest of the young man stepping out of the car. Gracefully fixing his collar, he looks tall and upright in his black suit, his elegance and dignity emphasize his handsome and charming features.
"Oh! Is that Mr. Wilson from the news?"
"The Aaron Wilson who flew in from Hadley to develop his company in Abbe?"
"I heard that the Wilson Company sprouted in Abbe overnight, but I didn"t know that their boss is so young!"
Katrina keeps silent when she hears the comments from her colleagues, but her eyes naturally turn to Aaron, who is stepping out of the car.
This is horrible. It completely slipped her mind that Aaron would be here. As a wealthy man with high status, he would naturally be present in such an important occasion.
If she runs into him at the party, it"s bound to be extremely awkward.
Not long after Aaron enters the hall, another car arrives.
A woman puts out her foot and steps out of the car. She"s wearing an unusually pretty evening dress with a plunging neckline that displays her alluring shoulders and collarbone.
Both her makeup and hair are exquisite. From the clothing accessories to match her hair and makeup, she looks extremely stunning.
Despite her makeup, Katrina recognizes her immediately. It"s the same woman whom Aaron had lunch with last time.
Aaron obviously brought her here as his date to such an important occasion.
There"s no denying that Aaron"s new lover is beautiful. She looks even lovelier with makeup.
The last time Katrina saw her, she was dressed very plainly, and her mannerisms were very reserved. Instead of looking like the daughter of a wealthy family, she looked lost and a little put-out. But now, she looks radiant in her lavish outfit, with the expensive jewelry on her neck and wrists.
Considering Aaron"s character, he wouldn"t let his woman look shabby at such a grand event. Aaron must have picked all her clothes and jewelry for her.
Katrina is certain of it.
Back when Aaron took her to a party in Hadley, he also had someone dress her up for a social event.
But now, everything has changed.
Aaron has a different woman by his side. He shows up on such an important occasion with his new lover. He seems to really spoil her.
But how long will his affections for her last?
After all, Aaron is nothing more than a disloyal womanizer.
The captain suddenly comes over and knocks on the window. "Stop gossiping! Nearly all the guests have arrived. We need to get to work!"
The captain pa.s.ses their a.s.signments around. "Every other hour, go inside to monitor the party. Dylan and Philip are up first. Colin and Katrina, you"re next."
"Yes, sir!"
This is the first dinner that Aaron attends after his arrival in Abbe. Many guests raise their wine gla.s.s in succession, approaching him to exchange greetings and toasts.
"Mr. Wilson, I"ve heard about you for a long time. Now, I finally have a chance to meet a real man today. You"re really handsome!"
Aaron has grown tired of this kind of polite flattery.
But he"s used to it, and he"s able to handle the people with ease. He smiles. "Thank you, Mr. Austin."
That"s when Aaron sees the main character for tonight"s show, Melvin Quentin.
With a gla.s.s of wine in his long fingers, Aaron walks over to Melvin. "Mr. Quentin."
Melvin doesn"t expect the popular Aaron Wilson to come over to greet him personally. The attention flatters him. "Mr. Wilson."
Melvin acquired his present wealth and status through his father.
But Aaron has a powerful business empire that he developed on his own. The future of Aaron"s company is almost limitless.
"Mr. Quentin, the Quentin Group, is one of the biggest companies in Abbe. I look forward to doing business with you."
"Yes, I can"t wait."