Chapter 139
As the standoff dragged on, murmurs rippled through the crowd outside the door–several guests had finally recognized Gideon’s identity.
The smirks and whispered jokes vanished in an instant.
It didn’t matter whose backing that young waiter had tonight–he wasn’t walking out of this hotel on his own two feet.
Just then, a flustered figure hurried toward the entrance of the ballroom.
Chester, too impatient to wait for Celestine any longer, had come to find her himself.
He’d assumed she’d gotten lost, but instead, there she was, standing amid the gathered crowd. His irritation flared and he strode over, scolding, “Celestine, why are you still out here? Do you realize everyone’s waiting for you? Can you please try to be on time for once?”
Celestine’s eyes grew colder.
Before she could even raise her hand in protest, Chester suddenly noticed the man beside her.
His expression brightened, and he momentarily forgot how Gideon never looked pleased to see anyone. “Mr. Prescott, I didn’t expect you here! About that misunderstanding last time, the fault was entirely mine. Please, accept my apology. Our families‘ business-”
Gideon’s icy gaze swept over him, then settled on a pale, quivering figure by the door. “Mr. Fordham, if you can’t even keep your own watchdogs in line, perhaps you shouldn’t joke about doing business together.”
Chester’s smile froze.
There was no hint of a joke in Gideon’s voice.
Who had managed to anger him this time?
Following Gideon’s gaze, Chester spotted the trembling waiter at the entrance. The guy looked vaguely familiar–probably a distant cousin on his mother’s side. His family ran a small hotel, and his father had pulled strings with the Fordhams just to get him a trainee position here at Eon Heights.
Was all this trouble really because of him?
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41.00
Chapter 139
“I apologize if this employee has offended you, Mr. Prescott,” Chester said, his tone humble. “Rest assured, we’ll deal with him appropriately. I hope you’ll give us another chance to make things right.”
He couldn’t believe Gideon would end a business relationship over a low–level hotel staffer.
Unexpectedly, Celestine let out a laugh.
Chester’s face darkened instantly. “What’s so funny? Celly, this is really not the time for your antics.”
Celestine felt another wave of nausea rising in her throat.
Vernon, unable to stand it any longer, spoke up. “Mr. Fordham, I was present for the entire incident. Your male staff member here called your wife, Miss Selwyn, a fake socialite and a gold–digger. He said if she wanted to find herself a sponsor, she could beg him, and he’d be generous–five thousand a night, all out of the goodness of his heart.”
Vernon repeated the waiter’s words, not missing a single insult.
“No! That’s not true! I never said that!” the waiter cried, stumbling forward in desperation.
Vernon adjusted his glasses, his voice calm. “I’m prepared to make a formal statement about what I heard. Are you?”
Surrounded by a sea of hostile eyes, the waiter started to shake all over, too afraid to say another word.
“Five thousand?” Gideon repeated, each word measured, as he slowly rolled up his
sleeves.
Chester’s face contorted with anger and humiliation.
Vernon was Gideon’s trusted confidant–he wouldn’t fabricate a story like this.
So this was why Celestine hadn’t come inside yet? Because of this contemptible little nobody?
Five thousand. The insult wasn’t just personal–it spat in the face of the entire Fordham family.
“Mrs. Fordham, it’s my fault! I should have chosen my staff more carefully! I failed to recognize someone so important!” the waiter stammered, sweat pouring down his face as he threw himself at Celestine’s feet.
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17:33
Vitaprer
Crack!
The sound of fist meeting flesh echoed through the ballroom.
Gideon, tall and imposing in his gray suit, struck without warning.
His punch landed with brutal force, as if he meant to grind bone into meat.
The waiter’s scream rang out, filling the entrance with terror.
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