Filed to story: Disdained Son-in-Law, Destined Riches >>
Doris became alert and cautious as soon as Loreen said that. Joe had just asked her to keep an eye on Loreen the day before yesterday. As soon as Loreen reported to duty, she asked about the chairman. It seemed very odd and unusual. Doris eyed the pretty young lady and thought to herself, ‘What is your purpose of coming all the way to Emgrand Group?’
She said with a smile, “Our chairman rarely comes into the office, but if he does, I’ll tell him and I’ll notify you if he wants to see you.”
Loreen was a little disappointed, but she kept a smile on her face and said, “Okay, thank you, Miss Young!”
As soon as Doris returned to her office, she immediately reported the matter to Joe. Joe became more vigilant as well when he heard that Loreen had requested to see him as soon as she reported to work. Sure enough, the lady had literally come for him. What was her purpose in approaching him? Was she trying to harm him or seduce him? Regardless of her purpose, Joe felt irked and irritated. Hence, he decided to keep his distance from Loreen, especially since he couldn’t let her discover his true identity!
***
On the night of Loreen’s first day of work, Claire made a reservation at a high-end restaurant for dinner with Loreen. As Claire’s husband, Joe had to come along, which made him a little depressed. He wanted to keep a distance from Loreen but they had to have dinner together tonight. Despite the reluctance, he prepared himself and went to the restaurant with Claire. It wasn’t until they arrived at the venue that Joe realized that Claire booked a table at the Sky Garden of Shangri-La!
The Sky Garden Ballroom was usually reserved for the prominent guests and members of the hotel, so they had never provided any kind of private suite service. However, Joe’s action of booking the entire place on his wedding anniversary was unprecedented for Shangri-La. The wedding anniversary was only three days away. There was a big and eye-catching notice at the entrance of the hotel that said, “The Sky Garden is reserved for honorable guests and the venue will be unavailable for all guests during this period of time. Thank you for your cooperation!”
Everyone was shocked when they saw the notice! Did someone book the whole Sky Garden of Shangri-La? They had never done this before! Rumors had it that the children of several leaders in the city wanted to hold their wedding banquet here but were rejected without exception. Who had such an influence and power to reserve the Sky Garden with Shangri-La?
Claire gaped in surprise when she saw the notice. “Wow, someone actually booked the Sky Garden? That is so incredible!”
Joe chuckles in amusement. “What’s so incredible about it? It’s just a ballroom, why can’t people book it?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Claire said in a serious tone, “This Shangri- La is not some local enterprise but a luxurious global hotel chain. The Sky Garden is its unique and major feature and is exclusively for their top members. If they allow everyone to make a reservation, each top member would take turns to reserve it on a daily basis, causing the other members to miss out on the privilege to use the venue. Thus, they’ve simply prohibited reservation of the ballroom.” Then, Claire sighed and continued, “I wonder who the person who can reserve the place is. He or she must be someone extraordinary!”
Joe said with a deliberate smile, “Maybe he’s someone who really loves his wife and wants to hold a wedding here for her!”
Claire said in an astonished tone, “Wow! Holding a wedding for his wife here?! Then he must really love his wife. It must be nice to be his wife!”
Joe was very happy to hear his wife say so. It seemed that he had picked the best venue for their wedding anniversary. She must be so thrilled and happy on that day! They walked into the Sky Garden and sat down in the reserved seats. Soon, Loreen arrived. “Claire!”
“Loreen!” The two best friends hugged each other, happiness flooding their expressions. Then, they reminisce about their past excitedly while holding hands. It took them a while until they finally calmed down from the excitement.
Loreen chided, “Claire, you’re such a spendthrift. You actually booked the Sky Garden for dinner!”
Claire giggled gleefully, “You’re here! Of course I’d need to spend some money!”
Loreen grinned. ” You’re my best friend!”
“Frankly speaking, I’m not qualified to dine here. I’d asked Miss Doris Young to make the reservation for me with her membership card!”
Loreen sighed. “The Sky Garden sets quite a high requirement, doesn’t it? I heard that it’s only for their Diamond members or something, right?”
Yes.” Claire nodded. “Honestly, this is my first time here!”
Loreen smiled. “Thank you so much, my dear Claire!” She then continued, “By the way, on my way here, I saw the notice at the entrance that said the Sky Garden is booked three days later. Is that true?
“Yes,” Claire replied, “That’s very odd. The Sky Garden has never approved any reservations or bookings before. I wonder what’s up with them now.”
Loreen nodded and said, “Some time ago, there was this video online about a mysterious rich man in Aurous Hill that came with dozens of Rolls-Royces, men in black, and suitcases with cash just to buy a necklace. Have you guys watched the video?”
Joe shook his head. Claire said, “I have, it’s quite a big deal.” “Everyone is guessing who he is.” What is there to guess..” ”
For gossip, of course! Everyone is eager to know who he is, so domineering and handsome. Some say he’s the new chairman of Emgrand Group.”
Joe suddenly froze in shock for an instant but quickly regained his Composure. Loreen continued, “Now, someone has booked Shangri-La’s Sky Garden. That’s an unprecedented decision, isn’t it? I think that the person who booked this place is the same person who bought the necklace in the video.”
Claire heaved a helpless sigh. “We haven’t seen each other for so long and you’re still the same old busybody!”
Loreen laughed and said, “Gossip is the driving force for women to survive!” She then continued, “I’m going to come here three days later to see for myself the person powerful enough to book the Sky Garden!”
Joe, who had been listening to the entire conversation quietly, suddenly felt a headache incoming. All he wanted to do was to give his wife a surprise and a wedding that he couldn’t honor her. He didn’t want any of the unwanted attention. However, he seemed to have underestimated the influence of the Sky Garden. He figured that there were many people in Aurous Hill who shared the same idea as Loreen they wanted to see who the person who booked the Sky Garden was.
This was starting to get a little tricky. Joe felt that he needed to talk to Isaac in advance and arrange for full protection on the day. He couldn’t reveal his identity no matter what. In the middle of the dinner, Loreen started, “Before I came to Aurous Hill, I talked to some of our college mates about it and they suggested holding a class reunion. What do you think?”
Joe said immediately, “No thanks, I won’t attend.”
“Why?” Loreen asked curiously. “Although we were not college mates for four years, we spent a year together nonetheless!”