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Chapter 421
When Professor Gunn called, Jordan was still in the washroom.
Picking up the call, Jordan immediately asked impatiently, “Professor Gunn, do you have the results?”
Professor Gunn said, “Yes, Mr. Steele, they are with me. I can guarantee that the report results are absolutely accurate and there is absolutely no falsification.”
Jordan naturally trusted Professor Gunn the most because he had gotten a clear idea of his profile and background. After all, Professor Gunn was aware of how powerful Jordan was. Even the Howards wouldn’t be able to threaten or bribe them.
“May I ask what Mr. Steele is doing now?” Professor Gunn suddenly asked.
Jordan answered truthfully, “I’m in the washroom.”
“Are you doing a number two or what?” Professor Gunn continued to ask.
Jordan asked awkwardly, “Do you think I’d pick up your call while I’m doing a number one?”
“Mr. Steele, you’re not in a suitable state to hear the result right now. Why don’t I tell you the result when it’s convenient for you?”
Jordan was stunned. ‘Why wasn’t it convenient?’ Was Chloe not his daughter?’
For a moment, Jordan began to let his imagination run wild again!
‘That old fogey Professor Gunn is always so difficult to figure out.’
He was one of the very few people whose minds Jordan couldn’t read.
The last time he did a paternity test for Jordan and Hailey, he had a complicated and incomprehensible look on his face that made Jordan troubled for a long time. Hence, Jordan didn’t go to the test center to collect the results this time because he didn’t want to be misled by Professor Gun’s micro-expressions again!
“Okay, I’ll call you later.”
Five minutes later, Jordan called Professor Gunn again.
This time, Professor Gunn answered the phone and said, “Mr. Steele, I can see that you’re getting anxious. I advise you to calm down before I tell you the outcome.”
Hearing Professor Gunn’s words, Jordan had a strong hunch that the results might be unfavorable!
Jordan took a deep breath and then said, “Okay, I can accept any result. Just speak your mind.”
Professor Gunn added, “I heard that the environment on your side is quite chaotic. I suggest that you listen to the report in a quieter environment.”
Jordan picked up the remote control and turned off the TV set in the hotel, after which the room fell silent again.
“Professor Gunn, don’t torture me. Tell me, is Chloe my child or not!?!”
Jordan was already eager and he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Okay.” Professor Gunn remained calm and unpredictable. “I’ll now begin to announce to you the results of the paternity test. Please prepare yourself mentally.
“Based on the available information and DNA analysis results, you are Chloe’s biological father!”
“Damn!”
Jordan was not only excited to hear the result, he even snapped at Professor Gunn.
“Chloe is my child. You beat around the bush for such a long time and told me to finish my business before you would tell me the results. Couldn’t you have just told me? Do you know what I was worried about during those few minutes!?”
This Professor Gunn was atrocious. He had deliberately put on a complicated and worrying expression in the paternity test center the last time. Jordan, who could read micro-expressions, felt extremely anxious.
He didn’t expect to be tortured for a few minutes after picking up.
Professor Gunn then laughed and said, “I was just afraid that you’d jump up from the toilet bowl in a moment of joy. Haha.”
Jordan cursed, “You cunning old man. I’m not going to engage you for paternity tests again!”
Professor Gunn laughed and said, “I too, hope that Mr. Steele will never have such concerns and suspicions again. I wish you a happy family.”
“Okay, I’m hanging up now.”
Jordan hung up the phone and really leaped up in excitement!
Chloe was his child!
Chloe was indeed his child!
He just felt that his telepathy could not have been wrong. Besides, just like Jordan, Chloe had a flair for music and was just as hardworking!
All his suspicions were uncalled for. Lauren had never lied to Jordan, and she was a good woman. Jordan was the only man she had ever gotten intimate with in this lifetime!
Jordan hurriedly changed into his shoes and left the hotel while instructing Salvatore to check out of the hotel room. He decided to return to Lauren’s home tonight! After buying Chloe a bag of her favorite rainbow candy, Jordan eagerly rushed back to Lauren’s home to see Chloe.
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At this moment, Chloe was in the courtyard and learning to paint with an elderly man who had a head full of white hair.
Seeing that Jordan was walking over with some gummies, Chloe immediately put down the brush and leaped towards Jordan as she exclaimed, “Daddy!”
“Baby!”
Jordan picked Chloe up happily.
The elderly man saw Jordan and took the initiative to greet him, “You’re Chloe’s father, right? No wonder Chloe is so pretty. As I said, girls tend to inherit their beauty from their fathers and their height from their mothers.”
Lauren walked over and introduced the man to Jordan, “This is Chloe’s painting teacher, Mr. George. He’s a top painting master in the country.”
Jordan looked at the old gentleman who had an ethereal appearance with some admiration. He took the initiative to reach his arm out for a handshake.
“Mr. George, nice to meet you. I’ll have to count on you to teach Chloe to paint in the future.”
Chloe said innocently, “Mr. George said that I inherited my beauty from Daddy and my height from Mommy. That’s why I’m not as tall as Mommy. Does that mean I didn’t inherit my mom’s looks because she’s not good-looking?”
Jordan was amused by Chloe’s impressive logic before saying smilingly, “Your mother is the best- looking and most beautiful woman in the world. Chloe, you can forget about surpassing your Mommy before you reach the age of 20 years old.”
Although Lauren couldn’t read micro-expressions, he could still tell that Jordan was in a good mood today. The reason for his joy was obviously because of his knowledge of the paternity test results.
This time, Lauren did not appreciate Jordan’s affection. Instead, she walked back to his room angrily.
Jordan hurriedly followed and reached his arms out from behind Lauren to hug her.
“I’m sorry, Lauren, I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
Lauren would have been overjoyed to get hugged by Jordan in the past but now, she took the initiative to push him away.
“So the paternity test results out?”
Jordan nodded and said, “You didn’t lie to me, I was the one who thought too much.”
Jordan continued to pull Lauren’s hand and said, “I’m sorry for what happened the last few days. I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
Lauren said, “You’d better stay in a hotel. Don’t come home. Chloe and I can take care of ourselves. We don’t need you.”
It was the first time that Jordan saw Lauren talking to him with such an attitude.
It seemed that Lauren was really upset with Jordan. She loved Jordan so much and yet, he doubted her loyalty.
However, Jordan was not dejected because of it. Instead, he felt that Lauren was really cute when she was mad at him. All along, Lauren had been very submissive to Jordan but a woman who was too docile all the time would seem boring and hypocritical.
Everyone had a temper and the way Lauren was behaving now was more genuine.
Jordan kissed Lauren and said, “Honey, wait for me tonight.. I have to go out now and find out who did this to me!”
Chapter 422
Jordan left his home and headed to the hotel where Matt was by car.
Matt was held in purgatory for three days, during which he was told that he would not be fed any food if he refused to speak. But Jordan was merely scaring him and had actually prepared a sumptuous spread for lunch for him.
However, Matt was quite gutsy to have eaten only the fruit and dessert.
Seeing Jordan coming, Matt remained righteous-looking.
“Jordan, I’m still going to say the same thing. Those photos don’t belong to me and I didn’t take those photos at all. I did not disrespect Miss Howard in any way. You may check the footage of every treatment session that I have given her.”
Jordan also compared the people in the photos. The man’s legs were darker and coarser than Matt’s.
Matt was a very gentle person who hadn’t done much physical labor and seldom went to the gym. Hence, they could deduce that Matt was innocent.
“Let’s go, Dr. Gale,” Jordan said to Matt.
Matt asked, “Where to? Do you believe me now?”
Jordan nodded. “To your house. Don’t you want to know who framed you and is mocking me at the same time?”
Hence, Jordan and Matt returned to Matt’s house together.
Jordan firmly believed that there was no perfect crime. Since someone had come to Matt’s home and placed the photos there, they must have left some traces behind.
Firstly, the secret contraption in the headboard of Matt’s bed couldn’t be found easily and it would take at least a few minutes to find it.
Secondly, the photos were placed after the contraption was discovered.
It meant that after this person left, he found a woman with a figure similar to Lauren’s and took those photos with her.
He then came over again.
To have visited twice in a row, there was a high probability that there were clues left behind.
Matt entered his home and asked, “Do you want me to go to the manager of the property and ask for the surveillance footage of the past days?”
In response, Jordan said, “Surveillance cameras are the deadliest enemies of experts and they’re best at evading cameras. He would have been careful to avoid surveillance cameras, leaving fingerprints, and other things like that.”
As Jordan walked, he suddenly smelled a strange odor and asked, “What’s that smell?”
Matt was embarrassed for a while, and he frantically rushed forward to point at a rubbish bin.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been too lazy, this trash can has been full for a long time. I forgot to empty it.”
Jordan said, “Dump out the trash can.”
“Huh?”
Matt was a little reluctant. The trash can was full of filthy things so why would they empty it?novelbin
The trash cans in Matt’s house were the kind that was high-end, smart-sensing, and covered. It was not the kind where the contents could be seen immediately at a glance.
Matt nevertheless poured out the contents of the trash can, and the crowd instantly covered their noses.
Feeling bewildered, Salvatore said, “Dr. Gale, you seem to be a clean freak. These rotten eggs have been there for a long time. Yet, you didn’t dump them out.”
Matt was embarrassed.
However, Jordan did not care about these details.
Kicking all the garbage away with his foot, he found a cigarette butt inside.
“Dr. Gale, do you smoke?”
Matt immediately got worked up. “I don’t smoke! This cigarette butt is definitely not mine!”
He shockingly discovered something.
Jordan immediately crouched down and picked up the cigarette butt.
The cigarette butt was a Marlboro and there was only one word at the side of the butt. It was “Jamie”!
“Jamie! It’s Jamie!”
Jordan suddenly recalled that the three of them had bought a ticket when they went out for some fun after training years ago. That was the first time Jamie learned how to smoke and he even engraved his name on the butt of each cigarette.
Jordan then asked him why he had to write his name on the cigarettes.
Back then Jamie had replied, “Cigarettes are like women, I have to give it an exclusive mark. I’m not only going to write my name on the cigarette, but later, I’m going to write my name on the most beautiful woman in the world, haha.”
Jordan and Jesse both cursed, “Pervert!”
Based on Jamie’s habits, he would leave his name on every cigarette he smoked and every woman he slept with.
“Mr. Jordan… Was this really done by your brother?”
Salvatore was in disbelief. He hadn’t met Jamie before. After meeting Jesse, Salvatore felt that Jesse was very imposing, and he had been really curious about Jamie.
At the same time, Salvatore was in a dilemma. What if Jordan’s second brother was against Jordan?
“It’s him, he must have learned that Jesse is investigating Lauren, so he deliberately put these things in Dr. Gale’s house in advance. He was just out to make Jesse tell me that there’s something wrong with Lauren.
“I would have then fallen out with the Howards and I might have even gotten killed by them. His agenda was to make me an enemy of the Howards and thus use them to get rid of me!”
Salvatore could not help but swallow his saliva and asked, “Mr. Jordan, is your brother… powerful or not?”
Salvatore was a little scared that he might not be able to defeat Jamie!
At this moment, Jordan’s phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Jordan, it’s Grandpa.”
The person who called was not Jordan’s grandfather, but Lauren’s grandfather.
“Mr. Howard Sr., what is it?”
“Come to my place for dinner, I have something to say to you.”
“Sure.”
With so many things happening recently, Martin must have found out about it, so Jordan had no choice but to give him an explanation.
After arriving at Martin’s home, Jordan had a quick bite with Martin before going to Martin’s study.
Martin asked, “I heard you brought Chloe to get another paternity test done. Is that true?”
Jordan lowered his head and said, “Yes, I apologize, I shouldn’t have doubted your granddaughter. I fell into someone else’s trap.”
Martin said in a calm tone, “I know a bit about this matter too. As a man, it’s only normal to be angry after seeing those photos. I was also worried about Lauren and Matt Gale getting too close for her own good previously but his grandparents and parents are very good people, so I was relieved.
“Jordan, this time, I won’t blame you. After all, your ex-wife cheated on you before so it’s normal for you to be a little sensitive. On the contrary, you didn’t hit Lauren after you suspected that she had cheated you, nor did you say anything too callous.
“I heard Lauren say that you told her that even if Chloe is not your daughter, you’d still raise her as your own and I’m very heartened to hear that! It seems that you really treat Lauren and Chloe as your family.”
Jordan remained silent.
Indeed, Chloe and Lauren had already become indispensable family members of Jordan’s within this short period of time!
Martin asked, “Have you found out who pulled this trick on you?”
Jordan paused for a moment but he didn’t mention Jamie’s name.
However, to his surprise, Martin smiled and asked, “Is it your brother, Jamie?”
Jordan was instantly appalled. How did Martin know about it!
Chapter 423
Jordan asked in surprise, “Mr. Howard Sr., how did you guess that it was my second brother who did it? How much do you know about him?”
Martin smiled and said, “Ever since he took my granddaughter away from New York City and threw her onto a plane just to make you sleep with her once, I knew that Jamie was the one behind all the conspiracies.”
“Jordan, do you know why Jamie did this to you?”
Jordan sighed and then shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m on pretty good terms with Jamie. Although we rarely meet, he has always been nice to me. Even if we’re half-siblings, there’s no need for us to kill him if he doesn’t treat me as a brother.”
“Our family’s assets are enough for all seven of us and each of us will have an endless amount of wealth. He has no reason to do this.”
To his surprise, Martin chuckled after hearing his words. “Do you want to know why he did this to you?”
Jordan was stunned. Based on what Martin said, he seemed to know the reason! But how could an outsider like him know the reason!?!
“Do you know?” Jordan was bewildered.
Martin nodded and said, “He does want to harm you to compete with you but he’s not competing with you for the inheritance of assets but your family’s secret!”
Jordan was immediately shocked. This old man did know that the Steeles had unknown family secrets!
After thinking through it carefully, Jordan felt that Martin’s words were very reasonable. There was no need for Jamie to vie for the billions of dollars of assets because he could have any amount of money
he wanted.
Jesse and Jordan didn’t value money because their thoughts had already become transcendent. No matter how much money they had, they were just numbers that they couldn’t use.
Hence, if they were going to fight, it must be because of the family’s secret!
Jesse had told Jordan that Jamie might have already found out about the family’s secrets. Hence, Jamie had every reason to go after Jordan!
However, these were all matters of the Steeles and there was no need for Jordan to tell an outsider much about it.
Jordan laughed and said, “Mr. Howard Sr., you seem to be very interested in my family’s secrets. If I’m not wrong, you must have asked me to marry your granddaughter so that you could use her to get hold of my family’s secret, huh!?!”
However, Martin didn’t hide it at all. “Of course! I would never shortchange myself. If the Steeles didn’t have such great power and this secret that makes me curious… Not to mention that you already have a daughter with Lauren. Even if you had ten, I would never let you marry her.”
Jordan humphed coldly and exclaimed, “You can try!”
Martin said, “You are a smart person. There’s no need for me to lie to you. It’s extremely normal for humans to be selfish. Why should I bother hiding? Jordan, I hope you won’t reject me because of this. I just want to know what your family’s secret is.
“I have no intention to snatch your family’s secret. Besides, we’re a family and Chloe is both yours and my descendant. No matter what your family’s secret is, I will stand by your side and support you.
“My agenda is very simple. If you take the power of the Steeles and if this family secret can benefit the Howards, I hope you’ll help my children and allow them to get some glory too. I am a dying man whose days are numbered. I definitely won’t harbor any malicious intentions towards you.”
Martin sounded very sincere.
It was normal for him to be curious. Jordan was filled with curiosity himself too!
Jordan nodded and said, “Yes, but you must complete all of the trials given by the family before you’re qualified to find out. I haven’t even completed the business trial yet so God knows how many years it will take for me to get access to it. So Mr. Howard Sr., don’t blame me if you can’t wait until that day.”
Martin began to panic a little. It was really difficult to say if an elderly man like him who was sick, could really wait till that day. In his lifetime, Martin had enjoyed all sorts of luxuries, so before dying, he wanted to know what Charleston Steele’s secret was.
Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t die a peaceful death.
Martin said, “Jordan, don’t blame me for criticizing you. Ever since you ended your three-year experience as a live-in husband, you’ve been troubled with love. You were either messily involved with your ex-wife Hailey, or because of your child and your betrayal. You two were in such a terrible conflict. Either that or you were obsessed with Victoria and enjoyed yourself with her traveling in the mountains.
“Now, because of Lauren and Chloe’s affair, you’re focusing your attention on how many men Lauren used to date. Men shouldn’t be tied up by these emotional matters all day long. You should focus on the trials given by your family!”
Martin was right about that.
Jordan also felt that if he had stopped caring about Hailey after divorcing her and focused on developing the Ace Corporation as part of his business trial instead of taking revenge, he might have already completed it by now!
Jordan nodded. “You’re right. I’ve already decided that I’m not going to think about these messy things anymore and focus on completing the business trial!”
Martin smiled and said, “That’s right! Family secrets are the most important. Since Jamie isn’t hesitating to harm his brother for this, that just goes to prove that it’s even more attractive than the wealth of billions of dollars! As long as you have this secret and become the successor of the Steeles, you can have the whole world!”
“Once I finish the trial and find out the secret, I will understand why Victoria’s father disappeared for such a long time…” Jordan muttered under his breath.
After thinking about it, Jordan said somewhat pessimistically, “Previously, my business was considered extremely successful but I didn’t get my grandfather’s approval.”
Martin nodded and said, “That’s naturally the case because the Ace Corporation sprung up in a short period of time because of money. The companies under it were all very successful and you merely bought them with money. Of course, you couldn’t have gotten your grandfather’s recognition with that.”
“Jordan, your grandfather’s business trial is not meant for you to build the greatest company in the country, nor is he particular about the amount of profit you make. He is still mainly training your ability to run a business, shape your personality, and hone your ability to resist blows and find opportunities in various situations.
“Now that your assets have been frozen, you have nothing to your name and you’re being watched.. If you can make a name for yourself and make impressive achievements in business under such
circumstances… I believe that your grandfather will be very surprised and he’ll definitely approve of you and conclude that you’ve successfully completed your trial!”
Chapter 424
Martin was right.
Jordan would be going through the trial in “difficult” mode if he were to remain in the status quo. He was certain that he would get his grandfather’s approval if he were to make great achievements in difficult mode!
Clenching his fist, Jordan secretly made up his mind. “I’ll definitely pass the business trial as soon as possible!”
Martin also cheered Jordan on. “Son, although the possibility of making a difference in the business world is very low now that your assets have been frozen, you’re a smart kid and I believe that you will be able to think of a way to make amazing achievements. Just do it!”
With his assets, bank accounts, and mobile payment accounts all frozen, Jordan couldn’t even open a company now.
However, Martin and Jordan were convinced that Jordan could succeed.
“Jordan, before you go, I’ll give you another piece of advice. The ones who harm and defeat you are usually those that are closest to you. Our forefathers have said and written many thought-provoking ideologies and philosophies. Read more of our ancestors’ books when you have time, and I can guarantee that you will gain a lot!”
Martin smiled. At this moment, he was extremely benevolent like Jordan’s grandfather.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll go first and come back to see you another day.”
“Great, I’ll be waiting for your good news!”
Looking at Jordan’s departing figure, Martin smiled and murmured to himself.
“Go and do it with courage. Jordan, no matter what you do and regardless of whether you complete this trial through cheating or relying on your true ability, I will secretly help you!”
Martin was glad, knowing that he wasn’t far from discovering the Steeles’ secret!
On the way back, Jordan carefully recalled these two sentences that Martin had said to him. novelbin
It meant that whether something was lucky or not was not something that was set in stone. It was likely to change with the person’s mental state and emotions.
‘”Lauren’s grandfather still doesn’t think I have enough control of my emotions.”
Jordan naturally understood what Martin meant.
However, as a man, how could he control his emotions after learning that his wife had lied to him and that his child might not even belong to him?
‘Surely I don’t really have to conform to those sayings on the Internet like “As long as I can get a pretty wife, it doesn’t matter if the child is mine” ?’
‘Ah, life is hard.’
Jordan was only in his twenties and he didn’t want to be composed all the time like an old man.
When he returned home, Lauren was already getting ready to go to bed.
Jordan got undressed and was ready to get onto the bed to sleep. However, Lauren turned him down.
“Jordan, I want to sleep alone,” Lauren said coldly.
He didn’t expect to hear such words from Lauren.
In the past few days, she had been begging him to sleep with her. So he had no choice but to come out of his room obediently.
At this moment, Felicia, who had already changed into her pajamas and was wearing a pair of linen slippers, just happened to walk over.
Upon sight of Jordan who was walking out of Lauren’s room with his head hanging low, Felicia couldn’t help but smile.
She asked, “Mr. Jordan, did you get kicked out by Miss Lauren?”
How could Jordan admit to such a humiliating thing!?! During the three years of his marriage to Hailey, he had never shared the same room as her.
After that, he swore that he would never let such a thing happen again!
But today, Lauren let Jordan taste it once again.
Jordan said with a straight face, “Kicked out? Nothing of that sort. I moved out of my own accord. I want to accompany Chloe to sleep.”
“Don’t.” The petite Felicia immediately stood in front of Jordan to block him. “Chloe and I are sharing the same room. You’d better not go in.”
Jordan said with bewilderment, “What’s wrong with that? It’s not like you’re going to be on the same bed anyway.”
Feeling a little shy, Felicia said, “Mr. Jordan, you’re so handsome. I won’t be able to control myself if we sleep in the same room!”
Jordan was speechless.
“You’re right but I can tell that you dislike me! Forget it, I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
Felicia laughed and said, “Hehe, goodnight, Mr. Jordan. By the way, here’s a reminder. It’s Miss Lauren’s birthday the day after tomorrow. It’s a great chance for you two to make up.”
“I remember,” Jordan said.
He had already saved Lauren’s birthday in his phone’s memo.
Back in his room, Jordan didn’t idle about either. It was time he did something serious!
Indeed, he had to finish the business trial as soon as possible because he wanted to know what the family secret was! He had to know why Jamie wanted to harm him and why Victoria’s father, who was clearly still alive, did not contact Victoria and Emily for eleven years!
“My assets have been frozen, and so have my bank accounts and everything else related to my finances. I can’t use any of them. Money talks when it comes to business. Without money, I can’t set up a company, be a shareholder, or invest in anything. What does it take to become a dignified figure in the business world under these circumstances?”
After careful thought, he realized that it was simply impossible!
Jordan was now facing credit problems. He had been blacklisted by the bank, and all companies could not possibly cooperate with him. All he had was just a bunch of henchmen with little business acumen.
After pondering about it for a whole hour, Jordan was puzzled.
“This is a dead-end. No matter how much business acumen I have and how capable I am, it’s impossible for me to make any achievements in the business world. Because I don’t even have the
qualifications to make an effort to start. Once I start working on a certain project and preparing to start a business, it will be canceled immediately.
“What should I do to break out of this?”
Jordan suddenly remembered a saying.
“Two mice fell into a bucket of cream, and the first one quickly gave up and drowned. But the second mouse struggled so hard that he eventually churned that cream into butter and he walked out.”
This is a quote from the famous director, Steven Spielberg’s film, “Catch Me If You Can”.
Jordan had a deep impression of the film, in which the male lead was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film revolved around the male lead’s repeated acts of fraud. He disguised as a pilot and scammed airlines. He also disguised as a doctor and scammed a lawyer’s daughter into marrying him.
Jordan suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Since I can’t set up a company or hire employees and start from the bottom, I can go straight to the last step.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I just disguised myself as a successful businessman? As long as I can fool everyone and get everyone in the world of business to approve of me, my grandfather will definitely approve of me too! In fact, I can even fool Grandpa!”
He could fake his identity, his company and everything else.
All he had to do was make sure no one could tell!
Chapter 425
Bright and early the next morning, Lauren got up and went for a run.
Jordan thought about the business plan he had come up with last night and set his alarm for six o’clock. He wanted to get up a little early and give Lauren her favorite “morning kiss”.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late and didn’t catch her.
Hence, Jordan set up a grill in the courtyard and started a fire to cook. He stir-fried pasta, chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and green peppers. Soon after, a plate of aglio olio was freshly prepared.
Lauren came back from her run, clad in a cap and a mask. She then entered the courtyard and took off the mask.
Numerous beads of sweat had appeared on her clear and lovely face. It made her look even more innocent and beautiful.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Lauren smelled a certain fragrance and entered to take a look, only to find Jordan cooking breakfast.
On the other hand, Felicia and Chloe were already gathered around and had started eating.
When Jordan saw Lauren running back in the morning, he smiled and said, “Lauren, you’re back. Quick, try the aglio olio I made while it’s still hot.”
Lauren shook her head and said indifferently, “No, I don’t like eating in the morning.”
Ignoring her, Jordan carried the bowl and chopsticks towards Lauren and took the initiative to feed her some pasta.
“It smells good. Try it.”
“I won’t eat it.”
Although Lauren said that she didn’t want to eat, she unconsciously opened her mouth when Jordan handed it to her for some reason.
She quickly swallowed the noodles.
Chloe, who was at the side, laughed and said, “Haha, Mommy said that she doesn’t want to eat but she still did.”
Lauren also hated herself for blurting out those words. She couldn’t deny that she was a foodie!
“How is it? How about I get you a plate?” Jordan asked with a smile.
Lauren had an awkward look on her face. After eating that mouthful, she kept swallowing her saliva and stopped pretending. “Yes.”
So Jordan scooped a bowl for Lauren too and she enjoyed it greatly.
It was the same for Chloe.
Felicia was all praise as she ate. “Mr. Jordan, the food you make is so delicious! I feel so blissful to be able to eat such delicious food every day.”
Lauren poked Felicia on her forehead and asked, “How can you have the cheek to say that? Shouldn’t you be the one to do it?”
Felicia chuckled and said, “The food I make can’t compare to that of Mr. Jordan’s.”
Although Felicia was Lauren’s maid, Lauren treated her as her sister and not a servant.
After Jordan married Lauren, he didn’t treat Felicia as a maid or order her around either. Felicia was touched that he was willing to cook even though he was supposedly her master.
Felicia finished a bowl of Aglio olio before scooping herself another bowl. While sprinkling some chili flakes onto it, she asked, “Mr. Jordan, are there lots of servants at your place? Will they treat me like their family like Miss Lauren does?”
In all honesty, Felicia was curious about what the specific situation in the Steele family was.
Hearing his question, Lauren raised her head too. She was now Jordan’s wife but she hadn’t lived with the Steeles before and didn’t really know what they were like.
Jordan said, “Except for Butler Frank, who has been working for my grandfather for decades, the rest of the servants have a distinct master and servant relationship with us. They’re not as close to us as you and Lauren are. My brothers and I don’t really have any servants but my younger sisters have lots of servants around them.
“There are servants who are responsible for waking them up, teaching them to do their makeup, teaching them etiquette, as well as those who specialize in organizing their schedules and deciding their timetable. They also have an entourage of chauffeurs, bodyguards, hairstylists, fashion designers, and so on.”
Felicia asked with her eyes wide open, “Wow, girls of your family must be living like princesses! Mr. Jordan, I heard that you have quite a few younger sisters. How old is the youngest one?”
Jordan said, “The youngest is my seventh sister who’s only nine years old.”
“She’s so young. That’s not much older than Chloe. Mr. Jordan, your father was really energetic,” Felicia couldn’t help but compliment. “You have so many siblings. Your family handed the bar businesses to you and Miss Lauren. It seems that they really value you!”
Hearing Felicia’s words, Lauren seemed to have remembered something.
“Jordan, can you come to the room?”
Jordan had also finished eating and he stood up happily, wondering to himself if Lauren had been coaxed by a bowl of Aglio olio.
‘Is she going to let me sleep in the room? It isn’t appropriate to exercise vigorously just after eating, right?’
Jordan thought that Lauren wanted to get intimate with him but when he entered, he realized that that wasn’t the case.
Lauren said with a cold and indifferent expression, “This is the bar share transfer agreement that your grandfather has drawn up. I’ve decided to give up my rights as a shareholder. You can have the bar to yourself. Also, these two boxes contain the necklace and the earrings that you gave me.”
Jordan didn’t expect Lauren to return all the gifts he had given her.
It seemed that Lauren was still mad at Jordan!
‘Indeed, beautiful women are difficult to coax!’
Looking at the gifts, Jordan looked at the gifts and said, “This necklace actually belongs to Jamie. I got it by going through his safe in his house in the suburbs without his permission. Logically speaking, if he wants it back, we are supposed to return it to him. But after everything that guy has done to me without explaining, I don’t plan to return it to him either. Just wear it.
“As for this pair of diamond earrings…”
Jordan lied to Lauren that it was from Jordan’s mother, but it was actually from Victoria!
At the thought of Victoria, Jordan sighed and said, “Since she gave it to you, she probably wouldn’t ask for it back. The necklace and earrings belong to you. Except for you, no one else in this world is worthy of wearing them!
“And as for this transfer contract…”
Jordan picked up the contract and tore it up without even looking at it.
“Jordan…”
Lauren was a little shocked.
Jordan said, “Lauren, I won’t take back the things that I gave you. No matter what, this is what I owe you and Chloe. I won’t let you withdraw. You’re destined to be the queen of British bars. I want you to point to every bar on the street and proudly say ‘This is my turf!’ when you arrive in England!”
If Jordan had said those words to Hailey, Hailey would have jumped up and down.
Although Lauren was not a vain woman, who would be able to refute such temptation?
Jordan grabbed Lauren’s hand and said, “Honey, don’t be angry. It’s your birthday tomorrow.. How about I take you out for two days?”
Chapter 426
Jordan and Lauren hadn’t gone on a honeymoon after they got married. Besides, Jordan wanted to take the chance to make it up to her since it was her birthday tomorrow.
However, Lauren refuted, “I’ve already promised my high school classmates that I’ll be meeting them for our reunion tomorrow.”
Classmates’ gathering?
It was actually scheduled on Lauren’s birthday too.
“Oh.” Since Lauren had already promised them, there was nothing he could say.
“Which restaurant did they book?”
Lauren replied, “Sophomore, a campus-themed restaurant.”
Jordan nodded and said, “Okay, go to the classmates’ reunion then.”
Jordan was slightly disappointed. Lauren actually promised her classmates to attend a reunion on such an important day. She must have agreed to it when Jordan was giving her the cold shoulder in the last two days.
Otherwise, given how much Lauren loved Jordan, she definitely wouldn’t have given her time on such an important day to her high school classmates who weren’t very close to her.
Afterward, Jordan ordered Salvatore to send a grand piano to the restaurant named “Sophomore” by tomorrow afternoon. He intended to attend Lauren’s classmate’s party and give her a surprise!
Since Jordan was her husband, he had to be there on such an important day like her birthday!
…
At 6 pm the following day, Lauren appeared at the Sophomore restaurant, dressed in a simple jacket and a pair of jeans.
It was a campus-themed restaurant and wasn’t exactly an upscale place. Besides, it was a classmates’ reunion today, so Lauren wasn’t wearing a skirt or stilettos. Instead, she was dressed in very ordinary clothes.
However, Lauren was beautiful and even if she was dressed ordinarily, she could still make many heads turn.
Having long gotten used to getting admiring looks over the past two decades, Lauren did not take it seriously at all. However, she didn’t expect to see that everyone seemed to be staring at a woman in front of her and not her when she walked into the restaurant.
Lauren looked at the girl in front of her in surprise. She had a good temperament and figure. Although it wasn’t as good as hers, she was considered a beauty.
Besides, that girl was extremely young. She was at least four or five years younger than Lauren.
‘Is it because I’m old and I can’t compare to young girls?’
Lauren felt that everyone was looking at the girl in front of her instead of herself. Hence, she thought that she was getting old. After all, girls who were born in the 2000s were already adults now.
They had already gone through puberty too. After putting on makeup, she had the charm of a mature woman, as well as the unique pureness and collagen of a young woman. Her skin complexion was so good that a woman who was almost 30 years old wouldn’t be able to compare to her at all.
Lauren paid a lot of attention to her beauty and the maintenance of her youth. Like other beautiful women, she was naturally afraid of aging. However, after taking a closer look at the eyes and
comments of the passers-by, Lauren felt that they weren’t purely admiring a beautiful woman.
The girl in front of Lauren seemed to be a celebrity!
“Look, isn’t that the idol, Maggie!?!”
“Who is Maggie? Is she a singer or an actress? What works is she famous for?”
“She’s the one who was exposed by the tabloids after being caught having car sex with a wealthy scion in New York City!”
“Oh, I remember! That scion seems to be from the Huxleys of New York.”
“Wasn’t the matter clarified afterward? Maggie is a victim herself. She was deceived by that second- generation heir, Cayden Huxley.”
“Oh, in my opinion, she’s not a victim. Why didn’t she get deceived by me? At the end of the day, she’s just greedy for money!”
“Keep your voice down, don’t let others overhear you!”
“…”
Lauren slowed down and as she heard the sounds of discussion coming from the crowd around her, she finally learned that the girl in front of her was Maggie, a popular idol.
At this age, Lauren had long stopped idolizing celebrities and had never heard of Maggie, especially since Maggie was much younger.
Soon, the two walked to their respective private rooms. novelbin
When Lauren entered the room, the other students in the room had all arrived.
This time, there were only ten people including Lauren, who would be attending the reunion because not all her classmates were invited.
Lauren attended an ordinary high school but her classmates’ family backgrounds were not comparable to the Howards though they were affluent.
It could be said that in their eyes, Lauren was a princess who was high up in the air and whom they had to suck up to. Those classmates who were attending the reunion were the ones she was closer to and the boys’ parents were government officials who had been doing well as of late.
In other words, no one else would dare to invite Miss Howard.
In fact, although Lauren was a little cold and aloof, she treated her classmates equally. She didn’t look down on her classmates and think that she was superior to them, just because she came from a powerful family.
“Hey, our class belle is here. Everyone, stand up to welcome her!”
A bespectacled man was the first to get up and clap his hands.
It was Colton, the class president back in the schooling days.
The rest of Lauren’s classmates stood up to greet her.
Lauren was a little embarrassed and shy. “Hey, we’re all classmates, don’t act like this. You’re making me awkward.”
Lauren looked at the private room and realized that the tables weren’t like the usual dining tables in restaurants. Rather, they were like school classroom desks.
Since it was a campus-themed classroom where classmates’ reunions were usually held, the decor was meant to make patrons reminisce about their schooling days.
The private room was large and there was a piano inside.
“Lauren, long time no see.”
“Lauren, you’ve become even more beautiful!”
Lauren’s female classmates greeted her affectionately.
One of the female students who was close to Lauren, asked, “Lauren, did you not bring the necklace and earrings your husband gave you?”
“You guys didn’t attend Lauren’s wedding so you probably don’t know that her husband gave her the most expensive necklace and diamond earrings in the world!”
A few male students made some snide remarks.
“No, I heard that Lauren’s husband is a live-in husband. Isn’t he?”
“Yeah, I heard that Lauren’s husband is penniless and jobless. He doesn’t even have a house in DC and he’s still living in Lauren’s home now.”
Lauren didn’t invite her male classmates to her wedding and only the two female ones who were present now were invited. Hence, many people weren’t clear of her situation and only knew that she had gotten married.
Colton had a complicated look on his face and his eyes were full of excitement when he looked at Lauren. He clearly didn’t only treat her as a classmate.
“Lauren, what does your husband do? Tell us about it. Did the most expensive necklace and earrings in the world really belong to him?”
It was obvious Colton was extremely curious about Lauren’s husband!
Chapter 427
As soon as Lauren came in and sat down, her husband, Jordan, had become the focus of their conversation. After all, in the eyes of her classmates, Lauren was a school belle.
Everyone wanted to know who the most beautiful and outstanding classmate of theirs had eventually married. It was especially the case for the boys who used to have a crush on her.
Lauren was gorgeous even when she was only in high school. She would usually wear a ponytail to school. She was taller than others her age and her pure, innocent look was extremely eye-catching.
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The class president, Colton, had always carried a torch for Lauren. Lauren could be said to be the first girl he had ever had a crush on in this lifetime.
In the sophomore year of high school, Colton, who had had a crush on Lauren for the longest time, finally plucked up the courage to give Lauren a love letter to confess his feelings for her.
Lauren politely and shyly took the love letter but her family’s chauffeur saw it.
Soon, the Howards found Colton’s dad who worked in a certain institution.
That night, Colton’s father taught him a hard lesson and told him very seriously that he was not allowed to harass or harbor any romantic feelings towards Lauren anymore. He was warned to treat Lauren only as a classmate!
From then on, Colton knew that Lauren was not from an ordinary family at all and that her status was much higher than theirs.
However, for a fifteen-year-old, the more he suppressed his emotions and tried to restrain his feelings for her, the more he couldn’t stop himself and the more he adored her!
Over the years, as he grew older and learned more about Lauren’s family, Colton was more and more aware that it was impossible between him and Lauren. He knew very well that Lauren would definitely marry the son of a government official or an extremely wealthy man, like Chris. novelbin
If Lauren were to marry Chris, Colton would have nothing to say. After all, it was apparent to all that he couldn’t compare to the powerful Hanks at all.
However, Lauren married a man they had never heard of, and to make matters worse, he was going to be her live-in husband! It was preposterous!
Although many of his former classmates had said Lauren’s husband was actually from a powerful family, there was no concrete proof to support that point.
Lauren knew that her husband’s family was very secretive and had always kept a low profile. Hence, she said, “My husband is just an ordinary person who doesn’t have a job. Those two pieces of jewelry were gifts to him.”
Jordan had already told Lauren that the necklace did not belong to him but rather, he had gotten it from Jamie without his permission. In case Jamie wanted the necklace back one day, Lauren would have to give it back to him obediently. Therefore, Lauren did not dare to say that the jewelry belonged to Jordan.
A few of her classmates were stunned.
“Huh? They were gifts? Did your husband save the life of some rich man? Is that why he has this jewelry?”
“In my opinion, this jewelry may not be authentic. They might be counterfeit! Lauren, don’t be fooled.”
A female classmate hurriedly said, “What are you saying? They’re authentic, you guys have no idea. The president of Vans Jewelry personally authenticated it at the wedding!”
“Not only did Lauren’s husband give her those earrings and necklace, but his family also handed over the British bar business to her!”
Another female student also said with a smile, “Yes, Lauren is now the queen of British pubs! All the pubs in the UK are owned by her!”
“By the way, Lauren, I’m going to England in a few days. Does that mean that I can get free drinks when I mention your name at the bars?”
Her female classmates had been really excited ever since they learned that all the bars in the UK were owned by Lauren. They often went abroad but for various reasons, they would never have as much fun as they do at home. After all, they would be foreigners in other countries.
However, if all the bars in the UK belonged to their classmate, they would be able to behave unrestrainedly and have fun without any scruples.
Lauren hurriedly said, “No, don’t mention my name, I haven’t even been there myself. I’ll send you guys money remotely to foot the bills when you’re there.”
The female student frowned and said, “Ah, we’re after the thrill of not having to pay the bill. Which boss has to get the tab at her own bar?”
Colton asked with confusion, “Do all the bars in the UK belong to a single corporation? Is Lauren the current owner? That’s not quite right, is it? I’ve checked on that corporation and it seems to have been founded by an Englishman.”
Another male classmate of hers chimed in, “I studied at Oxford University in England. Lauren, your husband’s last name seems to be Steele, right? I’ve investigated that too and there isn’t a single family there with that last name.”
Colton asked in amazement, “Is that so? You stayed in England for so long and you couldn’t even find anything. Lauren, could it be that the contract your husband gave you is fake?”
The Steeles were very secretive, so ordinary people naturally couldn’t find out any information about them.
Not wanting to explain too much, Lauren only said, “I don’t care, it’s not like I’m going to go there anyway. I don’t intend to become the queen of British bars or whatever.”
Seeing Lauren’s dismissive attitude, her classmates were even more certain that the contract her husband had given her was fake!
Colton secretly thought, ‘I was right! How can the son of a family that can own the entire bar industry in the UK, possibly be the live-in husband of Lauren!? Jordan Steele must be pretending! How infuriating. The goddess I’ve secretly been in love with for so many years married a fraud!”
The crowd started to scan the QR code with their phones to order food, and at this time, a female classmate smiled.
“By the way, everyone still doesn’t know, right? It’s the birthday of our class belle, who’s newly married!”
The male students were dumbfounded. “What? It’s Lauren’s birthday today!?”
“Damn it, Lauren is really something. Instead of accompanying her husband on her birthday today, she’s actually willing to come out and accompany us to the classmates’ reunion. I really have to toast to you later!”
The female classmate said, “I was quite puzzled at first. When I invited Lauren, I didn’t know that it was her birthday today. I only found out later.”
“By the way, Lauren, did your husband agree to let you come out for a meal with us since it’s your birthday today?”
Lauren said, “Oh, my husband happens to be out tonight, so I’m free to hang out with you guys.”
Her few classmates immediately felt that something was wrong.
“It’s your birthday and your husband is out?”
“Isn’t he out of work? What serious business can he have?”
On the other hand, Colton secretly thought to himself, ‘Seems like Lauren is having a fight with her husband. It’s not that he has something on!’
Lauren wasn’t behaving like herself at all. She didn’t seem like a newlywed bride either.
‘It’s my chance tonight! Since even a liar like Jordan Steele can trick Lauren, I’ll have a greater chance to be with her! I won’t let myself continue to be so cowardly!’
Chapter 428
Ever since he received a warning from his father, Colton had never dared to pursue Lauren again.
As Colton’s father’s position rose higher over the years, Colton had also experienced a smooth-sailing journey in his career. He had already become the director of a certain project. Not only that, the bigwigs from other provinces had to line up to see him in DC.
Colton could tell that Lauren had had a tiff with her husband so he thought that it must be his chance to perform today.
Immediately taking out his cell phone, Colton said, “How nice of our class belle to join us today on such a special day. I have to order a luxurious cake for Lauren.”
“Yes, yes, yes, order the cake!”
“Yes, we have to order a better cake that is worthy of Miss Howard.”
Lauren was rather embarrassed. “You don’t have to order a cake, we can just have a meal.”
Colton immediately made a phone call. “Hello, is it Maxim Cake store? It’s my classmate’s birthday today. Please send the most expensive and extravagant cake in your store to Sophomore Cafe. Hurry it up!”
After hanging up, Colton smiled and said, “The cake will be delivered shortly.”
The students could not help but laugh and said, “Colton, why are you being so eager when it’s Lauren’s birthday? Are you still interested in Lauren?”
“Haha, I remember that you sent love letters to Lauren back in high school.”
Colton quickly denied, “Don’t spout nonsense, or you’ll put Lauren in an awkward position. That happened ages ago. Lauren, don’t mind it.”
Lauren laughed and chatted with her classmates whom she had known since she was a child. However, she didn’t quite hold it against him.
Soon, the dishes were served and her male classmates drank some white wine while the girls drank red wine.
Colton was the first to clink glasses with Lauren. “Hey, former classmate, it’s been a long time. Thank you for being kind and willing to get together with us.”
The others also chimed in, “Yeah, we’re really glad that you’re willing to treat us as classmates.”
Lauren came from a wealthy family and she lived a privileged life that was far above what her classmates could compare to. Their families added together couldn’t compare to Lauren at all.
It was precisely because she had gone to an ordinary school when she was a child, that Lauren had the aura of a girl-next-door, unlike other heiresses of wealthy families who seemed aloof and untouchable.
Lauren said in a warm and gentle voice, “What are you saying? We’re classmates, don’t say that. Besides, I heard that your father has been doing well these last two days. He has quite a high status as a government official.”
“Hahaha.” Colton laughed and said, “No, no, compared to your grandfather, my father is just a beggar.”
Although he was criticizing his father on the surface, he was actually very proud! Apart from Lauren, who came from a powerful family, the rest of her classmates’ families weren’t doing as well as Colton.
Basically, each and every student was sucking up to Colton because there were many things that they needed him for. Even if they didn’t, it would be quite a glorious thing to have a classmate of such a high status.
After having a drink, Colton suddenly asked, “Do you guys know a very popular celebrity named Maggie?”
“Maggie Stone?”
Lauren was stunned. Wasn’t that the girl who walked in front of her when she first entered the restaurant?’
A female student said, “I know! She was really popular last year and she was always on the hot search list. She has lots of fans. I’ve heard a lot about her from my junior colleagues at work.”
Her male student also said, “Who doesn’t know such a famous celebrity? Why? Colton, don’t tell me that she’s your girlfriend.”
Colton waved his hand and said, “Why? She’s just a distant cousin. Besides, she’s now eating in this restaurant. Do you want to meet her? If you do, I’ll get her to come over and have a drink with us.”
“Yes, yes, I’d like to take a picture with her too.”
“Haha, I need to get an autograph for my brother.”
The others certainly wanted to meet this star from the entertainment industry. After all, their work was typically involved with government organizations or hospitals, which were all very far from the entertainment industry.
Seeing that Lauren wasn’t speaking, Colton asked, “Lauren, do you want to hear her sing? I can ask her to perform for you.”
Not wanting to be a spoilsport and that everyone wanted to see this star, Lauren smiled and said, “Sure.”
In fact, Lauren wasn’t interested in this celebrity at all.
“Okay, I’ll make a call and come over now.”
Colton began putting on airs again in front of everyone and called Maggie. Indeed, in less than two minutes, Maggie walked towards the room that they were in.
“Colton.”
“Maggie! Come, come, I’ll introduce my classmate to you.”
“This is Miss Howard, the belle of our class. This is…” novelbin
Colton wasted no time in giving introductions and also asked Maggie to accompany her for drinks. She even took photos with Lauren’s female classmates.
The entire time, Colton was showing off with no restraint.
“You guys probably don’t know how influential Maggie is. She has millions of fans on Twitter and any tweet she posts will be shared and retweeted millions of times!”
Maggie was much more modest than before and she said, “No, no, Colton, don’t say that. I’m not that famous anymore.”
Maggie used to be a top celebrity who could garner lots of traffic. However, ever since she and Cayden had gotten intimate in the car, her popularity had decreased greatly.
Colton pointed at the piano inside the room and said, “Maggie, there happens to be a piano in this room and a microphone attached to it. Do you want to perform a song for us?”
However, Maggie was quite repulsed. “I’m not good at playing the piano. I won’t embarrass myself.”
Lauren could tell that Maggie was very uneasy in the room and that she had a rather ordinary relationship with her distant cousin, Colton.
Lauren said, “Miss Stone, you’re so famous. You must be very busy, right?”
Maggie nodded and said, “Yes, I finally had an hour to come out and meet the friends I haven’t met in years.”
Lauren said, “I see. I don’t want to waste Miss Stone’s time then.”
Maggie nodded at Lauren gratefully. “I’ll go now then, Colton.”
Colton waved at Maggie and said, “Maggie, I’ll get the tab in your room.”
“That’s not necessary.”
Colton said, “I’ve already paid at the front desk. Continue meeting with your friends.”
“Yes, thank you, Colton.”
After the celebrity left, the few classmates kept praising Colton. “Colton, you’re really something. You could get such a huge celebrity to come and go as you please.”
“I heard that you need to be worth at least millions to be able to dine with such a celebrity. Is that true?”
Colton waved his hand and said dismissively, “It’s just a little girl that everyone likes. I can always ask her to come over at any time. Come on, let’s keep drinking!”
At this moment, Jordan entered the restaurant.
Chapter 429
Knock knock
Lauren and the others in the room knocked twice on the door.
“Come in,” said Colton.
Soon, a man in a white chefs uniform walked in pushing a cart. There was a
15-meter tall six-tier birthday cake on the cart, which was extremely
luxurious an
beautiful. It was also embellished with diamonds!
“Hey, the cake I ordered is here!
Colton frantically stood up with excitement. Likewise, the other classmates of
hers also stood up and walked over.
“Wow, Class President, what a luxurious cake you’ve ordered!”
“Indeed, Colton is very generous!
“Tve never seen such a pretty birthday cake before!
Colton was very smug. “Since it’s our belle’s birthday, of course I have to host
her with the highest standards!
While being smug, she was very curious too, because she didn’t expect that the
Maxim cake store would serve such upscale cakes.
There was a white card below the cake.
A female classmate picked it up and exclaimed, “Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
Wow, Colton, you actually took the chance to confess to Lauren while gifting
the birthday cake. Haha!
The words made Lauren feel extremely awkward. She knew that Colton had
once liked her before and she even thought that Colton must have already lost
those felings for her. She didn’t expect Colton to write such a card to her.
Colton knew that Lauren was now someone else’s wife and that such a term
was extremely unsuitable.
He frantically said, “Stop the speculation. You guys heard me when I called to
book a cake. I only said that it’s a girl’s birthday but I didn’t mention who it was
for. The bakery might have misunderstood. Lauren, you won’t mind, would
you?
After thinking about it for a moment, Lauren felt what Colton said made sense.
“It’s okay.”
The crowd thought it was a mistake made by the cake store but they had no
idea that the luxurious cake was not the one that Colton booked at all!
It was the birthday cake that Jordan prepared for Lauren! The chef who pushed
the cake in introduced, This cake of ours will look better with the lights off.
Should I turm off the lights and let you enjoy the view?”
The crowd was suddenly surprised.
“Is there a special nighttime effect? It’s the first time Ive heard ofa cake that
will look different with the lights off!”
“Wow, the design of this cake is really romantic
Lauren was curious too. Colton smiled smugly, feeling rather proud. Hence, the
chef switched off the lights in the room, and as expected, layers of colorful
lights of the cake were lit up, making it look even more beautiful, just like a
small, snowy mountain.
However, the next second they switched off the lights
The sounds of the piano suddenly filled the room!
A classic Cchord rang.
Immediately afterward, a touching song sounded.
Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor”
Lauren was stunned!
“That’s the song, Need You Now! Does that voice belong to Jordan!?
Lauren often listened to that song while showering and she had already heard
it countless times before. Hence, she knew what song it was as soon as she
heard the intro.
She could tell whose voice it was immediately.
Tt belonged to her husband, Jordan!
She finally understood why there would be a piano and her microphone in the
room. It turned out that Jordan had arranged for it!
The others were confused.
Colton, did you hire a professional singer to perform for Lauren?” A male
classmate asked.
Colton was stunned for a while before putting on a pretense. “of course.”
The crowd just quietly enjoyed the singing of the mysterious man in the room
while admiring the light of the light bulb of the cake.
T love you.
A blissful smile appeared on Lauren’s face when he sang the chorus.
Jordan sang the song incredibly well and it happened to be her birthday today.
“How did Jordan know that I like this song?
Lauren couldn’t deny that she was touched.
“I just need you now.
Jordan’s performance won everyone’s applause after the song was sung.
At this moment, Colton had just turned on the room’s lights, and everyone saw
Jordan.
Dressed ina suit with his hair styled, Jordan looked every part the handsome
and domineering CEO!
Colton took out a hundred bucks from his pocket and said to Jordan, “Young
man, you sang well. Here’s a tip for you.”
However, one of the female students who had attended Lauren’s wedding
immediately pointed at Jordan.
“Isn’t this Lauren’s husband, Jordan?
“What
The crowd was suddenly shocked that the man was actually Lauren’s husband!
At this moment, Jordan got up from the piano and brought a large bouquet of
roses over to Lauren. “Happy birthday, Honey.”
Lauren was elated. Grabbing the roses, she closed her eyes as Jordan pulled her
into a tender kiss. At this point, she had also completely forgiven Jordan for
suspecting her.
Seeing Jordan and Lauren kissing, Colton and a few other male classmates
were seething in jealousy!
“The goddess we’ve adored for such a long time has been snatched by this dog!
“Who is he!?l
The few of hem were extremely indignant.
Lauren asked blissfully, “How did you get in here?
The piano sounded almost as soon as the lights were switched off. If Jordan
had entered from the door, he couldn’t have entered the innermost area so
quickly.
Jordan pointed to the spot behind the piano and said, “T opened a door there
last night
Only then did the crowd understand that Jordan had deliberately hacked offa
portion of the wall to create a door there the previous night, so as to give
Lauren a surprise. He had even concealed it so well that no one would be able to
see it.
Wow, you’re so thoughtful. How romantic!
“Yeah, and he’s so talented. It sounded amazing!
The few female classmates began praising Jordan as they had already become
his friends.
However, the few male classmates of hers were extremely displeased.
Lauren felt that it was a huge glory too. Her former classmates had been
doubting if her husband was good enough but she couldn’t reveal the Steeles
power and hence could only be looked down upon by them.
Now, they finally understood the positive attributes of her husband.
Lauren recalled the card on the cake and asked, “Honey, is this cake also from
you?
Jordan nodded and said, “Yes, I specially asked the most famous pastry chef in
the country to make it overnight. Do you like it?”
Everyone was dumbfounded after hearing Jordan say that.
Wasn’t this ordered by Colton?
Put on the spot, Colton was immediately embarrassed. “Nonsense! This was
clearly booked at Maxim cake store!”
“Maxim?
A sneer was on Jordan’s face. How could Maxim possibly bake such a luxurious
cake!?!
The chef hadn’t left yet and said to Colton, “Sorry, I am not from Maxim cake
store but I do have an apprentice who works there.”
Chapter 430
As they were talking, another boy entered the room, clad in white and carrying
a birthday cake in hand.
“May I ask who is Mr. Colton Henley?” the boy asked.
Colton said, “I am.”
The boy maneuvered over and handed the cake he was carrying to Colton. “Mr.
Miller, this is the birthday cake you ordered from our store.”
Pindrop silence ensued, and only then did Colton believe that the luxurious
1.5-meter high cake was realy ordered by Lauren’s husband!
Besides, the cake that he ordered was not even one-fifth of the height of the
cake! How could he not feel embarrassed! The birthday cake he ordered was
nothing compared to Jordan!
Meanwhile, Jordan did not continue to embarrass Colton. He didn’t know
Lauren’s classmates at all. However, since Lauren was willing to come to the
classmates’ reunion, it meant that she still had a good relationship with this
group of classmates. Otherwise, given Lauren’s family background, how could
she possibly attend the classmates’ reunion?
Nowadays, classmates’ reunions were basically meaningless and only initiated
by those who were doing relatively well. The purpose of the gathering was to
either show off or to find out where their classmates were working, in case
they could use each other in the future.
Jordan didn’t want to disturb Lauren’s gathering and was just there to give her
a surprise. Since he had already delivered the surprise, Jordan said, “Honey, go
ahead with your gathering. I’l head off first.”
The reason he did not stay was because the classmates’ gathering was his
wife’s private event and there were lots of male classmates there. If Jordan
stayed, it would look like he didn’t trust his wife and had to keep a close eye on
her.
He did not want to give Lauren that kind of feeling again. He wanted to tell
Lauren that he trusted her completely.
However, seeing that Jordan was about to leave, Colton interjected, “Since
Lauren’s husband is here, why don’t we all sit down and have a meal together.
Don’t go.”
Likewise, her female classmates quickly asked him to stay behind. “Yeah, come
join us. We don’t have many people here anyway. There are still lots of empty
seats here.”
Jordan looked at Lauren in a bid to ask for her opinion.
Since Lauren didn’t object, Jordan said, “Okay, Ill pour Lauren some wine
then.”
Lauren smiled and a few of them returned to their seats. Colton sat in the
middle, clearly the most domineering one.
After sitting down, Lauren introduced each person to Jordan one at a time, and
when it came to Colton, he deliberately pointed out his identity as the class
president, as well as his father’s job and position as a government official.
Jordan could also tell that Colton had the best career among all of them, and
was also the one who liked bragging the most.
After being introduced to each other, Colton suddenly asked Jordan, “Dude,
which unit do you work in?
A male classmate laughed and said, “Colton, you shouldn’t rub salt in others
wounds. Didn’t Lauren just say that her husband is jobless?
With a look of embarrassment, Lauren said self-deprecatingly, “Yes, my
husband and I don’t have any proper jobs, unlike you guys who work in big
corporations who hold high statuses and great power.”
Colton immediately put down his cutlery and said, Lauren, that’s not right
You and your husband are different. Everyone in DC knows that as long as
Lauren wants to work, she can enter any unit she wants. All it takes is one
word. But your husband seems to be… It’s okay, Jordan, you seem to play the
piano very well and your voice is nice too. How about I get you a job at the bar
as a singer?A hundred bucks a night for singing a few songs from eight to
eleven at night. It’s not tiring either.”
A male classmate laughed and said, “Yeah, you can make three grand a month.
That sounds like quite a good job.”
Colton also laughed and said, T should help a classmate out.”
Jordan could tell that Colton, the class president, was deliberately making him
feel embarrassed.
In all honesty, Jordan couldn’t be bothered to go to work. Even if he really
couldn’t find a job, the Howards would still be able to give him an allowance of
at least three grand a month.
Colton said, “We all know that the Howards are rich. You don’t lack those few
thousands of dollars but as a man, I still think you can come out to make
money on your own. What’s wrong with using a woman, right?”
Another male classmate said, “Brother, although you are Lauren’s live-in
husband, we and Lauren have been former classmates for years. If you face any
difficulty, you can tell us directly”
“These hypocritical guys
Jordan was extremely displeased. Lauren’s female classmates were not too bad
but her male classmates who seemed to treat Jordan well on the surface were
in fact taking every chance to insult him.
They kept mentioning the fact that Jordan was a live-in husband.
If it were any other place and occasion, this gang would have long been thrown
out by Salvatore and the others. However, it was his wife’s birthday and also
the day of her reunion with her classmates. Jordan didn’t want to mess up
again.
Besides, he suddenly remembered that the most important thing to do now
was to complete his business trial!
Indeed, he wanted to have a high status in the country and the industry he
chose was the entertainment industry!
Hence, Jordan looked at Colton and said, “Thank you for your kindness.
Actually, I have some formal business to attend to.”
Lauren held onto Jordan’s hand below the table before shaking her head at him.
She thought that Jordan must be wanting to say that he was working as a
security officer or a courier delivery or a takeout deliverer.
The Steeles were rich and had always felt that all jobs were equal. There was
nothing wrong with admitting to that. However, Lauren did not want Jordan to
tell her classmates that he was working as a security officer or some other
lowly job.
The classmates had always treated Lauren as a goddess who was put on the
pedestal and once they knew that Lauren married a man that was inferior to
them, they wouldn’t be able to take it.
“Don’t
Lauren looked at Jordan.
Jordan could already tell what Lauren meant by stopping him.
“Hah, Honey, do you think I was going to say T’m a security officer or a courier
deliverer? Don’t worry, your husband is not going to embarrass you in front of
your classmates!
However, Jordan spoke up and said to everyone, “Tm in the entertainment
industry.
Everyone was shocked.
You’re the boss of a film and television company?
“So impressive. No wonder he’s so talented. It turns out that he’s the owner of
an entertainment company!”
Listening to the female classmates’ compliments, Colton was upset and he
didn’t believe that Jordan was telling the truth!
The reason being Colton realized that even Lauren was shocked.
It was obvious Jordan was lying and bragging!
Colton asked, “Buddy, since you are the boss of a film and television company
and a business tycoon in the entertainment industry, there must be many
artistes signed to your company, right?”
Jordan nodded and said, “Yes, there are quite a few.”
Colton smiled and asked, “Who are they?
Jordan thought for a moment and said, “Maggie Stone!”
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