As they left the old Assex Manor, Spark looked admiringly at Bill, âGrandpa, I didnât know you were so
well connected that even Lord Lex is your friend. You even managed to hep pull the strings for a billion
dollars contract so quickly! No wonder you were confident that the old lady would accept your
proposal!â
Bill shook his head and said, âThe billion dollars contract had nothing to do with meâ¦â
âHuh?! Then didnât you just sayâ¦â Spark questioned.
âI was merely going with the flow,â Bill interjected. âFate has it to be our day. I didnât expect the Assex
family could do business with Thousand Miles Conglomerate. It seems that someone powerful must be
helping them. It is a brilliant move for you to marry Dorothy. We might be able to connect with
Thousand Miles Conglomerate through you in the future.â
Spark smiled and nodded in agreement. The thought crossed his mind, who could be helping the
Assex family? A billion dollars was no small sum. Could it be Alex? He quickly dismissed the possibility.
In his mind, Alex was just a useless person; there was no way he could pull it off. After all, no matter
who it was, his marriage to Dorothy was going to be finalized the next day.
At the other Assex villa, Lady Dorothy received notification that Thousand Miles Conglomerate had
offered the Assex Constructions a billion dollars deal and had specifically requested her to handle the
negotiations of the contract. She couldnât believe it was real. After multiple confirmations, she finally
accepted the good news to be true.
âAlex!â she thought. âHe said that he is going to give me a big surprise! Could this billion-dollar contract
be his doing?â
Lady Dorothy quickly went to the conference room to meet the representatives from Thousand Miles
Conglomerate. It was as though a miracle had happened; the negotiations went in her favor easily. It
was as if the contract was a deal that fell from the sky. Assex Constructions would be able to obtain at
least twenty percent larger profit margins than usual, and the deal would total at least three hundred
million in profit for Assex Constructions.
As Lady Dorothy managed to sign the contract before the anniversary banquet, it was without a doubt
that she would be the top performer and would receive a large performance bonus.
The representatives from the Thousand Miles Conglomerate shook hands with Lady Dorothy, and said,
âThank you, Ms. Assex. The contract is set, I will take it back and go through the necessary process. It
will be signed and stamped and be given back to you latest by tomorrow.
After bidding farewell with the representatives of Thousand Miles Conglomerate, Lady Dorothy felt as if
she were in a dream. She immediately called Alex, âAlex, was that your doing? Is the billion-dollar
contract from Thousand Miles Conglomerate the surprise you wanted to give me?â
Alex grinned and said, âAre the negotiations finalized? Thatâs great! Iâve owed you far too much over
the past ten months. I will do my utmost to make it up to you. Youâll have my full support from now on.â
Upon hearing Alexâs words, Lady Dorothy broke down and cried, âAlex, I do not ask for much. As long
as you remain positive in life and have the guts to keep on living, I would stay by your side no matter if
weâre rich or poor.â
âI promise you!â Alex promised.
â¦â¦
Meanwhile, the Assex family had also received the news that the billion-dollar contract had been
successfully negotiated. They were extremely excited, especially when they learned of the various
concessions Thousand Miles Conglomerate had made.
The old lady of the Assex family took a bath before saying a prayer to God.
Assex Constructions was worth around two to three hundred million dollars. This single deal had
doubled their net worth. The Assex family would catapult from a third-rate business family to a second-
rate business family, which meant that the outlook for the future of their business had just become
much better.
In the courtyard of the old Assex Manor, a couple of young members of the Assex family juniors were
gossiping.
âDorothy actually managed to land the billion-dollar contract from Thousand Miles Conglomerate, I
really donât know how she managed to get it,â one said.
âI thought that I would be the top performer at this yearâs anniversary celebration, but this deal has
totally changed the game!â
âDorothy Assex, itâs all just because sheâs a little pretty,â said Lady Emma Assex, the daughter of
Anderson Assex, who had never taken a liking to Lady Dorothy.
âYou know, she is a married woman⦠But only on paper!â
Madame Joanne walked into the yard at that very moment and interrupted them, âWhat wicked gossip
are you guys spreading?â
Lady Emma replied, âGrandma, the billion-dollar contract sign by Dorothy is not due to her efforts,
right? Thousand Miles Conglomerate took the initiative to come to us, and that is due to our brand and
reputation. In fact, this deal should be credited to all of us who helped to build up the image of the
company.â
The old lady put her hand on Emmaâs face and said, âDonât even think about it. This deal was brokered
by the Rockefeller Family as dower for Dorothy.â
âThe Rockefeller family? Hasnât that trash Alex been driven out by the Madame Claire?â asked Emma.
âItâs not Alex, itâs the young director of Rockefeller Group, Spark Rockefeller!â Madame Joanne replied.
âWhat? Spark wants to marry Dorothy?!â Emma exclaimed in surprise. All the other young members of
the Assex family laughed in unison.
Lady Emma murmured softly under her breath, âThat b*tch Dorothy. She is really shameless and willing
to do anything just to become the young lady of Rockefeller Group.â
The old lady then said, âEmma, you go to the Ritz Carlton Hotel and raise the profile of our banquet
tomorrow to a more luxurious level. This time, we will have a bountiful dinner for all our guests and
build on the momentum to further the ambitions of the Assex family! We would also announce the
billion-dollar contract between Assex Constructions and Thousand Miles Conglomerate.â
The day flew by and Assex Constructionsâ anniversary had arrived.
Madame Claireâs family had just finished their lunch. Madame Claire dropped the plates and utensils on
the dining table and instructed Alex, âClean up the table. Do not leave a single drop of food!â
Alex ignored her comment. He had already gotten so used to it over the past ten months.
âBy the way, we will be attending Assex Constructionsâ anniversary banquet in the afternoon. You donât
have to come. Youâll only bring shame to our family.â
Alex didnât want to go. The old lady of the Assex family Madame Joanne, didnât like him at all. It would
be very awkward if he did show up. Additionally, he would rather not see them as they were worthless
in his eyes.
Lady Dorothy quickly chimed in, âNo, Alex must go! Grandmother just gave me a call and asked me to
make sure Alex comes along.â
Madame Claire said, âIs the old lady off her medication?â
But since it was Madame Joanneâs request, she had to obey it. Madame Claire went up to her room to
change into a more fitting outfit for the eveningâs event.
The Ritz Carlton Hotel was one of the finest five-star hotels in California. They had a grand and retro
design which looked magnificent. At half past three in the afternoon, the main entrance was already
flying a huge banner that said, âWarm celebrationâ15 years of Assex Constructions.â
It was a grand event and many extremely famous and powerful guests arrived at the venue one after
another. You see, Madame Joanne had let the news of Assex Constructionsâ deal with Thousand Miles
Conglomerate spread. Many were hoping to join in on the deal, while others showed up as a sign of
respect for Thousand Miles Conglomerate.
When Madame Joanne saw that many of the rich and powerful were in attendance, she was extremely
pleased.
At this time, Lady Dorothyâs family also arrived. Madame Claire dressed up elegantly, and she had the
Love in the Fallen City necklace on.
Both Lady Dorothy and Lady Beatrice were also dressed elegantly; only Alex wore casual clothing, as if
he were on a vacation.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall, Lady Dorothy met Lady Emma.
âOh, itâs the bride! Youâre actually late!â Lady Emma said with a teasing smile. âYou are the starlet for
the night! Itâs okay for you to be late, but why did you bring him to this banquet?â