Chapter 14: League 14

Chapter 14

In the evening, Millie made her way to The Nouveau, a restaurant with vintage decor and an elegant, sophisticated ambiance. She was wearing a tasteful green dress with a matching purse.

She was a little late, and when she opened the door to the private dining room, the guests all stood up at once.

The light illuminated her soft skin, and the slit in her dress revealed her long, slender legs.

She had her hair up in a bun with a hairpin sticking through it. Her fringe hid the wound on her forehead.

Everyone was mesmerized by the sight of her.

“Oh, my. If it isn’t Ms. Caldwell,” a man in his fifties said. He was Eric Lopez, Terrence’s good friend. He was the one who organized this private dinner gathering with his other friends who were all influential figures in the business world.

“She’s not just Ms. Caldwell. She’s Terrence’s precious daughter and the apple of his eye! Don’t you underestimate her!” another man corrected Eric.

Millie let out a helpless chuckle as she looked around the room. She entered confidently and started greeting everyone, saying, “Please don’t tease me. I’m so sorry I’m late.”

The guests all responded to her.

“Not at all! You came just in time!”

“It’s been a few years since I last saw you, and you’ve gotten even prettier now, Ms. Caldwell!”

“Alas, to think that I once tried so hard to set up an engagement between Ms. Caldwell and my son before they were born. Guess what

happened in the end?” one of the men said.

“What happened?” everyone asked with a smile.

“I ended up having a daughter instead!” the man replied.

Everyone chucked at the story, adding to the liveliness of the atmosphere.

Millie was ushered to a seat, and the food was rved. She realized that there were two empty seats beside her, which meant there were two others who hadn’t arrived yet.

She secretly exhaled in relief, glad to know that she wasn’t the last

one.

Out of the blue, someone asked, “Hey, Mrs. Greer Senior’s birthday. celebration is coming up. What gifts have you all prepared?”

Millie, who was about to take a sip of tea, quickly looked up.

Everyone else started talking,

“Looks like it’s time for the gift–giving contest to start again,” one man remarked.

“I know, right? The highlight of Mrs. Greer Senior’s birthday. celebration is when we get to see what everyone’s gifts are! We always get to see new things every time,” another declared.

Millie took a sip of tea as she silently agreed with that person’s

comment.

That was indeed the case. Selma’s birthday celebration was the best opportunity for the other families to ingratiate themselves with the Greer family, so they always fought to present her with strange and wondrous treasures.

Selma cared a lot about propriety. If one managed to please her, she would surely repay that person well, and that person could easily.

soar to new heights.

“Hey, have you guys heard about the century–old Snowdrop in Yerwick?”

Millie frowned. A century–old Snowdrop?

“The Snowdrop is a precious medicinal herb that can do wonders for a person’s health. It’s supposed to be the only one in the one, and it’s said to be extremely beneficial for elderly people. Mrs. Greer Senior has been in poor health. If anyone manages to find such a treasure and give it to her…”

The person speaking trailed off, and everyone chuckled.

“Like you said, only one exists in the entire world. Who could possibly get their hands on it?” Eric said with a laugh.

Wilbur Sutton, one of the men at the dinner, suddenly turned to Millie and asked, “Hey, Ms. Caldwell. Does your family have it?”

Millie quickly swallowed her tea and said, “My family? Nope.”

“Even a family that descended from a long line of medical experts doesn’t have it either!” Wilbur lamented while shaking his head in disappointment. “I guess we ordinary folk won’t be able to get our hands on that Snowdrop after all.”

A man in his thirties, slightly younger than the others, chimed in, “I know someone who can find it.”

“Who?” someone asked as everyone turned toward him.

Millie also turned to look at the man, her expression a little dazed. It made her look rather adorable.

The man declared, “M!”

Millie immediately choked and started coughing.

Everyone turned toward Millie, asking, “Are you alright, Ms.

F

Caldwell?”

She waved her hand to say that she was fine and for the man to carry

“I’m not sure if you guys heard about the black market on the dark web before. Well, just earlier today, the person known as M came back! She can easily handle all kinds of transactions, regardless of which side of the law the job lands on. I’m sure procuring the Snowdrop will be a piece of cake for her!”

Millie was speechless. Well, it was certainly a piece of cake for him to make such a flippant comment. All he had to do was wag his

tongue!

She was just about to take another sip of tea when there was a knock on the door.

Everyone looked up as Wilbur exclaimed, “What took those two old fogeys so long? We’ve got to punish them today!”

As Millie turned her head to peek through the door that was blocked by the partition, she heard a familiar voice saying, “Sorry I’m late.”

That voice…

“Oh? It’s you, Winston. I thought your father would be coming, Is your father not coming either, Jake?” Henry’s voice rang out from behind the partition as well.

Millie’s heart clenched. She saw the two men coming into the room

-Winston and Jake.

Winston, who was wearing a black suit, immediately spotted Millie. She stood out among the crowd of older men.

He frowned as his heart thumped for some unknown reason. His expression was a little stiff.

Jake was a little startled to find Millie here too. Why would she be

attending a dinner gathering like this? He glanced at Winston, only to find that Winston had frozen as well.

Clearing his throat, he hastily tried to lift the atmosphere by saying. “Hi, everyone, My dad hasn’t returned from his fishing trip yet, so t had to come in his place! 1 broughwo bottles of excellent wine for you, I hope you’ll enjoy it!”

“Don’t be so courteous with us. This is just a dinner gathering among friends,” Erie said as he gestured for Winston and Jake to take their seats.

The two men approached the table, but which one of them was going to take the seat beside Millie?

Pursing his lips, Jake took the other seat, letting Winston have the

one next to Millie.

Once Winston sat down, the room fell silent.

Everyone was aware of Winston and Millie’s relationship. They also heard that the two were getting a divorce.

Thus, they didn’t know how to react to this situation.

Jake rubbed his hands together. He decided to use his wits to break the awkward silence.

“Let’s try the wine,” Jake said as he stood up.

Eric got the hint and nodded along, “Yes, you’re right. Let’s all try the wine.”

“How’s your company coming along, Jake? If there’s anything

you’re unsure about, I’ll be more than happy to share my knowledge with you!” Eric said jovially.

Chuckling, Jake replied, “If you can give me that parcel of land you have in Hoverton, Mr. Lopez, I’m sure my company will achieve stellar profits.”

Everyone laughed at his joke, and the atmosphere finally eased up somewhat.

Millie, who sat there with her legs crossed while sipping her tea, smiled as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, Winston was observing Millie. Her every move and smile were filled with grace and elegance. Her thigh was peeking through the slit of her dress, and for some reason, it irked him.

Having noticed Winston’s scrutiny, Millie felt a little uncomfortable.

She set down her cup and said to Eric, “I’m going out for some fresh air, Mr. Lopez.”

“Alright,” Eric said with a nod.

She quietly left the room.

For some reason, Winston couldn’t sit still either. A few moments later, he left as well.

Jake looked up and frowned. Why was Winston sticking to Millie lately? Didn’t he used to ignore her completely?

Millie wandered along the hallways aimlessly. She had decided to only return to the room once the dinner gathering was about to end.

She didn’t want to be in the same room with Winston. The sight of him kept reminding her of the horrible things he had said to her and the way he had chosen to save Joanna without hesitation when she and Joanna were both about to fall down the staircase.

All those memories left Millie feeling suffocated. She had a subdued look in her eyes as she continued to walk around with her purse in hand. All of a sudden, she bumped into a drunk man.

He was in his forties and over six feet tall with a stout build.

Grabbing Millie by the waist, he inhaled deeply and said, “You smell so good.”

Millie’s expression turned grim. She kicked him in the groin and snarled, “You pervert!”

The kick cleared the man’s head a little. He was just about to lash out, but when he saw Millie’s face, he froze briefly before exclaiming gleefully, “Oh, my! What a beauty!”

“D–Does such a gorgeous wornan exist in Yerwick?” he continued, his words slurring. He reeked of alcohol.

Frowning, Millie tried to leave aftersnapping at hirm.

The man immediately stepped forward to block her path. Grabbing her wrist, he said, “Drop the act. I’ve decided to have you. How much do you want for a night?”

Glaring at the foolish man in front of her, Millie sorted and replied, “100 million. Can you afford it?