Chapter 423: Chapter 423

“Ms. Garland.” Jasper Snyder was wearing a white shirt and a pair of black pants. It was hard for anyone to tell from his handsome face that he was already thirty-six years old. With a smile, he nodded at her. “It’s been a while.”

Upon noticing the clients by his side, Rayna said, “I’ll make a move first.”

“Oh, they’re not clients. They’re just my friends,” Jasper explained before asking, “I heard you joined Glory Corporation?”

“It’s a small company. I didn’t expect you to know it.”

A faint grin formed on his face. “It’s small, but you’re famous, Ms. Garland. If you aren’t busy, you’re free to join me. Now that you’re in Glory, you’ll have to attract investors in the future. It’s better to learn and gain experience whenever you can.”

Rayna was stunned before she informed, “I resigned from Faymon Group already, Mr. Snyder.”

“I know. I invite you because you’re Glory’s vice CEO, and I’m a businessman. It’s only normal for me to seize any profitable opportunities. Besides, I want to make more friends.”

His logic is certainly flawless. Wait, I just remembered something. Snyder Group dumped a huge investment on a movie not too long ago. Maybe I can work with his company. When her train of thought ended there, she smiled at him. “I hope you won’t find me silly, Mr. Snyder.”

“Not at all. You’re too humble, Ms. Garland. I hope you won’t find my proposal too awkward.”

As they spoke, they entered a luxurious, premium private room.

Then, she realized a few men were inside.

The men were chatting with each other when they noticed Jasper entering the room with Rayna. In response, they turned their lines of sight toward the two.

After Jasper exchanged pleasantries with the men, he introduced Rayna to them. “This is Rayna Garland. She used to work with Mr. Faymon, but she’s now the vice CEO of Glory.”

After that, he introduced them to her.

With an amiable smile, she shook their hands and exchanged a few polite words with them.

She noticed that when she shook hands with some of the men, they wouldn’t look straight at her. It was safe to say they wouldn’t have paid attention to her if not for Jasper.

Still, Rayna maintained her smile and overlooked their actions.

People on different levels of the industry had their own social circles. It was only natural they would look down on her since she didn’t have her own company or incredible fame while they all had both.

After pleasantries had been exchanged, she wanted to sit at the side, yet Jasper gestured for her to come closer. “Sit here, Ms.

Garland. This way, you can hear us speak more clearly.”

Due to his insistence, she had no choice but to listen to him.

There were roughly ten men in the room, and Rayna was the only woman inside. Additionally, she was sitting in the middle of the room. Being surrounded by those domineering big shots would’ve made an ordinary person feel pressured.

However, after spending so much time in Faymon Group and with Curtis, she was used to it already.

With a faint smile, she said, “I’m grateful for this eye-opening opportunity that you have granted me, Mr. Snyder.”

Shock flashed past Jasper’s eyes. I’m impressed. Her demeanor has been greatly honed by her experience. She seemed panicky the first time I met her, but now, she appears composed. I bet I would’ve pursued her if I were a few years younger.

Rayna drank a glass of juice as she listened to the men talking about their families, gossip, and the stock market.

Rather than looking down on her, it would be more accurate to say that the men were ignoring her presence as they talked about random stuff without holding back.

For example, one of the men said he had three lovers in three different cities outside the country. He would visit one lover on a certain festival while another on a different festival. He even mentioned he had to remember not to wear the wrong ring.

Another example was a man who told his story of getting rich by relying on his wife’s family. As he had no love for his wife, he wanted to dig up dirt on her and use it to leave her for a better woman.

Then, a third man brought up his vested interest in twenty-year-olds because they were “ripe at the right age.” If he were too annoyed with one of them, he would chase them away with money before getting together with the next twenty-year-old to prove that he wasn’t old.

All the stuff they talked about made Rayna’s heart skip a beat.

She was aware of how colorful the upper-class society was, but she had no idea it was even worse than what people told her. No one could’ve thought those people were that nasty under their pleasant exterior.

The fact that they were willing to share their secrets in front of her meant they weren’t worried she would spread the word about their disgusting nature.

Power and influence can be terrifying sometimes. It’s like these people think they can control everything. As Rayna thought about random stuff, she heard someone calling out to her.

Upon raising her head, she noticed the man sitting on her left was staring at her, though she didn’t hear what he said properly.

Hence, she grinned politely. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear what you said earlier.”

“I said it’s boring for you to drink only juice.” As the man spoke, he raised a wine bottle. Then, he poured its content into a glass to the brim and handed the drink to her.

When Rayna smelled the exquisite, spicy scent of whiskey, she glanced at the bottle in the man’s hand. It’s a forty-two percent alcohol-by-volume liquor.

Instead of accepting the glass, she tactfully rejected it, “I’m sorry, but I’m allergic to whiskey. How about I drink a few glasses of Lafite with you instead, Mr. Reed?”

She wasn’t going to put her babies in danger.

Jasper, who was speaking with a few men, turned around in response and suggested, “It’s best if you give Ms. Garland red wine instead. You should take allergies seriously. Some people die from them.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone being allergic to alcohol before.” Morton Reed was still holding the glass of whiskey with dissatisfaction. “Whiskey is the most delicious drink in our country, Ms. Garland. It’s lame that you’re only drinking juice.”

Rayna apologized, “I’m sorry, I can’t—”

With a deep voice, he interrupted her, “Do you not see me as a friend, Ms. Garland?”

“You’re exaggerating, Mr. Reed.” Upon glancing at his watch, Jasper grinned and offered, “Since Ms. Garland can’t drink whiskey, how about I drink it on her behalf?”

Then he tried to grab the glass in Morton’s hand.

However, Morton retracted his arm and joked, “Are you worried about Ms. Garland because you’re interested in her?”

Shaking his head with a smile, Jasper explained, “Not at all. I’m simply acting gentlemanly.” Sure, I’m interested in her, but she belongs to someone else already. Besides, only an idiot would be foolish enough to ruin their future by burning bridges with Curtis over a woman.

“That suits me fine because I’m interested in her!” As Morton spoke, he leaned toward Rayna. “You don’t have a boyfriend, right, Ms. Garland? Can I pursue you?”

Rayna backed away, barely maintaining her smile. “I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Reed, but I’m not interested in starting a relationship now.”

“Are you rejecting me, Ms. Garland?” He inspected her several times and scoffed, “I heard the rumors of your relationship with Mr. Faymon. I can’t believe you think that highly of yourself just because of that.”

His words rendered her speechless.

“You know, I often share meals with Mr. Faymon. I know his character, so I’m certain you’re not his type. You’re allowed to join us today because we’re showing our respect to Mr. Snyder. Do you think you could’ve stayed here otherwise? Who do you think you are?” Before Rayna could answer his question, Morton continued, “How about this, Ms. Garland? If you kiss me, I’ll be happy enough to drink this glass of whiskey for you. If not, you’ll have to do it instead!”