Ever since learning that his eldest grandson, Roman Rhodes, was likely in a relationship, Mr. Rhodes had been on pins and needles at ho, completely wired.
Before this, Mr. Rhodes would wake up each day and calmly begin his daily health regin.
He would practice tai chi, play chess, read, and savor tea—all to strengthen his body and cultivate his mind.
But lately, he’d thrown that whole "cultivating his mind" routine right out the window.
The mont he opened his eyes each day, he’d call Ronan Rhodes and ask for any news about his prospective granddaughter-in-law.
Ronan Rhodes, of course, had no real news. All he could do was periodically report to his grandfather when Roman Rhodes went to The tropolis Residences and how long he stayed each ti.
Mr. Rhodes was practically tearing his hair out waiting for updates, wishing he could call Ronan eight hundred tis a day.
Mr. Rhodes just couldn’t help himself. He was simply too desperate for any information about his eldest granddaughter-in-law.
He even pulled Ronan aside, tears streaming down his old face, and told him that he only had a couple of years left to live. He said his only dying wish was to see his granddaughter-in-law, begging Ronan to figure sothing out.
Ronan had always been a filial grandson, and seeing his grandfather like this, he started crying too.
But crying was useless. He had no idea how to get his grandfather a glimpse of his future granddaughter-in-law.
lody Sumrs had barely left her ho since she moved, and Mr. Rhodes couldn’t exactly show up at her door. The whole family knew Roman Rhodes’s temper; no one dared to ddle in his affairs.
Every day, the old man would clutch the empty box that once held the Blue Diamond brooch, waiting and waiting.
That empty box was practically polished to a sheen from how much Mr. Rhodes handled it. Then, finally, the day ca when lody Sumrs went out!
After learning from Sophie Thorne that lody Sumrs would be attending a banquet at The Nimbus Hotel, Ronan imdiately inford his grandfather.
As soon as he got the news, Mr. Rhodes couldn’t sit still anymore. He insisted on going to see with his own eyes the long-awaited granddaughter-in-law he had been anticipating for over twenty years.
The thought that Mr. Rhodes was probably looking for a chance to secretly observe his granddaughter-in-law right now made Ronan feel a little awkward.
’He felt like what he and his grandpa were doing was pretty crazy...’
He lowered his voice and said to Zane Simmons, "My grandfather... is probably resting right now. He might attend the auction later."
Zane Simmons chuckled at his words and teased, "What kind of amazing auction is this? Important enough for Mr. Rhodes to attend in person?"
Ronan replied, "It’s just a charity thing. The items were all donated by various mbers of society, and all the proceeds will go toward the relief efforts for the recent snow disaster."
Nearby, lody Sumrs was completely oblivious to Ronan’s thoughts. She lifted her glass, took a sip, and began scrolling through the videos on her phone.
She still had the video of Ivan Warren saying he wanted to be her sugar daddy, as well as evidence of how Ivan Warren and Maisie Lynch conspired with Ethan Sutton’s parents to fra her.
Although Ronan had just promised to deal with Supervisor Walsh and Ivan Warren severely, lody was prepared to add more fuel to the fire.
After all, if she didn’t use this evidence, she would have saved it for nothing.
She compiled all the evidence, preparing to draft an email and send it to the public whistleblowing address for the Rhodes Corporation.
...
anwhile, a lavishly dressed Elaine Hughes, arm in arm with Robert Lancaster, walked slowly into the lobby of The Nimbus Hotel in her exquisite high heels.
In her youth, Elaine Hughes had been a top-tier beauty, with stunning features and bone structure. Although she was older now and had been worn down by the apocalypse, after an entire afternoon of careful preparation, she still possessed an exceptional grace and captivating beauty.
Her makeup today was also expertly done; if you didn’t look closely, you couldn’t even see the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
Gazing at the luxurious and elegant decor of The Nimbus Hotel, Elaine couldn’t help but sigh. "It’s been so long since I was last here. It seems like nothing has changed..."
The corridors flanking the lobby were wide and bright, the carpet underfoot was soft and plush, and the walls were adorned with exquisite paintings and works of art, each one priceless.
Elaine couldn’t help but recall the high-society life she once lived here, but those days seed as distant as a past life...
Joanne White had been waiting in the hotel lobby for so ti. She anxiously awaited the Lancasters, her heart pounding with unease.
Bernard Simmons was sothing of a public figure, with his every move being watched, so he had Joanne co downstairs to greet Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes.
Even though she knew Bernard Simmons had arranged everything, Joanne still felt apprehensive, as if sothing might go wrong tonight...
Just as she was quietly rubbing her pregnant belly to soothe her anxiety, she saw two familiar figures walk into the hotel lobby.
It was Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, whose photos she had seen before!
Seeing Elaine and Robert walk in, Joanne quickly went to greet them. With a smile, she said, "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster? Please, follow ."
Elaine assud Joanne worked for Robert’s friend. She smiled and replied, "Thank you for showing us the way."
Joanne led the way, with Elaine and Robert following silently behind.
Elaine tilted her head and whispered in Robert’s ear, "Your old friend seems quite thoughtful. Not only did he send a car for us, but he even had soone co down to guide us."
Robert was clearly not as happy as Elaine. Looking at her smiling face, he just gave a quiet "Mm."
Joanne led the two upstairs and into the Simmons Family’s presidential suite.
A table had been set in the main room, already laden with a sumptuous feast.
Elaine and Robert stared at the spread of delicacies from land and sea, swallowing involuntarily.
It had been a very long ti since they had eaten such food.
Joanne glanced at Robert and Elaine and said, "If you two would please have a seat and wait, Sir will be here shortly."
With that, she turned and left.
Elaine and Robert stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. Then, the door to the second-floor bedroom opened.
As a smiling Bernard Simmons, dressed sharply in a suit, descended the stairs, Elaine’s eyes widened in astonishnt.
She blurted out, "Bernard? What are you doing here?"
...
******
anwhile, in the banquet hall, everyone was deep in pleasant conversation.
After a few drinks, a faint blush appeared on Carter Jennings’s face, and his eyes took on a slightly hazy look.
He tapped the table lightly and asked lody Sumrs and Lucy White, "Alright, let test you two. Guess where I’m from."
lody Sumrs: "..."
’Why is it that n of every age, rich or poor, love to play this ’let test you’ ga?’
Lucy White smiled and said, "Oh, I could never guess. Why don’t you give us a hint, Mr. Jennings?"
Carter Jennings thought for a mont, then offered a hint, "The specialty of my hotown is a type of cherry."
lody knew at once. People who said their hotown’s specialty was cherries were, nine tis out of ten, from Soleia.
As this thought crossed her mind, her fingers never stopped moving, still tapping away on her phone.
She had just finished compiling the evidence against Ivan Warren into an email and sending it to the Rhodes Corporation’s official website. Now, she was organizing the "incriminating evidence" against Zara Walsh.
No matter how powerful Zara Walsh’s backing was, lody had to try. If the higher-ups really did cover for Zara, then she could finally give up all hope and begin her own revenge without any reservations.
Seeing that lody wasn’t saying anything, Carter Jennings asked her directly, "Can you guess, Miss Sumrs?"
lody paused at his words.
She had no desire to participate in any "let test you" gas.
Because once you answered one question—
Since Carter Jennings was still looking at her, lody had no choice but to answer, "I’m guessing... Soleia?"
Now it was Carter Jennings’s turn to be stunned.
He looked at lody in surprise and asked, "How did you guess that, Miss Sumrs?"
lody thought to herself, ’See? I knew I shouldn’t have answered. And right on cue, here cos the second question...’
Carter Jennings had completely derailed lody’s train of thought for writing up the "incriminating evidence."
She looked up and replied with a hint of exasperation, "Didn’t you just say your hotown’s specialty was cherries...?"
Carter Jennings shook his head, still puzzled. "There have to be at least eighty, if not a hundred, cities whose specialty is cherries. How did you figure out my hotown was Soleia?"
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