Chapter 5

Clara suddenly froze, then she smiled and asked, "Why?" "Mr. Brooks is bringing his wife with him tonight. So, Ms. Stewart, you don't have to attend," Larry replied. Clara forced a smile. She said, "Oh, I see. It's great that he's taking his wife with him… I actually wasn't keen on going anyway…" "That's good," Larry said. The call had already disconnected, but Clara continued holding her phone as she bit her lip. Her roommates behind her exchanged glances. "Clara, could it be that your boyfriend has stood you up?" "I heard that this event is an international banquet. Didn't you say that your boyfriend has organized it specifically to introduce you to some foreign entrepreneurs?" Seeing her roommates' skeptical looks, Clara forced another smile. She responded, "He has a very important client to accompany, so I shouldn't cause him any trouble." She then lowered her head to look at the dress in her hands. She felt a little sad. Sergio had always disliked Maeve, so why would he suddenly… Clara gripped her dress tightly. She had been looking forward to tonight's event for so long; she couldn't simply give up. As night fell, Sergio asked Larry to send Maeve a gorgeous and elegant black evening gown. After waiting downstairs for a while, Sergio saw Maeve slowly walk down the stairs from the second floor. Although he had seen her in the wine-red dress before, when he saw her in this outfit, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. He hadn't noticed how beautiful she was before. "I'm ready," Maeve said as she looked up. Sergio pursed his lips and said, "I'll tell Larry to get the car." Maeve didn't care about what Sergio was saying. She opened the door and saw that Larry was already waiting outside. Larry was surprised to see Maeve in her dress. He commented, "Madam, you look gorgeous in this dress, even better than Ms. Stewart." Sergio stared at Larry when he heard him mentioning Clara. Larry realized that he had said something wrong, so he quickly shut his mouth. "It's okay," Maeve said, not taking it to heart. After Maeve was seated in the car, Sergio glared at Larry. He said to Larry in a low voice, "You're not going to get your salary this month!" Larry felt wronged, but he didn't dare to say another word. Who told him to speak out of turn? Outside the clubhouse, Sergio helped Maeve out of the car. Everyone looked at them with envy and admiration. "Who's the lady by Mr. Brooks' side?" "It seems to be Mrs. Brooks." "I don't recall seeing Mr. Brooks and Mrs. Brooks attending events together before. They're such a lovely couple." … Sergio naturally held Maeve's hand. Maeve initially wanted to pull her hand back, but with so many people watching, she could only go along with him. Looking around, she saw many familiar faces from her previous life. Sergio indeed had a certain prestige in the business world to be able to attend such a grand event. The attendees were all top entrepreneurs, philanthropists, or real estate tycoons. In her previous life, Maeve had learned a lot about finance to please Sergio. But in the end, it was all in vain. At this moment, the sound of shattering glass caught everyone's attention. A gardener had accidentally knocked over a vase of roses. The clubhouse's manager scolded him harshly. The manager arrogantly exclaimed, "Where did this old man come from? Get him out of here!" "Wait a moment." Maeve stepped forward and picked up the roses from the ground. She noticed that the thorns had been carefully removed from the roses. The variety of the rose was quite rare too. The manager said, "Mrs. Brooks, this old man has ruined the flowers that Mr. Spencer Senior has prepared for everyone. He has also disturbed everyone, so I'll throw him out right away. Since he has accidentally broken the vase, I'll get him to prepare a new one." Maeve responded, "These roses on the ground have specially been brought here by Mr. Spencer Senior. It's a pity to just leave them be as decoration. It would be better to have all the female guests here take one of the roses and appreciate his intentions." Everyone nodded, so the manager waved at the old gardener. Sergio stepped forward and whispered, "I didn't expect you to liven up the atmosphere." Maeve shrugged as she replied, "I'm just trying to please Mr. Spencer Senior." Outside the clubhouse, Clara stepped out of a taxi in a black gown. As soon as she got out of the car, she sensed the strange looks around her. Clara didn't think much of it. She was just focused on entering the clubhouse. The security guard at the entrance glanced at Clara and then at the taxi that had just left. The security guard asked, "Miss, do you have an invitation?" Upon entering the clubhouse, Clara was taken aback. She didn't know that there was such a thing as an invitation. She had always accompanied Sergio and entered all the previous venues without any restraints. This was the first time she had been stopped by security. "I'm sorry, miss. You can't enter without an invitation." "I'm looking for Mr. Brooks, Sergio Brooks. I'm his partner." Although Clara had casually lied, the security guard eyed her up and down. The security guard said, "Mr. Brooks and Mrs. Brooks have already gone inside. And you are?" Feeling the gazes around her, Clara became embarrassed, and her face flushed red. Seeing Clara outside the clubhouse, Larry rushed over and said, "Sorry for the confusion. She's an employee of our company." The security guard nodded and then allowed Clara to enter. Clara breathed a sigh of relief, but Larry's expression became serious. He asked, "Ms. Stewart, why did you come here?" "I… I just wanted to broaden my horizons. Mr. Brooks has always said that I'm too timid. I'll be going abroad in a few months, so I wanted to experience such occasions myself. Larry, could you please take me in?" Larry hesitated for a moment. "I would also like to return as soon as possible after finishing my studies to help Mr. Brooks. Last time, Mrs. Brooks spent ten billion dollars on that piece of land, so she must have incurred a heavy loss. "Mrs. Brooks probably doesn't understand finance, but many financial tycoons are here this time. I'm afraid that Mrs. Brooks would have trouble handling it." Clara's heartfelt words convinced Larry, who eventually agreed to bring her in. Since Maeve was clueless about finance, Clara was usually the one by Mr. Brooks' side. He respected her a lot since she had talent in this field. Clara happily entered the clubhouse. She immediately spotted Sergio chatting with some foreigners not far away. Clara lifted the hems of her dress, intending to rush over. But she unexpectedly collided with an elderly man. The old gardener accidentally knocked over a vase, and the water in the vase splashed onto Clara's skirt. Clara instinctively shouted, then looked down at her stained dress. Her expression suddenly changed. She exclaimed, "What's wrong with you? Can't you watch where you're going?"