CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: YOUNG MASTER YE HAS ARRIVED

"Alright, I forgot to introduce you. This is my childhood friend, James Foster."

"Hello." Charles Sharp extended his hand for a handshake.

James Foster immediately offered his hand, "Hello, happy birthday."

"Thank you, please come in."

The two of them went inside the house.

Indeed, it felt much warmer once inside.

They found a spot to sit down. James Foster brought over champagne and pastries, and as they were eating, suddenly a woman’s scream was heard, "Young Master Green is here!"

They instinctively looked towards the door and saw Jacob Green, dressed in a white suit, appearing at the entrance.

His eyes scanned the room and finally settled on her, locking eyes with her.

James Foster chuckled, "He came too. Is he here looking for you?"

Lucy Eaton knew he came uninvited, with the intention of finding her.

Why was she so sure? Because she knew that although Sharp Corporation and Green Group had some business collaborations, they were also competitors.

The two of them had no personal relationship, only collaborated from a business standpoint.

Charles Sharp invited people he had good personal relations with today, and clearly, Jacob Green wasn’t among them.

Indeed, Jacob Green didn’t have an invitation, nor did he have a good personal relationship with Charles Sharp.

But a few days ago, at a gathering of business leaders, he met Charles Sharp who casually mentioned allowing Jacob to attend, and Jacob said he might come if he had time.

He originally didn’t plan to come but heard Lucy Eaton was bringing James Foster, so he had Nathaniel Green prepare a gift and came over as well.

Charles Sharp was just being polite, not expecting Jacob to actually come.

Jacob Green didn’t walk over directly; with so many people around, doing so would obviously cause unnecessary trouble.

So he kept conversing with Charles Sharp and others he knew.

When the guests outside gathered inside the house and Charles Sharp started speaking, he then sat intentionally yet seemingly casually beside James Foster.

James Foster sat between the two, feeling like a 500-watt light bulb.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my birthday party. I hope everyone eats well, drinks well, and has fun tonight. Don’t leave until you’re drunk. Also, a special friend of mine is here today, who has helped me immensely. I’d like to play a piece on the piano to express my gratitude."

Applause erupted as he walked over to the piano and took a seat.

When the music started, the surrounding crowd fell silent.

Lucy Eaton had never realized Charles Sharp played the piano so well—his performance was as smooth and fluid as flowing water, and his skilled, gentle, and lyrical melody led everyone into a world of listening.

She watched, resting her chin on her hand, with full concentration. Her demeanor was relaxed, with a slight smile, unaware of Jacob Green’s gaze growing deeper.

Until the final note ended, Lucy Eaton applauded enthusiastically.

At that moment, an orange-yellow figure stood at the door.

"Charles Sharp!"

The shout snagged the attention of many.

Lucy Eaton glanced over and discovered it was Ivy Fern. Nervously, she wondered what identity Ivy Fern was presenting herself with at this gathering.

Others started gossiping, discussing who she was, shouting his full name seemed ominous.

Charles Sharp, accustomed to major occasions, showed no abnormal reaction to Ivy Fern’s sudden appearance.

Especially as he roughly guessed her motive for coming here.

This calmness sufficed to deflate Ivy Fern, who had been brimming with confidence after days of the cold war.

"Aren’t you going to introduce me?"

She insisted on delivering the prepared lines.

Lucy Eaton, upon hearing her words, instantly understood Ivy Fern came to publicly reveal her identity.

However, to other guests, her words meant something entirely different.

"So the friend Charles wants to thank is you, huh?"

"No wonder."

"Not me," Ivy Fern stated bluntly. "Someone else. Why not let Charles tell everyone who it is, and by the way, tell everyone who I am."

The smile on Charles Sharp’s face dimmed significantly.

Everyone waited for his response.

Clearly, he had to answer.

"Alright, let me introduce my ex-girlfriend, Ivy Fern. Since it’s my birthday today, now that you’re here, why not have a drink before leaving?"

Ivy Fern’s face turned pale instantly; she didn’t expect Charles Sharp to break up with her publicly.

Though they were in a cold war without actually breaking up, at this moment, they truly ended things.

It turns out she was the ex-girlfriend, and everyone suddenly understood, the atmosphere returning to lively.

Ivy Fern said nothing, turned, and left the door, with Charles Sharp following her out.

At that moment, there was no one outside.

Because of this, Ivy Fern, who originally walked ahead, suddenly turned around, raising her hand as if about to slap him, but Charles Sharp caught her wrist. "You’ve already taken the one million my mother gave you, wasn’t tonight about breaking up with me? I merely spoke first, and now you’re enraged?"

Indeed, her appearance at his birthday party tonight, saying those ambiguous yet forcing him to decide words, was because she had thought of two options.

One, she would break up, taking the million his mother gave her; two, if he publicly acknowledged her identity and they remained well, she would return the million to his mother.

Unexpectedly, he directly broke up with her.

"You’ve long wanted to leave me, haven’t you?" She asked him directly. "Playing piano for another woman and especially dear friend, how special? A friend you’ve slept with?"

Confronted with her sarcasm, Charles Sharp didn’t want to argue, as he hadn’t wronged her in any way from beginning to end.

He released her wrist and turned to walk away.

Ivy Fern stood there, tears streaming down her face.

Charles Sharp returned inside and approached Lucy Eaton directly, "Miss Eaton, can we have a private chat?"

Lucy Eaton knew what he wanted to talk about, nodded, and stood up.

Following him upstairs to the study.

Because of good soundproofing, once the door was closed, the room was quite quiet.

"Please, sit."

"You broke up with Ivy Fern?"

"Yes, just now." He sat across from her.

"Is that your decision?"

"My mother gave her a million; even if I didn’t mention breaking up, she would have tonight. After all, her purpose for coming was either to have me announce publicly or to break up, she had to choose one. We’ve been in a cold war and haven’t been in contact, I’m used to it."

He took out a check for two hundred thousand and handed it to her, "Here."

She accepted it, "You didn’t try to change things during this time?"

"Just as you said, my mother isn’t concerned with her background but finds her personally problematic, and I couldn’t change her, so things naturally led to today." Charles Sharp accepted this reality. "This way, it’s for the best."