CHAPTER 236: CHAPTER 236: NO HURT WITHOUT COMPARISON

"Damn, that dog of a man!" Daisy Bell instantly became a hater of Julian Poole. "He’s helping that bitch Cindy Lynn and still has the nerve to chase after you?! Such a fake guy, ugh!"

Tanya was both amused and exasperated. "He’s not that bad, just..."

"Buying into Cindy Lynn’s act! He’s either bad or stupid! Either way, he’s no good!" Daisy got more agitated as she spoke. "And he had the audacity to use me to dig up your info!"

Just as Daisy was venting, her agent called.

"Bonnie, I need to take this call from my agent."

"Okay, go ahead."

Daisy answered the call with a sudden shift to a sweet tone: "Ms. Abbott."

Ms. Abbott said, "There’s a late-night event tonight, and a big shot will be there. Get yourself ready and come over right away. I’ll help you make an appearance in front of them and say hello. Hopefully, you can make a good impression."

"Just saying hello, right?" Daisy confirmed.

Ms. Abbott sneered, "What, are you hoping Jasper Monroe will fancy you? Look at his wealth and charm! Tons of top-tier celebrities, regardless of gender, would love to get into his bed. Don’t think too highly of yourself."

Being desired by both genders!

Wait a minute...

Daisy suddenly stood up. "Ms. Abbott, the big shot you’re talking about is Jasper Monroe?"

The image of her failed attempt to hit him with a bottle, which ended with her vomiting all over him, came rushing back to her.

"Yes, you’ve heard of him, right? Hurry up."

"Oh no, I suddenly have a terrible stomachache." Daisy dramatically declared, "Ms. Abbott, I really can’t make it tonight. If I go, it’ll just embarrass you."

Ms. Abbott cursed in frustration, "Useless piece of crap!"

And then she hung up.

Daisy sat back down, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

She took out her little ledger book, flipped to the page with her biggest debtor, and there was Jasper Monroe’s photo pasted.

Of course, cut out from a magazine.

The man in the suit and gold-rimmed glasses, even just in a photo, his eyes behind those lenses were unsettling... Not someone she could afford to mess with, but definitely someone she could avoid!

The following day, 7 p.m.

Tanya, carrying a gift for the professor’s wife, arrived at The Sovereign Pavilion based on the address Celine Nash provided.

They had reserved The Bamboo Room.

After inquiring about the location of The Bamboo Room at the front desk, Tanya declined the staff’s offer to guide her and instead took the elevator to the third floor.

Just as she walked off, a large group entered the hotel.

It was none other than the Lynn Family and The Hawthorne Family.

Cindy Lynn had already reserved The Jade Room in advance.

"Hello, The Jade Room is on the third floor; let me take you up."

Once inside the room and seated, with the server leaving, there were no outsiders present.

Theodore Hawthorne sighed, "This place is quite renowned, but I’ve never had the time to try it. Great choice, Cindy."

Theodore had made a special effort to dress up today, clearly placing great importance on tonight’s dinner.

In fact, he was indeed pleased about the potential union with the Lynn Family, and the more he saw of Cindy Lynn, the more he liked this prospective daughter-in-law.

Cindy Lynn smiled, "As long as you like it, Uncle Hawthorne. I have other surprises prepared for you and Vincent, but I’ll tell you about those later. By the way, this is a gift for you, Aunt Hawthorne."

Cindy Lynn presented a brocade box, and Wendy Chester accepted it. Upon opening it, she found an artifact-level Glazed Bowl inside!

"I remember you always loved collecting bowls and plates, Aunt Hawthorne. This Glazed Bowl is a family heirloom, over a thousand years old. I thought it would be perfect for you."

"Oh my, such thoughtfulness from this child!" Mother Hawthorne happily accepted it. "These past years, Cindy has always been by Vincent’s side. I just adore her! I could almost adopt her as my goddaughter! Haha, good thing I didn’t, because I knew Cindy and our Vincent were meant for each other!"

Sean Lynn said, "Cindy is our precious daughter, as long as she is happy, we’re satisfied!"

"Rest assured, Mr. Lynn!" Wendy Chester replied. "Once Cindy marries into our family, we will treat her like our daughter. She won’t suffer one bit! Cindy, I have a gift for you too!"

Wendy Chester presented Cindy with a pigeon egg-sized Blood Diamond from her bottom drawer.

Cindy Lynn said, "Aunt, this is too valuable."

"Oh, Cindy, you’re the one who’s truly valuable! You should wear this on your wedding day to Vincent. It’s a family heirloom of mine, and it’s yours now!"

"Thank you, Aunt."

They chatted happily, and though the food hadn’t arrived, they were already ready to set a date.

Vincent Hawthorne quietly sat to the side, observing his mother’s fondness for Cindy Lynn. Unbidden, thoughts of Tanya filled his mind.

There was no comparison.

Never mind fondness; back then, his mother never even gave Tanya a kind look.

He never acknowledged it, but the family had treated Tanya poorly, verging on mistreatment.

A restless feeling came over him, and just then, Jonah Rivers called.

Grabbing the phone like a lifeline, Vincent stood up, apologizing, "Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt, I’ll just step out for a work call."

.....

The Bamboo Room.

Tanya knocked, and Celine Nash, who knew she’d be coming, opened the door for her.

As she entered, the lively room suddenly fell silent.

Seated at the main table, the professor’s wife and Professor Truman looked at her, and Professor Carter was there too.

Tanya bowed slightly, "Professor, ma’am, Professor Carter."

Preston Truman huffed, "What are you doing here? Who gave you the address?"

Before Tanya could answer, Preston Truman already had a suspect in mind.

"Harrison Langdon!" he huffed, "You rascal, turning against us again!"

Harrison was dumbfounded, mid-bite of his appetizer, wanting to explain, only to be silenced by Celine clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Senior brother, why do you always rile up the professor?"

Harrison Langdon: "???"

Is this fair?

Cameron Wenworth exchanged a knowing, sympathetic glance with Harrison.

Tanya approached the professor’s wife, gift in hand.

"Ma’am, I know you and Professor might not want to see me. I just came to deliver a gift. If you don’t like it, feel free to toss it." Tanya said, "Sorry for bothering you and the Professor. I’ll take my leave now."

Finishing her words, Tanya gave another bow and turned to leave.

Celine frowned, somewhat unwilling to watch her go, wanting to dissuade her but dared not speak.

But Professor Carter, with a little alcohol warming him, slowly said, "Oh dear, Old Truman, if you keep pushing your student away, she’ll end up becoming my student!"

Preston Truman was provoked, "Old Carter, you wouldn’t dare poach her!"

"You’re not taking her, I’m just picking her up, where’s the poaching?" Professor Carter retorted, self-satisfied.

The professor’s wife, watching the old friends bicker, couldn’t help but laugh.

Of course, she knew deep down, Professor Truman still cared most for his student Tanya, just couldn’t swallow his pride.

"Tanya." The professor’s wife called to Tanya at the door, "Since you’re here, stay for dinner. I appreciate that after all these years, you still remember I like pearls."

Tanya turned around but hesitated to sit, glancing at the professor’s expression.

Preston Truman, trying to act indifferent, said, "I’ll give the birthday girl some face, then."

Tanya finally smiled, "Thank you, Professor."

She was about to take her seat when Preston Truman remembered something.

"Wait a moment," he said. "Please go downstairs and fetch another guest for me. He doesn’t know the room location."

"Who is it? Do I know them?"

Professor Truman leisurely responded, "You know very well who it is, now off you go."

"Okay." Tanya assumed it was a student from Professor Truman’s past working under him, coming to celebrate the professor’s wife’s birthday, someone she definitely recognized.

Without giving it much thought, she obediently went.

After she left, the professor’s wife couldn’t help but gently scold Preston, whispering, "You let Tanya go fetch Declan Pierce, knowing they’ve never gotten along well before!"