Silas Hawthorne froze for a moment when he heard the name Evelyn Kendrick.
"Mr. Kendrick is here as well?" Silas asked.
"He is. She’s the one who invited me," Hazel Sinclair said, starting toward the second floor. Silas followed.
When they reached the door to the private room, Hazel raised her hand to knock, only to find Silas standing right next to her.
Hazel asked, confused, "Chairman Hawthorne, aren’t you here on business? What are you doing here?"
’Actually, his assistant didn’t understand what Silas was doing either. The client would be arriving any minute now.’
’Instead of going to the reserved room to wait, Chairman Hawthorne was following Miss Sinclair here. This wasn’t right, was it?’
Prompted by Hazel’s question, Silas glanced at the assistant behind him. "You go and entertain the client."
The assistant was speechless.
’I’m out of options. Completely out of options.’
"Chairman Hawthorne... is this really appropriate?" the assistant quickly interjected, trying to persuade him. "They’ve come all the way from overseas. If you don’t host them properly, the contract could slip right through our fingers."
Hazel paid them no mind and knocked on the door.
Hearing the knock, Evelyn Kendrick, who was inside, quickly got up to open the door.
She opened the door to find Hazel Sinclair standing outside in a pale yellow dress, with a man right behind her.
Evelyn thought it was Leon Sterling, but her face fell the moment she recognized who it was.
"What are you doing here?" Evelyn demanded bluntly.
"I’m here on business. I happened to run into Miss Sinclair, so I came along with her," Silas said, his eyes fixed on Evelyn. His tone was calm, and a faint smile even touched his usually cold, expressionless face.
Silas stood with his hands in his pockets, his deep, dark eyes gazing at her. His voice was low and melodic.
Evelyn shot him a glare before pulling Hazel inside.
She leaned close to Hazel’s ear and whispered, "Stay far away from that man if you see him again."
Hazel: ???
"Why?" Hazel asked immediately.
Evelyn pulled her into the empty seat beside her. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"
’This woman is my biggest client. Whatever she says, goes.’
"I’ll listen to you."
Unfazed, Silas walked in and took the empty seat next to Hazel. The moment he sat down, he picked up the teapot, stood, and refilled Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick’s half-empty cups.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick, it’s a pleasure. I’m a friend of Miss Sinclair. My name is Silas Hawthorne."
He introduced himself to the two elders with exceptional humility and politeness, even raising his teacup to them in a gesture of respect.
Not only did Silas offer them tea, but he was also exceptionally polite, even lowering his own cup slightly in their presence as a sign of respect.
In stark contrast to Jasper Fletcher’s earlier disrespect, Silas Hawthorne came across as remarkably polite and socially adept.
Hazel, sitting beside him, was stunned. ’Since when are we friends?’
’And with this whole performance, I’ll look rude if I don’t offer a toast too.’
Hazel quickly poured herself a cup of tea, stood, and said to the couple with a smile, "Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick, hello. I’m Hazel Sinclair, a classmate of Evelyn’s."
Jasper Fletcher, sitting across from them, sneered the moment he saw her. "Hazel Sinclair, what are you doing here again? Everyone at this table is somebody important."
"Your husband is bankrupt, and you’re just the fake young miss of the Sinclair family. Get lost. There’s no place for you here."
Hazel took a sip of her tea, then stood up and gave him a small smile. "It’s not your place to comment on my background."
"What right does a two-timing scumbag like you have to run your mouth here?"
"And you brought your mistress to meet Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick. Now *that* is truly shameless and disgusting behavior."
Hazel didn’t stop at Jasper; she turned on his parents as well.
"Mr. Fletcher, there’s a saying: ’An untaught son is a father’s shame.’ For Jasper to be capable of treating women with such disrespect, I suppose you deserve at least half the credit."
"The way Jasper is now, it seems he learned it from you."
"As for his rudeness and arrogance, I imagine he must have learned that from you, Mrs. Fletcher."
The moment Hazel spoke, the expressions of all three Fletchers turned grim.
"Young lady, this is a family matter. It’s not your place to interfere," Mr. Fletcher said, leaning back in his chair with a cigar in hand. He took a drag and exhaled slowly, immediately shrouding the entire room in smoke.
Hazel’s brow furrowed instantly. ’He’s just going to smoke with so many people in here?’
"I’m speaking up for Evelyn," Hazel said, not backing down an inch.
"You’re an outsider interfering in the affairs of our two families. Aren’t you overstepping your bounds a little?" Mr. Fletcher said slowly.
Hazel looked down and started eating the food in front of her. ’This tastes amazing. This girl really knows how to eat well.’
"So what if I’m overstepping?" Hazel retorted. "Does what Jasper did not deserve to be condemned?"
"Your whole family is disgusting. You posted those videos online to pressure Evelyn, didn’t you?"
"You’re only engaged, not married." Hazel spun the rotating tray on the table, bringing a plate of roast chicken in front of her.
Crystal Hayes had been keeping her head down, eating. She was just about to grab her favorite dish when it was spun away. The look she shot Hazel was sharp.
"But Miss Kendrick assaulted someone in public. Is that right?" Crystal Hayes put down her chopsticks, unable to hold her tongue.
"Even if Jasper was in the wrong, she could have talked to him about it. Assaulting someone is a crime."
Hazel glanced at her and spat icily, "You goddamn homewrecker, who gave you permission to speak?"
"You should be happy you’re even allowed to sit here. Why are you trying to make your presence known? Do you really think dating him for three years makes you righteous?"
"From the moment Jasper and Evelyn publicly announced their engagement, you’ve been nothing but a mistress who has to hide in the shadows."
Being called a homewrecker again and again, Crystal Hayes became visibly agitated.
She clutched her stomach and cried out, "I’m carrying the Fletcher family’s child! Evelyn is the real homewrecker!"
Crystal’s outburst made Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick’s expressions turn even uglier. Until now, they had been trying to leave both sides a shred of dignity.
After all, the business world is small, and they were bound to cross paths again.
But since the Fletchers were acting so disgustingly, why should the Kendricks bother saving face for them?
"Our partnership with the Fletcher family is terminated, effective immediately! We entered into this marriage alliance in good faith, and you repay our sincerity with this disgusting display."
"From this day forward, the Kendricks and the Fletchers are enemies. In the business world, I will make damn sure you regret this!" Mr. Kendrick slammed his hand on the table, furious.
His eyes were filled with nothing but loathing as he looked at them.
"Mr. Kendrick, don’t waste your anger on morons like them," Hazel said, placatingly. "They don’t think before they act."
"It serves them right that the Fletcher family is already on the decline. The Kendricks were kind enough to offer them a lifeline, and this is how they repay that kindness. It’s disgusting."
Hazel spoke up to placate them, a perfectly composed smile on her face.
Hearing this, Mr. Fletcher’s face darkened. "If you Kendricks don’t ally with us Fletchers, who do you think will supply you with the raw materials you need?"
"Believe it or not, with a single word from me, no one in this entire industry will dare to supply you."