Chapter 695
No.1
“Aren’t you ashamed to make such a grand gesture out of nothing?”
His tone was laced with open mockery.
Victoria lowered her head, adopting a wounded expression.
“Adrian, I… I only wanted to help.”
“This is the only asset I have to offer…”
Alexander, observing the entire exchange, pulled Victoria into a comforting embrace.
“Victoria, the world is full of ungrateful people.”
“You try to help them, and they fault you for not giving enough.”
“Don’t waste another second on someone like him.”
“What a thoroughly ungrateful man!” Margaret chimed in with disapproval.
No.2
Richard spoke with blunt contempt.
“You’re a jobless failure with no prospects.”
“How dare you look down on a factory that generates a steady two hundred thousand annually?”
Victoria kept her head down, pretending to be hurt.
Secretly, she relished the upper hand.
Did he really think he could insult her?
The situation had completely reversed in her favor.
This was the price for crossing her!
However…
Adrian met everyone’s gaze with an icy smirk.
No.3
“Who told you I’m a jobless failure?”
“I am the President of GoldenPhoenix Entertainment. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
He pulled a stack of business cards from his pocket.
He tossed them into the air with a flourish.
Dozens of cards fluttered down around them.
Each one was printed in gleaming gold foil.
[President of GoldenPhoenix – Adrian Sinclair]
The room fell into stunned silence.
The useless, unemployed Adrian Sinclair was now the president of GoldenPhoenix?
How… How was that even possible?
No.4
GoldenPhoenix had signed numerous top-tier artists.
The company’s market valuation was well over a billion.
Adrian was the president?
That meant his personal net worth had to be at least…
Victoria felt as if she’d been slapped across the face.
She had just tried to “gift” her measly two-hundred-thousand-dollar factory to a man of his stature?
The humiliation was unbearable.
Everyone else looked equally uncomfortable.
Their expressions were as if they’d accidentally swallowed a fly.
Alexander narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
No.5
“Doesn’t GoldenPhoenix belong to Isabella?”
Isabella?
Oh. Right.
The reality of the situation crashed down on everyone.
Who didn’t know that GoldenPhoenix was Isabella’s company?
She had been incredibly public about it.
She’d practically thrown money around on Twitter for the entire world to see!
How could Adrian Sinclair claim to be GoldenPhoenix's president with such audacity?
Eleanor Kensington glared at him. "Adrian Sinclair! How dare you show us counterfeit business cards? Don't you realize this company belongs to Isabella Montgomery?"
"Of course I know!" Adrian shot back. "Isabella provided the financial investment while I contributed my expertise. What's the issue with that?"
No.6
His response left everyone in the room stunned. Did Isabella really establish this massive company just to let Adrian play president? That made absolutely no sense!
Richard Montgomery scanned the room and noticed Isabella had already moved to a side sofa. She sat with perfect posture, legs elegantly crossed and hands resting on her waist. Her relaxed recline radiated an aura of cool detachment, as if she were watching a performance by amateur actors.
Richard turned to address her directly. "Isabella, is this true? Did you actually appoint Adrian as company president?"
Everyone held their breath, hoping desperately this wasn't the case. They wanted to see Adrian humiliated and exposed as a fraud in front of the entire gathering.
Isabella merely raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "And if I did? Is there some problem with that?"
Her voice carried that signature chill, arrogant and utterly self-assured. The confirmation struck the room like a physical blow. Adrian Sinclair truly was president of GoldenPhoenix!
Just moments ago, they had all been mocking him while pretending to offer charity with that pathetic factory worth only $200,000 in dividends. Meanwhile, he commanded a position that made their petty offerings laughable. They had become the fools in this scenario.
Victoria Kensington had intended to publicly shame and embarrass Adrian, but instead found herself the target of ridicule. This was her wedding day! How could everything keep going so wrong? Even this minor confrontation had spiraled out of control. Her useless cousin had come to insult her at her own wedding!
White-hot fury surged through Victoria's veins as tears began tracing paths down her cheeks. She turned her pained expression toward Isabella. "Isabella, do you truly hate me this much? I begged for your forgiveness repeatedly, yet you never accepted my apologies! If you despise me, just say it directly! Why send Adrian to publicly humiliate me? Why involve innocent people in our personal conflict...?"
The revelation clicked for everyone simultaneously. Since Adrian worked for Isabella, he must have been acting on her instructions when he spoke those cutting words.
No.7
"Agh..." Victoria suddenly clutched her stomach as if in severe pain.
Margaret Whitmore's face paled instantly. "Victoria! Are you all right? Don't let this stress harm the baby!"
"Victoria, let's get you out of here," Eleanor said, taking her daughter's hand. "Come rest in the bridal suite. Don't lower yourself to their level."
She guided the seemingly distressed Victoria toward the private rooms reserved for the wedding party.