The woman in red, who had been spewing venom moments ago, froze. In the high-stakes social circles of the city's elite, being caught red-handed badmouthing someone was an embarrassment deep enough to make one want to vanish into the floorboards.
But she was a seasoned professional in the art of pretense. Her expression shifted with lightning speed, smoothing into a sycophantic, sisterly beam. "Oh, Diana! It's been far too long. The girls and I were just saying how much we've missed you since you've been away."
Diana's features were exquisite—refined with a chilling, crystalline clarity—but the look she leveled at them was as cold as sleet. "If you missed me that much, why didn't you ever send a single text? Worried my number was taking up too much memory?"
The woman's smile faltered. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Of course not! I just... I assumed you'd changed your number when you moved abroad."
"If you had tried to send even one message, you would have known whether I changed it or not." Diana pressed forward, her gaze pinned to the woman's face, showing no intention of letting the matter slide. "You seemed to have plenty to say a moment ago. Why are you so quiet now that I'm here?"
The woman in red flickered her eyes away, muttering, "I was just repeating some gossip I heard... I didn't mean anything by it..."
Before she could finish, Diana took an abrupt step forward.
Slap!
The sound was sharp and ringing, echoing through the room as Diana's hand connected squarely with the woman's cheek.
The surrounding area fell into a tomb-like silence. The woman in red recoiled, clutching her burning face with a gasp of shock. She looked ready to snap, but when she met Diana's calm, glacial eyes, her indignation dissolved into pure terror.
"I'm sorry... I have a big mouth," she stammered, her voice trembling. "I'll never say another word! Miss Bell, please, be the bigger person... don't hold it against me..."
Diana ignored the plea and turned her gaze toward the woman in blue, who had turned ashen.
The latter shuddered, desperate to distance herself. "I didn't say anything! She started the whole thing, I swear I wasn't involved!"
"Even a comedy duo needs a straight man. You were playing your part quite enthusiastically a minute ago; bit late to quit the act now, isn't it?" Diana sneered, raising her hand again.
Both women flinched back in unison.
Diana didn't strike again. Instead, she reached for a heavy, double-layered cream cake from the dessert table and slammed it onto the coffee table in front of them.
"Today is my brother's birthday, and I don't want to see blood spoiling his luck," she said, her voice steady but laced with a suffocating pressure. "Since you can't control your mouths, use this to plug them. You don't leave until every last crumb of this cake is gone."
Without a second glance, she turned and walked through the crowd.
The two women stood frozen, staring at the massive cake with faces paler than the frosting.
Diana had only taken a few steps when she felt a mocking gaze land on her. She instinctively looked up.
Leaning against the wooden railing of the second floor was a man.
Jasper Sterling looked like a young master who had just rolled out of a bender. His grey silk shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his collar loose and disheveled. His deep-set features carried a hint of lingering drowsiness, but the spark of amusement in his eyes was unmistakable.
He had seen the entire "extra course" she had served.
Diana paused, her heart skipping a beat for reasons she couldn't name.
"How terrifying," Jasper drawled, shifting his posture. His tone was light, flavored with the mischief of someone who loved watching the world burn. "Should I go out and buy some insurance? Just in case Miss Bell decides to silence me next."
Diana didn't feel the slap was uncalled for; it was a debt paid in full. But having Jasper witness it made her look unnecessarily domineering. She didn't care about her own reputation, but she feared the rumors might reflect poorly on William—that people would think he had spoiled her or failed to raise her with discipline.
"I was just offering them some dessert," she replied stiffly.
Jasper let out a low chuckle, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets as he sauntered down the stairs.
"A slap for an appetizer, and cake for the main. Tell me, is this a new rule of the Knight family?"
He was exceptionally tall. As he approached, a scent of dark wood mixed with a hint of tobacco enveloped her, casting a heavy shadow.
Diana hesitated, but as he prepared to brush past her, she turned and called out.
"Jasper."
Jasper stopped, turning halfway, a brow arched in silent inquiry.
The situation for Snow was currently a dead end. Start Technology was closing in, clearly intending to swallow them whole for pennies. Partnering with Cloud Shield would be a compromise, but it was better than being annihilated by Start. Snow was Aurora Brooks' life's work; she had staked everything on the hydrogen-powered drones. Rather than watching it go bankrupt, Diana had to find a lifeline through Cloud Shield.
"I know Start's offer is tempting, but short-term profit doesn't make for a long-term business," Diana said, steadying her breath and looking up at him. "Snow can guarantee that Cloud Shield will have top-tier sharing rights for all future core R&D. In terms of long-term value, Snow is your best partner."
She softened her voice, her tone bordering on a sincere plea. "My senior has worked so hard for this. Could you... give Snow a chance?"
Jasper leaned down slightly, a gesture that seemed gentlemanly but was actually intensely predatory.
"And if I say no?" he asked, enunciating every word.
His eyes were incredibly dark. The laziness had vanished, replaced by the heart-stopping intensity of a top-tier predator marking its prey.
Diana's fingers tightened. "I..."
Jasper's lips curled into a wicked smirk. "What? Are you going to buy me a cake too?"
"..."
Diana was speechless. She knew she had no real bargaining chips against Jasper; the only thing she had was their thin thread of social connection.
"You've been friends with my brother for so many years... for his sake, could you help just this once?"
Jasper straightened up, the crushing aura vanishing as he reverted to his role as the cynical playboy.
"You want to use William's influence? Fine," he said, walking away and tossing a cold remark over his shoulder. "Tell him to come and ask me himself."
Diana bit her lip and looked down.
She had originally intended to ask William, but the vitriol from those women earlier had changed her mind. She didn't want William to be the subject of backroom gossip, accused of being "blinded by beauty" or "lacking boundaries" because of her.
She knew William would clear any path for her if she asked. But she wasn't a little girl hiding under his wing anymore. If she couldn't bring him honor, she at least refused to bring him trouble.
By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, Jasper was gone.
He walked straight to a long table, ignoring the social climbers trying to catch his eye, and pulled out a chair. Then, in front of everyone, he casually picked a dessert from the spread and unwrapped a fork with practiced ease.
Diana's pupils dilated.
"Wait, that—"
The silver fork sank precisely into the blueberry mousse. It was the one Diana had set aside for herself; she hadn't even touched it yet.
Mr. Sterling took a large bite without blinking, then tilted his head and threw her a provocative look. Diana swallowed the rest of her sentence and endured it in silence.
The Card Table
As the evening progressed, Diana—being the one William brought—found herself surrounded by guests offering polite platitudes. Despite their internal disdain for her background, they all played their parts perfectly, addressing her respectfully as "Miss Bell."
William was currently in the inner lounge at a card table. Seeing her approach, he gestured with a cigarette between his fingers, signaling a waiter to add a seat for her.
Before she could even sit, Julian Harrison shouted from across the table, pulling a chair toward himself. "Diana, sit here! William's luck is too good today; I need you to block some of his bad energy."
William didn't even look up as he discarded a card. "Your skills are just trash, Julian. Don't blame the Feng Shui."
Diana watched for a few rounds and realized Julian was indeed a lost cause. With the way he played, even the God of Wealth wouldn't be able to save his wallet.
During the game, William's phone lit up with a notification. Diana caught a glimpse of what looked like a business matter and immediately looked away. A moment later, his phone rang.
He stood up to take the call, casually ruffling Diana's hair—a natural, intimate gesture. "Take my spot for a couple of rounds. Don't lose everything."
Diana took over, and her luck was surprisingly good. She started with a beautiful hand. As she was methodically arranging her tiles, someone across the table called out: "Master Jasper, feeling restless? Want to play a few rounds?"
She looked up to see a satisfied Jasper Sterling strolling over. He dropped into the vacant seat.
He glanced lazily at the terrible hand he had inherited and clicked his tongue in distaste. "This hand is absolute rubbish."
Theodore Harrison, sitting to Diana's right, laughed. "With Diana sitting here, how could our luck possibly be good?"
Theodore discarded a "One-Dot" tile.
Diana reached out to draw a card, but before her fingers could touch the deck, Jasper's long fingers flicked two tiles forward.
"Pong."
Diana's hand froze in mid-air. She silently pulled it back.
For the next three rounds, Jasper acted like her personal nemesis. If he wasn't "ponging" her tiles to skip her turn, he was intentionally feeding good cards to Julian. Diana barely got a chance to draw a card.
By the fourth round, Diana finally waited for her winning card. All she needed was a "Three-Bamboo" to win. She held her breath as her finger brushed the tile.
"Drop it."
Jasper's voice was cold and brimming with malice.
"Pong."
Again.
Diana: "..."
"Jasper, isn't that a bit low?" even Julian said, looking at Diana's clearly winning hand. "Who are you targeting here?"
Diana took a deep breath, chanting a mantra in her head: The client is king. The client is king. For the sake of Snow, she would endure.
She forced herself to push the "Three-Bamboo" back and managed a tight smile. "I didn't win. Please, go ahead."
Jasper leaned back, his chair balancing on its two rear legs. He stared at his own fingertips, refusing to grant the fuming girl across from him even a single glance.