Chapter 505 Everfrozen Ruby
Catherine glanced at the brocade box and immediately knew that it was valuable. The craftsmanship of the box was exquisite, and the patterns on it were lifelike and pleasing to the eye.
Catherine didn’t take it immediately. Instead, she turned her head to look at Branden beside her. He was casually lounging on the sofa, seemingly less indifferent. He exuded a bit of a rogue vibe. Perhaps this was the state he revealed in front of his closest people.
In response to Catherine’s questioning gaze, Branden waved his hand and placed the brocade box in Catherine’s hands. “Just take it and open it to see if you like it. If it’s not good, you can give it back. After all, my grandpa has plenty of treasures.”
Only Branden dared to say something like that in front of Karl.
Karl was fuming with anger, his mustache trembling and his nostrils flaring. If it weren’t for Catherine’s presence, he would have already given Branden a good beating.
Suppressing his anger, Karl eagerly looked at Catherine and said, “Cassie, open it and see if you like it or not. If you don’t like it, there are other treasures for you to choose from, whatever you want!”
Under their eager gazes, Catherine opened the brocade box. A purple crescent-shaped ruby pendant greeted her eyes, emitting a faint luster. When she gently twirled it in her fingers, the pendant would emit a faint glow.
The entire ruby pendant was translucent without a trace of impurities. When Catherine held it in her hand, a cold sensation spread through her fingertips and into her blood, gradually spreading upwards.
Catherine suddenly realized something and looked up at Karl. “Everfrozen Ruby!”
Surprised that Catherine could immediately identify the material of the pendant, Karl was momentarily stunned, a hint of delight flashing in his eyes. “Cassie, you know the Everfrozen Ruby?”
Catherine nodded. The Everfrozen Ruby was a precious treasure among rubies, a small piece of which, when worn, could give a person the sensation of warmth in winter and coolness in summer. In ancient times, only emperors could possess such high- quality rubies. It was extremely rare, and ordinary people could hardly even catch a glimpse of it, let alone own it.
Observing the subtle change in Catherine’s eyes, Karl knew that she liked it and felt relieved. He was afraid that the young girls of today only liked branded bags, lacking enthusiasm for these kinds of things. But seeing Catherine not only liking the pendant but also being able to identify its material, he finally felt at ease.
“Cassie, just keep it. Next time you come visit me, I will give you more good stuff!”
Branden sat aside, smiling but remaining silent. Karl was adopting a bribery policy, intending to entice Catherine to visit him more frequently.
Unfortunately, Karl did not know that Catherine was super rich and was not at all interested in such trivial matters.
The Facers, a well-known wealthy family in Loxton, were just as prestigious as the Duncans. It was also a long-established aristocratic family.
Today was the 70th birthday banquet of Conor Facer, the patriarch of the Facers, and the whole city of Loxton was bustling with excitement. The elite families from all around had come to Loxton, as possessing an invitation from the Facers was considered an honor.
The car of the Duncans slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the banquet hall, distinct from the others. The Duncans’ car had the privilege of parking directly at the entrance, a treatment not available to ordinary families. Instantly, all the guests in the banquet hall turned their attention towards it.
The car door opened, and Karl stepped out. Some of the guests recognized him amidst the crowd, their eyes instantly lighting up.
Karl had been renowned worldwide in his younger days, and everyone knew him as a shrewd businessman. However, ever since Branden took over his business, Karl had retired and rarely appeared in public. If it weren’t for Conor’s grand birthday celebration today, it would have been difficult to see Karl.
No wonder the Duncans received such special treatment!
People noticed that the person getting out of the car behind Karl was none other than Branden, the most influential figure in the upper-class circle at present. Among the younger generation, there was no one more powerful than him.
All eyes were on Branden and Karl.
Upon hearing that Karl had arrived, Conor personally came out to greet him. he greeted Karl with a beaming smile. From his appearance, one could hardly tell his age.
“Oh, Karl, it’s very kind of you to be here today!”
As longtime friends for decades, Karl and Conor had a playful and tacit understanding between them.
“Come on, man. This is your 70th birthday celebration! Even if I have to wear a ventilator, I’ll come and give you a round of applause, just to make some noise for you!”
Karl and Conor walked away hand in hand, chatting, leaving the others behind.
Branden turned around and helped Catherine out of the car. He knew that Catherine didn’t enjoy such occasions, and if Conor saw her, she would inevitably be pulled into small talk.
In Branden’s opinion, Catherine’s presence was already a favor to Karl. On this kind of occasion, she didn’t need to socialize. So, he intentionally lagged behind, waiting for Karl and Conor to leave before holding Catherine’s hand and helping her out of the car.
Branden’s appearance became the center of attention. The two top-notch big shots had already left, so people began to watch in Branden’s direction. Seeing Branden carefully supporting a girl out of the car, many people were dumbfounded. It would be difficult to mend the broken hearts of the ladies at the scene.
Among the crowd, a group of beautiful women from the prominent families of Loxton were also watching in Branden’s direction. They were all renowned socialites in Loxton.
Leading the group and standing at the front was Conor’s granddaughter, Jada. She was known as the number one socialite in Loxton. Her eyes lit up when she saw Branden getting out of the car.
However, she didn’t expect that Branden would actually bring a woman with him. She had never seen Branden so close to any woman before. Who was this woman?
Jada’s eyes darkened as she stared at Catherine. Despite her efforts to control herself, her friends still noticed her anger because she couldn’t suppress the jealousy in her heart.
Crystal Brown looked at Jada’s angry expression and felt a sense of satisfaction. She didn’t expect that Jada, who always thought highly of herself, would have a day when she would be jealous over a man.
“Jada, that woman next to Mr. Duncan looks good, but why is she dressed so plainly? Even the waitresses inside the banquet hall are better dressed than her.”
Catherine never liked wearing formal dresses, and she was particularly uninterested in gowns. Branden knew her personality and only prepared clothes that were comfortable for her daily life.
After hearing Crystal’s words, someone immediately chimed in. “Exactly, when Karl was present, that woman didn’t even dare to show up. The way I see it, she doesn’t have a proper background!”
“You’re right!”
Listening to the comments from her friends, Jada felt that her hope was ignited once again. Exactly, only a socialite like her deserved to stand by Branden’s side.
