Chapter 77 A Slap in the Face
There was a gigantic semicircular sofa in the lounge area ahead, and everyone got up to offer their seats, crowding Eugene into a seat right in the middle. Subsequently, everyone went up to greet him regardless of whether they were acquainted with him. This seemed to be an unwritten rule, which naturally was also for the sake of making his acquaintance since it was a golden opportunity to collaborate with Nolan Group.
Olivia was busy icing Kate’s face, so she didn’t go over to greet him, but she saw Aleena walking over. “Isn’t that Aleena Jones?” Kate exclaimed, “Summer City is abuzz with rumors that she’s dating Eugene!”
Olivia nodded. “I saw her earlier and even chatted with her for a bit. I, too, suspect that she might have come because she knew that Eugene would be here.”
“That’s possible. Otherwise, such a cocktail party is beneath her considering her family background,” Kate replied.
“What’s her background?” Olivia asked in surprise.
“I heard that her father is the director-general of customs in Summer City,” Kate answered.
Understanding dawned upon Olivia. No wonder she’s acquainted with someone like Eugene.
Meanwhile, Aleena was truly ecstatic, for she just knew that Eugene would definitely attend this cocktail party, so she specifically came to wait for him. Although Olivia didn’t fall into her trap, she was still happy to see Eugene. She walked over and greeted sweetly, “Eugene.”
With a cigarette in his mouth, Eugene lazily glanced at her and murmured an acknowledgment, treating her the same as he treated others. Feeling somewhat hurt over his indifferent attitude, Aleena inhaled deeply and remarked with a smile, “If I’d known that you’d be coming as well, we could have attended together. Look, you’re alone, and I don’t have a companion either.” The meaning of this remark was as plain as day.
“I’m not alone,” Eugene replied, his expression indiscernible.
Aleena merely giggled awkwardly. “Curtis isn’t a woman.”
Eugene stared at her. “Who stipulates that it must be a woman?”
Aleena’s expression froze again. The host, Logan, then attempted to smooth things over, chiming in with a smile, “A pairing of Jack and Jill makes a tough job a breeze since the two can complement each other!” Upon hearing this, the crowd burst out laughing.
Aleena gave a tight smile as well. Looking at Eugene with a shy and timid gaze, she commented ingratiatingly, “I visited Grandpa this morning, and we even spoke of you.” As she said that, she walked over to him in hopes of sitting beside him.
Logan who happened to sit beside Eugene stood up perceptively. “Aleena, come and sit here.”
Eugene, however, suddenly raised his eyes and shot him a glare, his gaze threatening although his voice remained placid. “Are you that busy?”
Logan embarrassingly sat back down. “Not at all. I was just thinking of making arrangements to take this party elsewhere,” he replied with a smile.
“No need. Staying here is fine,” Eugene countered nonchalantly.
Aleena stood frozen in mortification, torn between taking a seat and remaining standing. At one point, aggrieve flooded her. Why must Eugene be so cruel to me when I came just because of him? By now, everyone with half a mind could tell that Eugene just didn’t want to bother with Aleena, so no one did anything for some time until the lady who came with Aleena called out to her, giving her a way out of this embarrassing situation. Smiling, she bid Eugene farewell and left.
After she’d left, a group of women gossiped about her in hushed tones, saying, “Miss Jones always regards herself as Eugene Nolan’s woman, yet look at the slap in the face she was just given. I’m mortified on her behalf.”
“Eugene Nolan is brutal as well, not giving her any quarter!”
“Who can she blame? He has never acknowledged their relationship. Rather, she’s the one putting feathers in her own cap.”
“Exactly. She invited scorn herself!”
