Chapter 629 Introduce Her To The Industry
The following day, Olivia hosted a banquet at Hotel Van Hutton. She reserved the entire five-floor building and invited all the rich and famous from Tayhaven. Each of the guests showed up with their family members, and that was a great honor to Olivia.
As soon as all the distinguished guests took their seats, Owen and Olivia walked in gracefully. Smiling, Olivia announced, “Thank you everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this function. There are three things we would like to celebrate tonight. First, my son and daughter-in-law have rekindled their marriage, and they now live a blissful life as a family of three. Second, I’ve been blessed with a second goddaughter. Third, my daughter is tying the knot soon. I’m pretty sure that you know who my future son-in-law is. Yes, he’s none other than Noah Walker, the eldest son of Walker Group.”
The guests stood up one by one to congratulate the Clintons for their triple happiness.
Olivia was over the moon. The smile on her face never ceased, and she was in an exceptionally good mood.
“I’m going to keep you in suspense for a while before introducing my goddaughter.” Olivia chuckled.
A beautiful socialite teased, “You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you, Olivia? Where did you learn this from? We are dying to find out who is this lucky lady that has found favor in both your and Owen’s eyes. Come on, tell us now, and don’t be so cheeky! We can’t wait already.”
“People say that daughters are caring and sweet like cotton candy. She’s my newfound precious girl. Let me keep her with me longer before all of you try to snatch her away,” Olivia joked.
“What do you take us for, Olivia? Haha… You’re getting more mischievous as you grow older,” the other guests chimed in.
Owen and Olivia could not help but burst out laughing.
On the other hand, all eyes fell on Oscar, Amelia, and Tony the moment they made their grand entrance because the dolled-up family looked so gorgeous.
As soon as Olivia saw her beloved grandson, her eyes glowed with warmth, love, and an unmistakable twinkle.
She strode over to carry Tony. “Oh, my dear boy, you look dashing today! I nearly couldn’t recognize you.”
Tony pecked both her cheeks and said as though he was an adult, “Grandma, everyone is looking at us. You must take care of your reputation first. It will be awful if your hair looks unkempt.”
His cuteness melted Olivia’s heart. Logic and elegance don’t matter at this precious moment.
She truly loved this grandson of hers to the core, to the extent that she could do anything for him. For examples, forgiving Amelia and letting Oscar remarry her despite how resolute Olivia was in the past about these two agenda.
The guests were observing Tony. Some of Olivia’s good friends even came up to him and introduced themselves. “Hi Tony, do you remember me? I spoke to you at a party last time.”
Tony scanned them with a pair of big, rounded eyes. Then, he replied in a serious tone, “Of course I remember! All of you are pretty ladies, just like Grandma.”
Women were always flattered with sweet talks, especially when praises were sung by such an adorable child. They were so delighted to interact with him.
“Oh my heart! You’re such a cute darling. Tony, you’re very handsome too. I’m certain that you’re going to be a future heartthrob.” The socialites had only good things to say about Tony.
Proudly, he acknowledged, “That goes unsaid!”
His antics caused everyone to titter in glee.
All guests, regardless of gender, could not hold back from praising Tony’s wit. Olivia had been on cloud nine the entire night upon hearing all the wonderful comments about her grandson. They made her way happier than the times when she purchased branded handbags and designer clothes.
What greeted the Walker family when they appeared at the banquet was a scene where many were seemingly worshipping Tony.
A tinge of jealousy and disdain flashed across Isabella’s eyes.
She bit her lips real hard until she was reminded by Carol. “Keep your cool and dignity. This isn’t your house. Everyone here is influential, wealthy, and well-known in the industry. You can forget about marrying into one of those prominent families should they have a bad impression of you.”
Taking a deep breath, Isabella nodded. “All right, Mom. I know what to do, don’t you worry.”
Nodding, Carol asked Noah, “When will Stephanie arrive?”
“Perhaps in another half an hour. She’s just done with her shopping spree,” he answered indifferently.
It was obvious that Carol was rather upset, but she fought to keep her emotions at bay.
“Hi Owen and Olivia, sorry for being late. We were stuck in a bad traffic.” Carol faked a wide grin as she strode across the hall. Nobody noticed the change in her emotions.
Olivia replied pleasantly, “We are the early birds. Anyway, the party hasn’t started.” In other words, I bet she’s trying to imply that there’s no match for the Walkers, and it’s only natural for them to be fashionably late.
Carol pretended not to read between the lines. “Since we are the late-comers, my husband and I will surely make a toast to everyone as soon as the party begins.”
Everyone gave knowing smirks as soon as she said that.
The Walkers did not face much success in their business within the last three years. In fact, their development in the country had been stagnant, and the books were nearly in the red. Those who shared the same social circles knew that they were beyond hope. Had it not been for their connections with the Clinton family, the others would have kicked them out of the rich and famous group.
Rumor had it that there were no secrets in the high society. Everyone knew if one was loaded or otherwise.
Olivia ushered the family to their seats and asked in a whisper, “Noah, where’s Stephanie?”
Noah replied patiently, “She’s on her way here. Several handbags that she has been eyeing for are finally launched. So, I let her go get the new arrivals with her girlfriends.”
Olivia was quite satisfied with Noah. After all, a mother would always desire for her daughter to live a totally blissful life, no matter how bad her temperament or dispositions were.
“Noah, you can’t spoil her rotten. She’s going to marry you soon. If all she knows is shopping to her heart’s content, it’s going to be very challenging for you,” Olivia said casually.
“Don’t worry about us, Mrs. Clinton. Besides shopping for the latest goods, Stephanie is quite caring to me.” Noah gave the perfect textbook answer. His mannerisms had won him many hearts of the elderly. There was nothing that Olivia could complain about him.
Then again, Noah was either a ten out of ten, a real gentleman or he was superb at pretending to be one.
Olivia had no idea about his true personality. Considering that the two families were going to become one, she would rather believe that Noah was a good man with a noble character.
When Stephanie arrived much later, Olivia shot her a glance and made her sit down. Then, she declared, “Hi everyone, the time has come for me to introduce my goddaughter.”
Instantly, everyone’s gaze fell on her.
Olivia stood up alongside Carol. “I’m not going to introduce my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson since they have made an impression just now. Today, let me take some time to introduce my goddaughter. She’s Isabella Walker. I’m aware of an old rumor between Oscar and Isabella, that they were going to be engaged. I’d like to clarify that it was a misunderstanding. I’ve always wanted to take Isabella as my goddaughter. Therefore, she’s been quite close to Oscar. Initially, I couldn’t care less about any gossips. But on second thoughts, I should clear the air for Isabella’s sake. Henceforth, she’s my goddaughter. Please extend care and concern to her when you meet her personally.”
Oscar did not feel anything upon hearing the announcement because Isabella was like a stranger to him.
“Mom, if you insist on taking Isabella as your goddaughter, then do I address her as my sister or sister-in-law when I marry into the Walker family? This is so confusing!” Stephanie grumbled with a frown.
Olivia was taken aback. She had not thought about the implications of her action. All she wanted to do was to compensate Isabella as promised.
“Stephanie, we’re about the same age. Hence, we can call each other by name even after you and my brother get hitched. Let’s not complicate ourselves with these petty titles, shall we?” Isabella suggested graciously. “One thing for sure, we’re going to be besties. Apart from that, I don’t see any other issue.”
Stephanie mulled over it for a while and nodded.
“That works. In the future, I’ll treat my in-laws as my parents, and you ought to do the same with mine.” It was rare for Stephanie to utter something so sensible.
Isabella merely smiled.
Though the official announcement had been made, the guests could tell that there was a hidden agenda behind it. High societies were full of juicy gossip and axes to grind. Each of the attendees had their own fair share of dirty laundry. The way forward was to turn a blind eye to them all; live and let live.
The guests congratulated Olivia for adding a new family member. They also commented how fortunate she was to have gotten such an obedient, thoughtful, and pretty goddaughter. No one brought up about the entanglement which involved Isabella and Oscar, for it had sort of become a taboo.
