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    As immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Leonard, theirrge hands sping together.


    I stared at Leonard. He had left an excellent impression on me. He had a kind face, and his smile was warm and friendly.


    At first nce, he appeared to be a gentleman, and I had to admit that he seemed very cultured.


    His eyes turned to me, and he smiled at As and asked, "Is this your girlfriend, Mr. As? It''s a pleasure to meet you! You two make a wonderful couple!"


    "This is my wife, Chloe," As corrected him.


    Leonard immediately said, "It''s nice to meet you, Mrs. As! I apologize for my mistake."


    I greeted him warmly with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Leonard. It''s no problem at all."


    Arthur introduced us to several other unfamiliar faces, but no one else left as deep an impression as Leonard did.


    As I stood by As''s side and watched them greet one another, I continued to secretly observe Leonard.


    For some reason, I was uniquely attracted to this man. I didn''t know why, but I feltpelled to learn more about him. I wanted to know about his background, his business, his lifestyle, and even the women around him.


    As I was starting to feel a little bored, I saw Oliver and Lauren enter the room.


    Oliver was wearing a neatly tailored dark gray suit. Hisplexion was healthier than before, and he had gained some weight. He had a smile on his face as he walked arm-in-arm with Lauren.


    Lauren looked especially lovely today. She had styled her hair. It had grown a little longer and was elegantly styled with the tips curled slightly outward. The light makeup on her face made her look radiant. Both of them were smiling brightly.


    It was rare to see Oliver with an expression like that.


    They quickly drew the attention of the room.


    I heard them exchanging pleasantries with other people. "You''re looking good, Oliver! Looks like you''ve recovered quickly from your injury!"


    "Is it just because he''s recovered? Oliver must be in high spirits because of the happy asion!"


    "Is the happy asion approaching, Oliver?"


    "You need to celebrate your second spring! You can''t let Ms. Lauren down after so many years ofpanionship!"


    Oliver looked down at Lauren in his arms and grinned knowingly, but didn''t respond.


    Arthur immediately went over to greet Oliver, showing concern for his injury.


    "It''s nothing serious! Thank you all for your concern," Oliver responded warmly.


    As I stood by As''s side, I looked at him and whispered, "What a happy scene."


    But as I said that, I heard some strange voices.


    A few women behind me whispered, "Looks like that woman has finally reaped her reward."


    "Hey! That mistress has worked hard. She''s finally turned from mistress to wife after so many years."


    "I heard that Oliver can''t live without


    veline


    that woman. I heard... that Oliver was injured because he was protecting her from a knife attack. I wonder who he offended?"


    "Really? I didn''t think everyone would be apuding for the mistress now!"


    "That''s right. She''s yed her cards well! She caught the god of wealth so skillfully!"


    I thought those words were very harsh.


    Many of these women in high society were hypocrites. They shone brightly in public, but they were dark and narrow-minded in private. They had such wicked mouths!


    Many of them had struggled to get to where they were, but they couldn''t stand to see anyone else doing so well. They were all just jealous! It was all because they weren''t satisfied with their own lives and felt like they had to verbally abuse other people to find inner peace.


    I cast a cold gaze at the gossiping women.


    They seemed to feel the chill in my eyes and promptly shut their mouths, ncing at me.


    I looked at them without changing my expression, keeping my scrutinizing eyes on them.


    Just then, one of Arthur''s


    subordinates, Franklin Vaughan,


    approached me with a wine ss


    We had met a few times before. He smiled and said, "The New


    vel?


    Boufdamun project is progressing


    wonderfully, Ms. Chloe!"


    I smiled at him. "It is. I went to the construction site today, and the roads in the section have already beenpleted."


    "That''s remarkable, Ms. Chloe. You went to the site yourself?"


    "It''s the project of the century; we can''t afford to overlook it. Progress needs to be monitored at all times. We can''t be careless," I responded with a smile.


    "I heard that Norton and Anestin have also signed agreements," Franklin inquired as he looked at me.