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Xylia looked at Gina helplessly. “Josie has told me everything—you’re a secret rich heiress, not from a humble background.”
Gina shook her head. “Butpared to the Sadler family, I’m just a nobody.”
She sat up and stared hard at Xylia. “The Sadler family is a prominent wealthy family in Norhill and even throughout all of Alvend, with assets amounting to hundreds of millions. Your brother has repeatedly ranked among the top five on international rich lists. With your current worth, is it truly necessary for you to establish a studio?”
Xylia was aware that the Sadler Group was highly renowned.
But when a friend said it, she found it kind of interesting.
It appeared that she had not really gotten to know the family she currently belonged to.
Xylia just said, “Everyone must discover their own value. Aren’t you also working hard in the entertainment industry without relying on your family?”
Gina smiled as she looked at Xylia, her eyes filled with admiration. “I didn’t expect we were alike.”
They kept chatting. When Gina saw the productionpany she was looking for, she excused herself from Xylia and then left.
Kaden was likely engaged in conversation with his businessman friends and had note to find Xylia for quite some time.
Xylia sat for a while, then stood up to look for the restroom.
She walked along the edge of the cruise ship’s corridor, thinking that the restroom might be at the end of the hallway.
She lifted her skirt and walked in that direction.
After leaving the restroom and walking through the corridor again, Xylia looked out at the deck through the corridor’s transparent ss window and saw two familiar figures.
It was Joshua and Connor.
Xylia had not anticipated that Joshua would also attend this charity banquet.
The cruise ship was pursuing the setting sun toward the center of the sea, as the sky turned orange and illuminated the two figures on the deck.
9:43 Wed, Sep 17
Connor suddenly grabbed Joshua by the cor and raised his fist fiercely.
Xylia moved nervously toward the window.
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In the next second, Joshua reversed his hand to break free from Connor’s grip and punched him in the face.
Connor staggered backward several steps before managing, with difficulty, to steady himself.
Joshua pped his hands, said something to Connor–though Xylia didn’t know what he said
-and then turned to walk toward the banquet hall.
Connor stood still for a moment, as if calming himself. Just as he turned to re–enter the banquet hall, he caught sight of a figure in the nearby cabin out of the corner of his eye.
He saw Xylia standing before the ss window. She was dressed in splendid attire, and her gaze was resolute.
It felt as if they were worlds apart; at this moment, he found Xylia both unfamiliar and distant.
Xylia did not linger by the corridor and, turning slightly, walked toward the banquet venue.
Connor watched her leave; his pupils contracted slightly, and he unexpectedly felt a wave of
fear in his heart.
It seemed that Xylia, who loved him deeply, was gradually drifting away from him, just as she was doing at that very moment.
Right then, his mind was nk as he strode toward the banquet.
Xylia had just returned to the main hall when she ran into Kaden.
Kaden was somewhat concerned. “Where did you go?”
After finishing his conversation with an old friend, he returned to look for Xylia and, while doing <i>so</i><i>, </i>overheard some gossip.
Fearing that Xylia might be bullied, he hurried over to find her.
Only after confirming that Xylia’splexion was rosy and her demeanorposed did his anxious heart gradually rx.
Xylia answered, “I went to the restroom. Are you done with your business?<b>” </b>
Kaden nodded. “The banquet is about to begin. Let’s go.”
9:43 Wed, Sep 17
Xylia linked arms with Kaden and walked toward the banquet seats.
Their seats were positioned closer to the front.
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Xylia and Kaden had just taken their seats when a familiar fragrance drifted over from Xylia’s other side.
Xylia turned back and met Joshua’s smiling eyes. “Xylia, we meet again.”
Xylia thought helplessly, “Here we go again.”
Xylia looked at him and pointed to the namete on his seat. “This doesn’t seem to be ce, right?”
Joshua shrugged. “I changed seats.”
Xylia asked, “Where is your original seat?”
Joshua raised his hand and pointed forward.
your
Xylia looked in the direction indicated by Joshua and saw an awkward and uneasy old man seated in the most central and frontmost seat.
At high–end evening events of this nature, the seats located at the very front, center, and with the best view were typically reserved for individuals of the highest status.
Since Joshua’s alternate identity was exposed, he had not made any deliberate effort to keep a low profile.
Xylia looked at him helplessly.
Kaden suddenly grasped Xylia’s wrist and said calmly, “Xylia,e take
my
seat.”
Xylia asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”
Kaden just said, “I don’t have a good view here–mind if we switch ces?”
Xylia’s position was rtively central.
She didn’t give it much thought and directly exchanged with Kaden.
Kaden sat down beside Joshua and turned his head to look at him. His gaze was cold and indifferent.
“Mr. Garcia, why do you choose not to sit in a prime seat and insteade to sit here?”
Joshua, in fact, was not angry; a faint smile always hung on his lips. “A front position is not
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necessarily a good one; it is my privilege to be seated alongside you, Mr. Sadler.”
Kaden cast him a cold nce and did not say anything more.
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Connor, seated in the second row not far from them, saw how Xylia interacted with Kaden and Joshua, and could not help but feel a sense of doubt.
He wondered, ‘Xylia is clearly on better terms with Kaden Sadler; could it be that he is the sugar daddy she found in Norhill?
‘No wonder he was so supportive of Xylia at Caperson Bistrost time. It turns out he was already interested in her back then.
‘And what about Joshua Garcia? Isn’t he the chauffeur for the Garcia family?
‘Howe he’s seated so close to the front at this charity g?
‘And he’s sitting so close to Kaden Sadler, yet the two of them haven’t started fighting?‘
Connor kept feeling that something was not quite right.
While he was lost in thought, on the other side, Tessa noticed Connor staring intently in Xylia’s direction, and her expression gradually darkened. “Connor, are you looking at Xylia?”
Connor finally returned to his senses when he heard Tessa’s voice. “I’m just thinking about things.”
Tessa asked, “What are you thinking about? You seem so absorbed.”
Observing Tessa’s persistent questioning, Connor decisively shifted the topic. “Where’s Sonny?”
Tessa knew she could not press too hard and also followed his lead in shifting the topic. “Sonny is still young, and this asion is not suitable for him, so I have taken him to his room
to rest.”
“He’s alone in the hotel?” Connor was clearly uneasy.
Tessa said calmly, “Sonny is not a little kid anymore. You should stop worrying about him so
much.”
Connor slightly furrowed his brows.
Sonny was only a six–year–old child, so how could he possibly feel at ease?
The charity event did not conclude until nearly midnight.
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Under the guidance of Kaden, Xylia became acquainted with many individuals in the businessmunity.
These people all had expertise in the apparel industry, and Xylia Studio could briefly coborate with some of them during the initial phase.
<b>***** </b>
Joshua, acting on his father’s instructions, discussed the recent project with a foreign magnate and reached a preliminary cooperation agreement.
Having just concluded a discussion with this foreign tycoon, he saw Burke as he stepped out.
Burke was making a phone call at the end of the corridor. “Don’t worry. I have found an excellent designer in Norhill, and I guarantee that she will be ourpany’s most outstanding chief designer. I haven’t managed to poach her yet, but with my abilities, I’m sure I’ll be able to lure her over to ourpany very soon.”
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