But Vanessa was no ordinary woman. She smiled. "You''re joking, Mrs. Brown. Ian and I are ancient history. Besides, we were just friends. You shouldn''t believe all those rumors."


    The two women exchanged a look.


    Friends? They weren''t blind. Vanessa had failed to snagn, which only meant her technique needed work, but hearing her try to distance herself now was rather amusing.


    Vanessa then looked toward Walden with an affectionate gaze. "But then I met Walden. He''s mature, stable, and he understands me better. Being with him is the greatest blessing of my life."


    The two women shared another meaningful nce, their faces still stered with polite smiles.


    "Well, congrattions on finding true love, Miss Shannon."


    "Yes, true love is rare. And as they say these days, age is just a number when ites to true love."


    Vanessa''s smile faltered slightly.


    The women''s smiles held a knowing, unspoken meaning. After a few more pleasantries, they left.


    Back at their table, they couldn''t help but whisper.


    "Did you hear what she just said? Just friends? The way she used to look at Mr. Goodwin, she wanted to glue herself to him. Does she think we''re blind?"


    "Exactly! She was quite scheming back then. I almost thought she was going to rece Mrs. Goodwin. I even made an effort to get on her good side!"


    "Well,n''s been divorced for two years. If he wanted to marry her, he would have done it already. He was just ying with her, And now sh found a man old enough to be her father and calls it ''true love.'' It''s hrious."


    "And who is this Walden Wells? He was a notorious yboy in his youth, went through women faster than he changed clothes. Does Vanessa really think she''ll be thest?"


    "It''s just a transaction. She wants his money, and he wants a young, beautiful woman on his arm who he can show off. After all, she still has that ''piano prodigy'' title."


    "Speaking of which,n''s ex-wife is incredible now, a genius in the scientificmunity. I heard Vanessa used to be quite brazen in front of her back in the day."


    "I thinkn regrets it, too. Weren''t there reports a few days ago of him carrying his ex-wife''s bags at the airport? He''s probably trying everything to win her back."


    "It really goes to show how different people''s fates can be. One gets divorced and shines in her own field, making her ex-husband long for her. The other desperately tries to daw her way into a wealthy family and an old man in the


    can only rely of


    end, a woman has to have her own


    abilities."


    Vanessa, of course, couldn''t hear this behind-the-scenes gossip. Her eyes were once again drawn ton.


    Many prominent figures from the business world were taking this opportunity to toast him, all of them influential people in their own right.


    His status was not just a symbol of


    wealth but also a trendsetter, a master of capital. A single decision


    from him could affect the fate of


    many Companies; a single word could be interpreted and


    reinterpreted by the market.


    Watching these people, who were usually so unapproachable, behave so humbly and cautiously in front of him, Vanessa felt her heart being squeezed and twisted.


    This man was the one she could never get over, the obstacle she could never seem to cross.


    He stood there, doing nothing, his mere presence enough to make her heart flutter.