Chapter 811: Not Qualified
When Zhou Jingren saw the contempt in Rafa's eyes, he immediately wondered if this man was somehow related to the Order. He was sure that he never met Rafa before, so the hatred in the man's eyes makes little to no sense. "It is real, Mr. Neeson." Zhou Jingren said. He owned this jewelry for years now. However, when he first showed it to Lily, the latter said it was too big. How could she wear something even bigger than her engagement ring?
Moreover, she thought the events that they attended so far were not the right place where she could wear something as huge as the ring.
"Do you really think Lily would wear a fake, Rafa?" It was Eliza who was already glaring at her maternal cousin. How could this man be so stupid to assume that someone like Zhou Jingren could not afford such jewelry? "Do you really think Mr. Zhou would allow his wife to wear something that would embarrass her?" she asked.
"I — That... It's just that the ring disappeared in the public eye for — for— "
"Eight years..." Harringfort chimed in. "My dear young princess, the ring disappeared for over eight years in the eyes of the public. Of course, it is only natural for Mr. Neeson to doubt the authenticity of the ring." He knew that Zhou Jingren would not be this stupid to let Lily wear a fake, or if he is... then that could only mean he is not qualified to become Lily's husband.
As expected, Eliza frowned at Harringfort. This man... seemed to come here to ruin her night! "Still, saying that he will call the authority with no proof is quite illogical!" So what if Rafa is her maternal cousin? First and foremost, she was not very close to the man. Second, she found Rafa too arrogant and sometimes tactless. And third, and the man is older than her and Levi for more than two years. Because of this, he used to bully them when they were kids.
This only stopped when Levi had grown taller than him, his height seemed to have intimidated Rafa. "It is very thoughtless of you to assume that my paternal cousin would wear something that is not real!" Eliza added. The fiery Eliza could not stop herself from defending Lily in front of everyone.
However, Eliza's high-pitched voice was enough to attract the attention of the surrounding guests. Many of the nobles immediately pretended not to listen, however, they have moved a little closer towards the group. Their eyes may be focused on the people that they are with, but their ears are perked towards Lily and the others. How could they miss a wonderful show like this?
"Eh... Cousin... why are you taking this seriously?" Eliza's reactions also surprised Rafa. She had never expected Eliza to come to Lily's defense. He immediately wondered if Eliza was this stupid. Even Leandro and Mikaela didn't include themselves in the conversation because they also wanted to see if Lily was wearing the real thing! In short, the two wanted to embarrass Zhou Jingren too! So how could Eliza intervene and act like a fucking heroine?
However, what he didn't know was that Mikaela and Leandro didn't intervene, not because they wanted to embarrass Lily and Zhou Jingren, but because the two agreed not to involve themselves with Lily. After a couple of minutes of discussions — which involved Leandro trying to convince his sisters to stay away from Lily. He was only able to succeed in convincing his sister that Lily is indeed dangerous. Eliza on the other hand insisted that they are too stupid to even think that Lily is a danger to this country.
Eliza had been pointing out that Lily only looks fierce and cold on the outside, but she is kind and generous on the inside. She also insisted that Lily was not a threat as she would not want a country to hold her back. However, the trio's conversation was interrupted when Lily started showing her jewelry.
Nevertheless, Mikaela already decided not to involve herself with Lily. On the outside, she agreed to her brother's words. However, on the inside, Mikaela knew that Lily was nothing like the woman that Leandro described her to be. But this does not matter anymore. Mikaela's opinion of Lily does not matter as she is a married woman — and she chose to stand by her husband.
Lily already embarrassed Pierre, not once but twice. How could she pretend that this did not hurt her? True, her husband was a little out of line yesterday, but this does not give Lily the right to call him out in public in front of the Grand Duke and Duchess. It only made Pierre look like he was disrespectful.
"I was only saying that wearing a fake in an event like this could get them in trouble. Of course, I see anyone else here who would wear a fake, I would gladly call the authorities and have them arrested. After all, this is a blatant disrespect to the Grand Duke and Duchess."
"Stupid," Eliza muttered under her breath. Another thing that he hated about Rafa is his way with words. The latter was extremely good at dodging insults and making himself look like the victim when he was the one who instigated this whole thing.
"It's alright, your highness." Lily joined the conversation. She sent Eliza a smile of assurance. "The ring... was something that Zhou Jingren bought when he first saw me years ago." She shrugged. "Love at first sight." She giggled. "When he saw the ring in an auction, he immediately thought of the woman that he saw... in a shopping mall. And thought... 'hey, this ring would really look good at my future wife.' And so.... He bought them." Amused at Rafa's reaction, Lily continued. "Of course... if you are looking at the authenticity card... "She made a deliberate pause. "We can call the person who made this just to verify."
"You — "Rafa frowned. "Do you personally know the person who made this?"
"No." Lily beamed. "But I'm sure his highness Harringfort knows the person who made the ring." Lily met Harringfort's eyes. "Surely, his highness would not mind calling the jeweler who crafted the diamond, right?"
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Chapter 812: Real
Everyone's attention immediately turned towards Harringfort.
"Will you?" Lily asked again when Harringfort didn't respond after a few seconds.
"Is there... really a need for this?" Harringfort asked. He was completely surprised by Lily's words. He immediately wondered if this was some test. Was it possible that Lily wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone? Was it possible that Zhou Jingren told Lily about him? But ... why? Wasn't he afraid that Lily will cower in fear of the organization and leave him?
"Of course, there is." Lily smiled. " I am sure that your highness' connections are vast. After all, you have been traveling the world for months now. So... I am assuming you know such a famous person. Or... am I wrong?" Lily's eyes turned towards Eliza who was smirking at Harringfort.
He silently gritted his teeth. So that was her intention, Harringfort thought inwardly. This was not because of Zhou Jingren but because of Eliza. That woman must have complained to Lily about his absence, making the latter hate him. Harringfort immediately started planning on how to get rid of this Eliza.
In Harringfort's mind, there was no way that Zhou Jingren would tell his wife about what happened in China. So this should be Eliza's doing. Lily was retaliating because of Eliza!
"Madam Zhou... you are not wrong," Harringfort said. That man knew him not as a businessman in the oil industry but as someone from the Spectre. How could he contact him now? "But... I don't see any reason for me to call him at this hour just to ask him about the ring, no?"
"Then... there is no way that we can confirm if it's real?" The hateful Rafa chimed in. Until now, he was still convinced that Zhou Jingren and Lily was lying. Meanwhile, Harringfort lowered his head, hiding his rage against Rafa.
How could Zhou Jingren make Lily wear something this huge just for it to be fake? He knew that it would attract a lot of attention! There is just no way he would want to embarrass his own wife! "Rafa... I think Mr. Zhou would not want to embarrass his own wife in an event like this." He said in a low tone. He really would not want Zhou Jingren to hear that he, Harringfort the messenger of the Spectre is defending him!
This was just so embarrassing! He complained inwardly. Why did he end up defending Zhou Jingren in front of Lily? Wasn't he supposed to embarrass him? The more Harringfort thought about it, the angrier he had become.
This situation was truly out of his expectations!
"Stop it!" he whispered, hoping the man standing next to him will listen. "Stop it! Now!"
"Hah... isn't this my future son in law?" the shrill voice of a woman interrupted the thick silence in between the group. Everyone turned their attention towards the red-faced woman walking their way. Wearing a black gown with a huge sparkly clutch, the woman smiled at Rafa before turned her gaze towards the other people surrounding them.
"Madam Lian," Eliza said, acknowledging the businesswoman from the US who married someone a rich businessman from France. This was the mother of Rafa Neeson's fiance who is currently out of the country for some modeling shoot.
"Wait... is that what I think it is?" Without waiting for Rafa to answer her, Lian Shi swiftly approached Lily and held her hand, staring straight at the black diamond in her hand. "How did you get this ring, young lady?" She asked without even bothering to asked Lily's name.
"Mother in law...do you know that ring?"Rafa immediately asked.
"Of course! I was there during the auction eight years ago! Even your father in law was there!" Lian Shi immediately got excited, almost jumping out of joy, unaware that dark look in her future son in laws face. Lian Shi actually arrived late and the moment she entered, the side door, she immediately saw Rafa with the others. Of course, the first thing that she did was approached the young man to greet him. "This is so beautiful! I can still remember the way this was presented like it was yesterday!"
"So... you know that this is the real ring?" Rafa asked.
"Of course this is the real one!" Lian Shi said without looking at anyone but the exquisite ring. "I can already tell by just looking at its diamonds. Seven hundred diamonds... ah... I remember my eyes lit up, my heart palpating and my mouth— "
"Mother in law... how did you know this is the real one and not some fake stone? I believe... people from their countries love to copy fake things. There is no way of knowing that they also— "
"Aish... this child," Lian Shi interrupted him. "If his young lady will check the other side of the ring, there should be some initials on it. Beside the initial is a small dent!" the older woman immediately turned excited. To her, having to see the ring up close is such an honor. "This ring was originally made by the jeweler for his wife. But when they argued one day, his wife got so upset and threw the ring in their room Unexpectedly, it hit a marble statue. Thus, there is a tiny... tiny dent on the other side of the ring." She beamed. "Of course, this did not depreciate the value of the ring. After all, this ring was made of love from a man to his wife.
"Ehem..." Harringfort cleared his throat, relief washed over him. "So... this is the real ring?"
"Yes! Of course! Someone who grew up in a family of jewelers like me can recognize a piece of real jewelry from a fake one." Once again, Lian Shi confirmed. "Isn't this so beautiful?" She started talking about the history of the huge diamond again.
"See? I told you, this is real!" Eliza blurted out loud, interrupting the older woman. "Cousin... I believe you should have your eyes checked. Maybe there is something wrong with it."
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Chapter 813: Too Wasteful!
Of course, Eliza's nonchalant comment was enough to make Rafa's face turned red in embarrassment. However, he could not react in front of his mother in law. In the end, Rafa gritted his teeth, in anger and shame because of what happened.
After Lian Shi explained the stone, the topic about the diamond slowly died as Harringfort took the opportunity to talk about business instead. In his mind, he still had the chance to embarrass Zhou Jingren. So, he started talking about things he did on lavish vacations, skiing, skydiving, and his knowledge about his private plane— things that are very specific and Zhou Jingren should not know about.
And he was right. Zhou Jingren indeed does not know how to fix his private plane or how to make a yacht. However, Lily doesn't know about these things either. In the end, the one who asked questions as the quiet Qin Yuanfeng while Lily and Zhou Jingren started whispering again. This immediately made Harringfort irritated. He was about to open his mouth and call them out for this behaviour. Unfortunately, Qin Yuanfeng was smart enough to ask another question.
In the end, Lily and Zhou Jingrenstarted talking about computations, altitudes, and even velocity. The more Harringfort tried to interrupt the two; the more Qin Yuanfeng asked him questions upon questions. In the end, the two started talking about gravity.
Because of this, Eliza, Lily, and Zhou Jingren started talking about something else. This completely pissed Harringfort off. However, how could he refuse to answer Qin Yuanfeng's questions? Was he supposed to tell him to stop asking and make it look like he doesn't know the answer to his questions?
Harringfort would never do something that would ruin his name!
"As I was saying, I was already planning to make another customised plane for myself." He side-eyed Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Of course, I can always find time if one of you here would want me to help them out with their private plane. If you want, I can even give you a tour of the plane and perhaps the yacht."
"So all this time, you were spending your time with your plane?" Lily suddenly chimed in. Her eyebrow lifted, and for some reason, her gaze was full of contempt and other emotions that he doesn't recognise.
"Yes, I do. I studied— "
"I see." Lily interrupted him. While Lily and Zhou Jingren talked with Eliza, she was also keeping an eye with this Harringfort. "So... " she turned her head towards Eliza. "Planes..." Smiling, Lily added. "Do you want me to buy you your own personal one as a gift?"
Eliza's jaw dropped before she laughed. "Oh... no. It's fine. I am not too interested in material stuff. Plus, Levi and I use the country's plane every time we go to different countries. There is no need for us to buy a new one when we can still rely on our old private plane."
Hearing this, the smile on Harringfort's lips vanished. One, Lily's condescending voice was enough to tell him that his words could not impress her. Two, when she asked Eliza about buying a private plane, her goal was simple. She wanted to know if Eliza wanted to learn about planes for him! And three, Eliza's words about buying a new one when they still have a functioning plane was like telling him that he was too wasteful!
Harringfort had prided himself in reading the meaning behind people's words! How could he miss the meaning behind Lily and Eliza's words? He gritted his teeth in silence as he wondered about the things that could impress Lily. Wealth indeed is not one of it.
"I agree." Zhou Jingren decided to add fuel to the fire. "Why waste money in collecting such expensive things? Instead of doing this, Lily and I tend to donate to the people who need help." He gave a jovial smile to Harringfort. "Please... don't take offence. We are all entitled to spend our own money. It's just that we chose to spend it differently."
Lily playfully nudged her husband. "Hey, are you shaming him for the way that he spent his money?" On the outside, Lily's words sounded like she was defending Harringfort. However, the latter felt something was off. Why would Lily protect him?
And just as he expected, Lily's next words made him frown. "He loves planes. This just makes me wonder... Your Highness Eliza... since you and His Highness Harringfort had been engaged for a few months now. You must have seen his plane, right? After all... you are his fiance." Lily said, smiling.
Eliza had never been to one of his planes. And this was not the issue. The issue is that Lily blurted this in front of many people just after Harringfort offered Qin Yuanfeng to check his plane! Lily wanted to embarrass him!
But why was she attacking him? Harringfort eyed Zhou Jingren, who was not even looking at him and was not talking to Levi. Was it possible that Lily was only doing this because of Eliza?
"Oh! Wait..." Lily said as she dramatically widened her eyes. "You haven't seen each other since the engagement party!" Lily said. "My bad. I am so sorry to even ask this question." Her eyes were gentle, voice sympathetic as she stared at Eliza.
Anyone who was watching the scene would immediately think that Eliza talked to Lily about the situation and is hurt about the matter. Surprised, Harringfort could only gulp his non-existent saliva. How could Lily treat him like this when he spent his time trying to impress her with his knowledge? He felt his face reddened, his back damp with sweat that he didn't have earlier.
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Chapter 814: Trying Too Hard
Seeing Lily defend her, Eliza felt a sudden warm feeling inside. She smiled inwardly as she eyed Harringfort's expression. Growing up, Eliza was not the type that would just keep quiet from the things that disturbed her. However, the engagement with Harringfort is not only one of those simple things that happen every day. It was something that involved two countries and their father's relationship with each other.
It was a deal.
And breaking this deal... was akin to hurting her parents. So, she chose to keep quiet and just go through with whatever it is that her father wanted. After all, this was her responsibility. However, seeing Lily act like this in front of her seemed to awaken something inside— something warm and comforting. Something assuring.
She lifted her head, meeting Lily's penetrating gaze. Slowly a smile bloomed in Eliza's face. She was about to say something when the clicking sound of glass interrupted them. Everyone turned their heads towards the Grand Duke, who was standing next to the Duchess in the main table. He was with his knight commander and leading executives. Of course, Pierre was standing next to him.
"Good evening." His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear. "I hope everyone is having a nice evening." Smiling, he eyed each and everyone in the hall. For a few seconds, his gaze lingered towards Lily and Zhou Jingren to his left before moving towards the other guests who attended the banquet.
"First... I would like to thank everyone for coming in here despite the changes in schedule." He continued. "There had been some emergencies that needed our attention. So we were forced to change the dates and time of the banquet. And for this... I would drink this glass of wine." Without waiting for anyone to answer him, the Duke gulped down the wine in his hand.
To some, this was an astonishing action. However, both Lily and Zhou Jingren understood the stress that he must have felt inside him right now.
"The reason why I wanted to have a banquet a few weeks before the thirty-first is that I have a significant announcement to make." The Grand Duke said. The smile on his face didn't falter. "As we all know, one of the biggest problems that we have is the housing crisis. Housing in this part of the world has become more and more expensive every year. To put it nicely, this is one of our younger generations' burden in the past few years. And to put it bluntly, it is causing a lot of people to leave our country. We are now considered an ageing country as fewer and fewer people chose to start a family in this country." He eyed his wife and his knight— the man who had been poisoning him and his wife.
The Duke was beaming, on the outside, his eyes sparkling with happiness— an expression that took him a lot of time to practice when he was younger. However, only God knows that all he wanted was to punish the man and the people who endangered his family. "I am happy to announce that our country will soon open its doors to Facci Group and Zhou Capital's venture together to help us with the housing crisis." He forced himself to continue smiling as he met Pierre's sharp eyes.
"That's right, folks. This will be a new venture that would make our housing prices lower than the market price. It would open to new real estate that would attract young families and more... investors!" He said before he raised another glass of wine. "I would like to thank Mr. And Mrs. Zhou for the opportunity that their company will provide our country!" he said. "To a more prosperous future!"
"To a more prosperous future!"
"To a more prosperous future!"
"To a more prosperous future!"
"To a more prosperous future!"
"To a more prosperous future!"
The sound of glass clanking erupted, followed by cheers and some applause. Everyone, including Zhou Jingren and the other's, raised their glasses and drank their wines. Each has a happy expression on their faces. Facci Group is well known in Europe, while Zhou Capital is well known in Asia. This partnership would surely open to more and more opportunities for them to earn and invest! To the nobles from Luxembourg, this is the best news that welcomed them this year.
However, to Harringfort, it was akin to a hard slap in the face. Here he was talking about planes and expensive hobbies. Flaunting how many planes he was able to customise throughout the years, how many yachts he made with nothing but his talents and money as he tried his best to impress Lily and everyone around him.
While Zhou Jingren is throwing away money to help this small country solve a housing crisis? Harringfort balled his hands into fists. He could feel the blood in his throat from the anger that had been boiling inside him. Once again, Zhou Jingren beat him!
Was this another luck? Harringfort could not help but feel he had been trying too much. He wore the best outfit, all in white, the best shoes and jewellery. His hair was fixed, his eyes shone against the light as the smartest of the smartest words flowed out of his mouth. He was here to win!
Yet, in the end, Zhou Jingren simply gave millions for a project, and now, people are flocking towards him, praising his actions and business mindedness! He let out a sharp sigh before he excused himself out of the crowd. He needed air! He needed to breathe!
When Harringfort reached the palace's balcony, he immediately kicked the concrete statue that stood a few feet away from him.
"Aw!" he hissed when he felt the pain on his foot. "Fucking statue!" he glared at the statue. "You stupid statue!" He almost could not contain the anger inside him as he let another sigh.
"You were trying too hard."
Harringfort almost immediately turned to the person who walked behind him.
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Chapter 815: Lurking Behind His Laughter
"You are making it too obvious." Zhou Jingren's voice didn't contain a hint of anger nor contempt.
"Why are you here?" he asked as deep lines started to appear in between his brows. "Did you follow me here?"
"No. I came here to kick the statue." The mockery in Zhou Jingren's voice only made him more irritated.
"Why are you here?"
"I don't know... to mock you?" Zhou Jingren smirked. "Did you know that your fiance was about to be framed for killing her own father?"
Harringfort eyed Zhou Jingren but didn't respond to his words.
"I would assume that you knew about this and... that is why you had been distancing yourself from your fiance?" Zhou Jingren smiled. "I mean... other than the fact that you don't like her."
"So what if I know? So what if I don't? What does it have to do with you?"
A sly smile escaped on Zhou Jingren's lips. "So... you wanted to change the leadership of this country?"
"That is none of your business!" Harringfort hissed. Turning towards Zhou Jingren, he continued. "You think you are so smart, don't you?" he scoffed. "Stop pretending as if you have any idea about the things that are going to happen in this country! Just because you know about the poisoning doesn't mean you know of our plans!"
"Really?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow in response. "So... you wanted to ruin this country. Make its people suffer. What kind of organization would just watch a country fall?" As the richest country in European Union and the second richest country in the world, Zhou Jingren could not understand why this organization would want them to fail. Unless... another country would want to take advantage of the chaos and take over the country. But wasn't that too far fetched?
A scoffed escaped Harringfort's lips as he walked towards the balcony, eying the streets of Luxembourg below him. "You are lucky, I am not allowed to kill you."
"But I can kill you, right?" Zhou Jingren said, chuckling. "You know... for them to employ someone like you." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "I am wondering if they are crazy or just... doesn't exist."
"Are you calling me dumb!?"
"Your words." Zhou Jingren shrugged. "I was about to say, young and childish."
"You— " Right now, Harringfort already knew that talking against Zhou Jingren was fruitless. This man grew up on the streets! It was reasonable for him to be very good at pissing people off! "I am telling you. Don't get yourself involved. This country has nothing to do with you!"
Zhou Jingren walked next to him. He eyed the streets as he pursed his lips. "So you are going to let them die, just like that?" He was talking about the Grand Duke's family. From the information that he received, Harringfort's father and the Duke were quite close. In private, Harringfort would even address the Grand Duke as uncle.
So, how could he just let the Duke and his family die from the poisoning?
"I told you—"
"It is none of my business." Zhou Jingren nodded. It was indeed none of his business. "I don't mind if they die." This was the truth. These people were not someone that Zhou Jingren would trust with his life. And his principle was simple. If he could not trust them with his life... then he wouldn't care if they die.
In response, Harringfort gritted his teeth in irritation. "You don't understand what we have to do for this world." He said. "Stop pretending that you have figured it all out. Or you will be surprised when you find out the truth." Why was he even talking to Zhou Jingren? Harringfort let out a grunt. "Leave me alone!"
"You wanted the Duke to cancel your engagement to Eliza?" Zhou Jingren continued, ignoring Harringfort's grim face. "Why don't you cancel it yourself?"
"Can you stay away from me?" Harringfort hissed. "You asked for six months and now you are following me around? What are you, a dog?" He eyed Zhou Jingren and immediately got irritated at his calm expression. What was Zhou Jingren's purpose of talking to him?
"Alright..." Zhou Jingren answered after a few seconds of silence. "I am just here to let you know that my wife won't ever like someone like you." Zhou Jingren said. He did not see Harringfort as a threat in his relationship. However, the man's childish behavior was quite alarming to him.
The thing about Harringfort was that he seemed to overthink a lot of things, making him easily angered. A man who could barely control his anger, who also happens to believe that he came from a very powerful organization can be a bit unpredictable and hard to handle. And Zhou Jingren hated it.
"What are you talking about?"
"The truth." Zhou Jingren said. "You are trying too hard to impress her, even the other people around us could smell your motive. It was as clear as day." He continued. "Now... Lily is unaware about the Organization that you spoke of. I chose not to tell her about it as I found it unbelievable. I am warning you Harringfort, stay away from my wife."
"Or what?"
"Or..." Zhou Jingren leaned towards Harringfort's ears. "Or... I will kill you in the most gruesome way possible." Leaning back, a smile bloomed in Zhou Jingren's face. "You seem to know a lot of things about me and my past. Surely, you also know... how I kill people, right?"
"So, you think I'm afraid of you?"
"If I lose her... I lose everything." Zhou Jingren answered almost immediately. "What could be scarier than a man who does not have anything to lose anymore?" Zhou Jingren took a step back away from him. "You are not allowed to kill me... but I am allowed to kill you." He added. Harringfort opened his mouth. However, before he could say a word, Zhou Jingren had already started speaking. "Of course... I am not threatening you. We are only talking about what if's." Zhou Jingren laughed, suddenly making the atmosphere confusing.
Harringfort stared at Zhou Jingren's face. The man was laughing in front of him. Yet, it was undeniable that something sinister was lurking behind his laughter. "I am not going to touch her." He said. Even if he wanted to, there was no way that he could— not with the council always watching Lily.
....