Arya smiled elegantly and nodded gently at everyone.
"Apologies for making everyone wait."
Vice President grinned. "Director Johns, I think the title of our Glory World's number one goddess should be awarded to you! When I saw those beautiful female celebrities earlier, everything looked like a blur. Looking at you now, I suddenly feel that you can probably be the finale personality for Glory World."
Once Vice President said that, the few others could not help but beam and nod in agreement.
Arya's delicate face started to get hot, then she laughed and said,
"The person who should be the finale isn't me, but..."
As she said this, she turned to look at the man beside her willfully, drawing laughter from them.
"Right! That's right!"
"Let's go in!"
He shot her a side look and was about to reach out to hold her hand, yet she turned to the side. Before he could reach her, she had already consciously and quietly moved to stand behind him and the few other Vice Presidents.
He instantly frowned, his eyes focusing on her. The others seemed to have noticed something too, and they automatically opened up a path...
Arya was stunned for a moment. After a brief stare, she then quietly walked to his side.
...
When they entered the venue, the place was still bustling. The host who was giving an opening welcome address to the guests offstage also did not realize that the Glory World leaders had entered.
It was not until someone offstage shouted 'Chairman Knight' did the crowd snap back to attention. By the time they swivelled to look, Xavier and several of his subordinates had walked across the red carpet and sat calmly at the hosts' seating area.
The honourable and graceful, low-profile and reserved Master Knight was always the center of everyone's attention. His presence could instantly silence an entire venue.
...
Today, as usual, he was dressed in a comfortable, silver-gray casual suit. His handsome and indifferent face was quiet and distant as always, his gaze hidden in a gentle mystery. He looked calm and unfathomable without even needing to deliberately show off his aura. With just that poise and manner of his, he could immediately make the crowd perceive the meaning of an innate honourable grace.
Something that was equally breathtaking was the woman beside him —
In a low-profile, elegant cheongsam, the obscure and mysterious sapphire blue outfit greeted their sight. They could not help but feel their breaths taken away. The tiny diamond studs on the bodice and the floral print on the skirt coupled with the blooming blue roses that fit perfectly by the corner of the dress made this subtly lavish dress retain its elegance and beauty.
Her delicate and exquisite complexion was bright and glowing while her twinkling eyes held an air of indifference. Her expression that was calm as water seemed quite similar to Xavier's beside her.
She did not deliberately put much makeup. Even that beautiful, long hair of hers was so casually tied into a bun with several thin strands of fringe still framing her forehead. Despite appearing a little messy, it looked rather charming. The faint smile on her face also made one feel that she possessed a sort of elegant and gentleness.
Because of their appearance, it seemed as if everything else around them had instantly turned dull and colourless.
They were a match made in heaven, the perfect pair!
When everyone saw this scene, these words flashed in their minds.
You could vaguely hear the sound of a horrified gasp as the host onstage realized that he had forgotten to announce the arrival of Chairman Knight and the other leaders of Glory World Corporation.
Ethan had never witnessed such a gorgeously dazzling side of Arya. In his impression of her, she had always been a character that existed quietly, never taking up the role of a princess. On the other hand, the one who always acted like a princess was Victoria...
In his daze, he suddenly thought about how at almost every party, Victoria would always appear splendidly with the posture of a princess, while her sister, Arya, would always be behaving as usual, busy helping the servants, or in a certain corner chatting away with an old friend. She would never be like them, mingling around in the middle of crowds while basking in everyone's praises and envy.
Something flashed in his mind. He could also vaguely remember —
That New Year's Eve, he had stood beside her under the tree as they watched the sky full of flickering fireworks. She had asked him,
"Ethan, after all of this dazzling beauty is gone, what do you think remains?"
That year, she had been forced to quit the military academy to go abroad. Before she left, she had found him to tell him,
"Ethan, wait for me to graduate from university. After I return from my studies, I'll be your assistant. That way, we won't be too tired."
That year, he had finally decided to rescind the marriage contract and choose Victoria. She had begged him,
"Ethan, I don't know who you've liked all these years, and I don't know how many people have liked you either. If I beg you to respect our marriage contract and not leave, would you be willing to?"
...
He did not know why now that he saw her standing beside another man, he suddenly felt upset. He kept reminding himself that the woman he loved had always been Victoria.
He did not know why at this very moment; he would so randomly reminisce all these past. Then, he suddenly felt a stifled feeling in his chest...
Were all men like this?
Even after separating, would they still think that the person was theirs and feel uncomfortable when someone else touched them?
Ethan had a mixed expression as he watched her slowly walk past him. Her resounding steps did not stop for a moment and her gaze did not deviate at all. Subconsciously, he clenched the cup in his hand tightly, and then as if he suddenly remembered something, he slowly let go...
Seeing this, Victoria who was by Ethan's side had an odd gaze. She was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her eyes to hide the emotions in them.
She suddenly remembered that Layla had been jealous of Arianna's innate extraordinary elegant aura more than once. In the past, when she looked at Arya, she could faintly feel that she always lived in Arianna's shadow. Now, from the way she looked, that feeling was even more distinct.
Her hand that rested on her knees balled slightly into a fist while she turned to look at Ethan beside her. Seeing his stern, handsome face looking as usual, despite the mixed emotions on his face, her beautiful eyes instantly dimmed. She subconsciously bit her plump lips and reached out to hold Ethan's hand tightly before she said in a daze,
"Sister is so beautiful... right? Ethan?"
When he heard her voice, Ethan looked at her. Watching the flickering charm in her eyes, while a smile broke across her tender face and she silently looked at the beautiful blue silhouette ahead, he fell silent for a moment. Then, he answered,
"Mmm, you're very beautiful today too."
Victoria smiled gladly.
"In my heart, the most beautiful person has always been her..."
Then, infatuation blossomed clearly in her eyes again...
The obscure sapphire blue carried a reserved mystery that he could not see through. The memories that had been set aside in the corner of his heart seemed to have suddenly been awakened. Then, it began to leave him slowly again...
Upfront, the host had finally returned to his senses. He could not hold his excitement back as he announced the news regarding the arrival of Chairman Knight and the Glory World leaders. The venue then exploded into thunderous applause and cheers.
As the applause went on, Xavier had already reached the side of the main seat. Daniel looked bemusedly at him, but when he saw Arya by his side, his eyes could not help but reflect with astonishment. Then, he nodded slightly to greet her and Arya pleasantly acknowledged in return.
"Chairman Knight is here!" The few business partners and government officials who sat at the table stood up too.
Xavier's handsome face had an easy expression as he said gently,
"Apologies for making everyone wait. Let's sit."
He then pulled out the seat beside him, plainly gazing at Arya. After that, he pulled another seat next to Daniel out and sat down.
The implication was obvious and the row of people standing was bewildered when they saw Xavier do that. They could not help but be shocked.
This woman could actually make Chairman Knight prepare a seat for her. In fact, it was to be right beside him. Nothing like this had ever happened before!
Everyone knew that the usually low-profile and cold Chairman Knight had never had any female dates appear by his side. He was known for being distant from female charms. Even though he gave people a gentle and peaceful feeling, when one got closer to him, one could always feel his reservations and how he would always seem out-of-reach.
However, now...
They could tell that the woman was special. At least, she could receive Master Knight's special treatment.
Many people who saw this scene were slightly envious of Arya. They looked at her, their eyes filled with shock. Some were in admiration, but there were also envy and unhappiness coming from people such as Evelyn who was sitting a few tables away.
When she saw Xavier's silver-gray figure, she was instantly stunned. Her entire being was in a daze and there was something that could not be disguised in her beautiful eyes. It was something that could be called infatuation.
However, when she had a closer look and saw that the woman dressed in the gorgeous blue dress gracefully yet teasing the room with a flirtatious elegance was Arya, she felt her entire body stiffen. Her sweet face turned a little tensed as she stared coldly at the flash of blue...
Not too far away from Evelyn, when Mia saw this scene, she was stupefied. She held onto Aaron tightly and stared at Arya's figure. Her beautiful eyes could not help but flicker with some emotional tears.
Yes, in her dream scenario, Arya had always been this elegant and enchanting. She was the real princess! As long as she was willing, she should be able to easily have everyone's eyes fixed on her just like that, and not like that cheap good who thought that she could become a beautiful princess just by putting on a beautiful gown.
"How wonderful! We can finally suppress that slut's limelight. I told you that our Arya's the most outstanding one, not at all like that arrogant peacock," Mia could not help but chastise. She also did not miss the way Evelyn seemed miserable. Smiling with disdain, she threw her a glance somewhat provokingly, angering Evelyn whose little face reddened.
...
The event took quite a while to quiet down but eventually, the crowd went back to their seats. Vice President and the rest had spread out to sit with several important guests. The venue started to play a piece of upbeat opening music.
Arya sat beside Xavier right at that moment.
The working crew rushed over to ask for instructions.
"Chairman Knight, can we begin the launch?"
Xavier took a handkerchief that the waiter delivered and handed it to Arya as he nodded.
Arya took it and wiped her hands. When she turned to him, she saw that he was wiping his hands and speaking to Daniel as well as two other unfamiliar middle-aged men who were dressed impeccably.
One of the middle-aged men had his gaze resting on Arya. He finally could not help but ask,
"And this is...?"
Arya was about to speak up. However, Xavier, who was smiling and chatting away with the other two middle-aged men, was a step ahead of her. He lifted a hand to fix Arya's slightly messy shawl, immediately announcing his ownership as he smiled and looked at the man who had asked.
"Bureau Chief Huang, you seem to be admiring my date, eh? Arya, this is Bureau Chief Huang from the city bureau."
Arya nodded politely at the man.
"Nice to meet you, Bureau Chief Huang. I'm Arya."
The man smiled unnaturally and answered, "Oh, it's Director Johns! I've admired your reputation for a long time..." Then, he did not continue.
Arya frowned and glanced at Xavier. He was being rather frank, immediately announcing her as his date.
Still, before she could ponder further, the host had already begun to announce the launch onstage. The popping of gun salutes was heard while paper flowers filled the sky, eddying down. The event was instantly jubilant with celebration as everyone raised their drinks and stood up, making toasts and revelling.
Next up, Vice President went up the stage to introduce Glory World's leadership team before thanking the guests for coming, and lastly, making a short report.
The banquet's atmosphere very quickly became intense.
There were sounds of wine glasses clinking among the cheering while a joyous piano tune was played. Amidst the relaxing and gentle music, the host smiled onstage and said to everyone,
"Once again, we'd like to welcome and thank everyone for coming. Next up, let's invite Glory World's Planning Director, and the person-in-charge of the Imperial Sky Entertainment City project, Miss Arya who will introduce Imperial Sky Entertainment City. Let's give our elegant and beautiful Director Johns a round of applause!"
The instant the host finished, the venue exploded into thunderous clapping again and the crowd had already turned to look towards the main seat.
When the spotlight instantly fell onto Arya, the crowd's eyes followed too and the media photographed away, making her frown a little uncomfortable. She only got used to the attention after a brief moment.
"Where's our Director Johns?"
Onstage, the host had very cleverly maintained the mood of the event and chuckled lightly. In the meantime, the crowd had already caught sight of Arya who sat beside Xavier.
When Arya heard the host, she instantly smiled and slowly got up. Taking a look at the stage, she then lowered her head to whisper by the man's ear,
"Where's my script?"
Xavier looked at Rick who had walked over in time. Rick quickly handed a draft of a speech to Arya.
"It's here, Director Johns."
Taking it, she flipped it and confirmed that it was her speech before she nodded and thanked him. She gently pulled at the shawl that slid down her shoulder before strolling towards the stage.
Arya went up on stage calmly escorted by the applause and cheering from the crowd. She did not seem flustered at all. Instead, the crowd quieted down when she went up on stage.
Arya looked at everyone with a calm expression as her sapphire blue figure packed a strong power within her. She seemed so flawless and confident.
She opened the draft of the speech and spoke, her calm voice reaching everyone.
"Thank you, everyone, for attending the opening night of Glory World's Imperial Sky Entertainment City. I hereby welcome all our guests on behalf of our employees."
The crowd applauded again as everybody stared straight at the little sapphire figure. There was no doubt that Arya had now become a beautiful view on stage.
Mia kept on waving her hands at Arya onstage. Aaron was helpless as she was unable to hold her enthusiasm in and shouted loudly.
"Arya, all the best! Arya!"
"Director Johns is so beautiful!"
...
"Imperial Sky Entertainment City was proposed on XX year XX month. We started developing it on XX year XX month, and we were done on XX year XX month. We've received satisfactory results from our trial business run which spanned a total of four years. Long before I took over, Director Chu from the sales department had been working tirelessly on this project. I only took over after Director was transferred away. Many employees have worked hard to achieve the great results today, and I'd like to thank all of them for their hard work..."
Arya's confident speech made all the Glory World's employees feel proud of their work and they were really grateful.
Everyone who had worked with Director Johns before would know that even though she seemed notably cold, she was actually very easy-going once you got to know her. They found that she was an amicable person to chat with as well.
It was common to spot her at the canteen, eating the same food as the other employees. At the work site, she would not just stand there and order people around. Instead, she worked with the others, and during emergencies, she would give her all to help as well.
...
Many people in the company admired this young female director in their company. A large number of male colleagues even thought of her as their goddess, and the female colleagues thought of her as their role model.
Of course, they all cheered passionately as their goddess was giving a speech on stage. The Planning Department and the working group for Imperial Sky Entertainment City were clapping their hardest so much so that their faces went red. Director Johns had become their representative as she reported their progress.
Arya took a pause as she looked at the crowd below. Instinctively, she shot the working group a smile with the applause still going on. She continued, "Imperial Sky Entertainment City was built with Imperial Sky Hotel, Imperial Sky Fashion City, and also Imperial Sky Jewelry City, as well as Imperial Sky VIP Club. Imperial Sky Hotel started running over a year ago, and it's now a five-star hotel under Glory World. Imperial Sky Fashion City started running several years back with a total of..."
Calm, elegant, and professional...
Arya left such a positive impression on everyone, unlike the female celebrities who liked to fight for the spotlight onstage. She did not seem like she would lose to them at all.
There was a saying that a man was the most attractive when he was focused on work. At this very moment, to the crowd in the hall, a woman that was focused on reporting her work, more specifically, Arya who was focused on her reports was truly shining. Everyone was attracted to her.
Xavier raised his head and looked at the little figure onstage with a warm smile. It was the first time he had ever listened to a report so carefully and a rare gentleness appeared in his eyes.
Daniel leaned over slightly with a wine glass in his hand as he spoke to Xavier quietly,
"Your wife seems to suit you a lot. I think you guys look more and more perfect together. I see it's not a bad idea to hunt your own employees. Now, I get why the rabbit would eat the grass near its burrow."
A teasing tone lay in his calm voice. While he was talking, he glanced between Xavier and Arya onstage with an ambiguous gaze.
"You can imitate me as well. Go and look for a female employee in your company," Xavier took a sip and replied.
Daniel shrugged as he chuckled.
"If there's someone like your woman in my company, I don't mind, really. But most of the women in my company look like women out here. They gaze at you like a predator every time you walk past them as if they're going to swallow you whole. Look there, just like that woman! She seems to be interested in you —"
Daniel signalled Xavier, who turned towards the direction he was indicating, only to see Evelyn making eyes at him with a flirtatious look. Her eyes brightened slightly when she was looking at Xavier, then she smiled shyly when she saw him returning her gaze. After she raised her wine glass slightly and gave him a toast from afar, she averted her sight.
Xavier frowned the moment he saw her, unable to hide the coldness in his eyes. He thought that this woman was a little familiar, then he remembered that she had tried to slap Arya at Ethan's engagement party.
How could they let people like her come in?
Xavier stared at her coldly and deflected his gaze. The coldness in his eyes was obvious.
The gentle and refined Daniel actually teased Xavier as he looked at him oddly,
"Although you're low-profile, it seems that you're still pretty popular now, but you're too anti-social. I wonder how many women would be heartbroken if they found out that you're married."
"Why don't you take the hit for me?" Xavier glanced back at him and said.
"I'm not blessed enough to enjoy these. However, it seems that your woman is in trouble. Look there, and there..."
He glanced around when he heard Daniel. He saw several predatory gazes glowering at Arya, including Evelyn just now, who was throwing her an unfriendly stare.
His frown deepened as he raised his head slightly and looked at the petite woman who was still in the midst of her speech. Soon, his eyes darkened.