A little over an hour later, Wanda arrived. The vehicle stopped smoothly at the entrance of the Grand Hotel.
Knowing that the hotel belonged to Jason, Wanda couldn't help slowing her steps, her gaze lingering on the grand entrance.
As expected, she thought. Even his hotel carries this kind of presence.
Just then, a girl stepped forward hesitantly.
"Excuse me… are you Wanda? Sweetie mentioned you," the girl asked.
Wanda turned and smiled gently.
"That's me. You must be Molly, right?"
Her smile was warm and elegant, white teeth visible, eyes curving like crescent moons. It gave people the feeling of being wrapped in a spring breeze.
Molly was momentarily stunned.
So this is a senior member…
The aura was completely different. Even she, as a woman, could vaguely sense a trace of calculation—but any man would almost certainly miss it.
"Yes, I'm Molly," she replied. "But I didn't manage to get an invitation to the Nine Continent Group annual meeting…"
"It's fine," Wanda said calmly, taking Molly's arm. "Once we're inside, we'll figure it out."
No one stopped them at the hotel entrance.
They walked straight in.
As Wanda headed toward the banquet hall, she casually observed the guests coming and going.
Then—out of the corner of her eye—she noticed a young man.
He was wearing a tailored suit, his posture upright but slightly tense. Unlike the middle-aged executives who either ignored her completely or stared without restraint, his gaze flickered away the moment their eyes met.
Interesting, Wanda thought.
At that moment, she deliberately misstepped.
Her ankle twisted, and she stumbled to the side, barely steadying herself against the wall.
The slit of her dress shifted, revealing a glimpse of long, slender, fair legs. The neckline dipped slightly as well, exposing smooth skin.
Molly instinctively reached out—
But someone else was faster.
A gentleman's hand supported Wanda's arm.
"Miss, did you hurt your ankle?" a soft voice asked.
Wanda looked up and smiled.
"I'm fine. Thank you," she said gently. "That was careless of me."
The young man froze for half a second.
Her skin beneath his fingers was smooth and warm. Her voice was pleasant, unhurried.
He quickly let go, clearly flustered.
"You're… you're welcome," he said.
He wanted to say more—to leave a good impression—but his mind went blank. In the end, he could only nod awkwardly and head toward the banquet hall.
Wanda remained where she was.
After taking a few steps, the young man suddenly stopped.
He turned back.
"You're heading this way too," he said. "Are you here for the Group annual meeting?"
Wanda sighed softly.
"I was… but I seem to have misplaced my invitation. I need to wait for staff to verify it in the system."
The young man straightened unconsciously.
"That won't be necessary," he said quickly. "If you don't mind, you can come in as my companion."
Wanda's eyes brightened slightly.
She stepped forward gracefully.
"Thank you. That would help a lot," she said. "May I know your name?"
The young man's face lit up.
"I'm Rick," he said with a wide grin. "You can just call me Rick."
Wanda smiled again.
"Nice to meet you."
And with that, she stepped neatly into the banquet hall—exactly as planned.
Wanda turned back and gave Molly a playful wink—mischievous yet charming.
Molly froze for a second.
Can someone really do that so naturally?
Wanda followed Rick into the banquet hall, and thanks to that arrangement, Molly slipped in as well.
Once inside, Wanda's attention immediately shifted.
Rick was no longer important.
Her gaze swept the hall and quickly locked onto Jason.
He was impossible to miss.
No matter where he was, he became the natural center of gravity. Even sitting casually on a sofa, speaking very little, he drew everyone's focus. Executives and big shots approached one after another, raising their glasses with expressions of genuine respect.
Wanda felt her breathing unconsciously quicken.
Handsome features, a tall build, calm bearing, and that overwhelming sense of authority that money and power forged together—
This was exactly the kind of man she had dreamed of.
Wanda: Favorability +5
But the next moment, her expression tightened slightly.
She noticed the women beside Jason.
Four of them.
Each was completely different.
One was voluptuous and gentle, her smile warm and comforting.One carried the mature charm of a seasoned woman, graceful and composed.One was naturally seductive, every movement effortlessly captivating.And one—Pure, delicate, and breathtakingly beautiful, like untouched snow.
Especially the last two.
Their looks and temperament were gifts of nature, things no amount of effort could truly replicate.
Wanda felt pressure instantly.
Of course.
A man of Jason's caliber—and appearance—could never lack women. If he did, people would start questioning something else entirely.
But instead of discouraging her, that pressure lit a fire in her chest.
Winning under these circumstances would be far more meaningful.
Wanda didn't rush forward.
That would be crude.
Obvious.
Cheap.
She decided to continue using Rick for now, quietly gathering information and waiting for the perfect opening.
She turned to him with a gentle smile.
"Rick, may I ask—what's your role here at the annual meeting?"
Rick lifted his chin slightly, then tried to look modest.
"My father is the CEO of Interactive Technologies."
Wanda didn't pretend to know what she didn't.
She took out her phone and searched right in front of him, then widened her eyes exaggeratedly.
"Wow… that's incredible. The company's valued at three to four hundred million dollars."
Rick was clearly pleased, laughing lightly.
"It's nothing special. Just a small internet tech company."
Wanda had intended to flatter him, but she was genuinely surprised.
She had randomly attached herself to someone, and it turned out his family assets were already in the hundreds of millions.
She continued smoothly, "Then you must be one of the most important people here tonight."
Unexpectedly, that made Rick nervous.
He subconsciously glanced around, as if afraid someone had overheard.
Seeing someone nearby look over, he smiled awkwardly and quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, not at all. I'm just a minor character here."
Wanda laughed softly. "You're too modest."
"I'm really not," Rick said seriously. "Everyone here is far more impressive than me."
He lowered his voice and began pointing discreetly.
"See the man on your left? That's the CEO of Infinity Media. That company alone is worth over three billion. The connections and influence behind someone like that are far beyond me."
"And the tall middle-aged man in front of you—over six feet tall—that's the director of the Medical Center."
"The person he was talking to earlier used to run a company worth tens of billions. Now he's the CEO of the Heritage Innovation Park, a project valued at over four billion."
"And over there, at about three o'clock—see the man with the beard? That's the CEO of Starline Luxury Cruises. You know that company, right? Valued at over eight billion…"
Molly and Wanda felt chills run down their spines.
They knew the guests were wealthy—luxury cars outside made that obvious—but they hadn't imagined this level.
CEOs of companies worth three, four, eight billion dollars were normally untouchable figures, seated in the very front row at their own company events.
Yet here—
At Jason's Nine Continent Group annual meeting—
They stood quietly, politely, almost humbly.
Like ordinary attendees.
Just how high was Jason's net worth?
The saying "a starving camel is still bigger than a horse" didn't even apply anymore.
He wasn't starving at all.
If anything, his true wealth was likely far beyond the already terrifying estimates of tens of billions.
Wanda's heart pounded harder.
Her breathing quickened.
Her gaze toward Jason grew even hotter.
Wanda: Favorability +10
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