The charity gala was scheduled for two hours but had already run overtime.
"The party's ending, Melody. We've been waiting for two hours. Are we going to keep waiting? Rose still hasn't returned our calls. Why don't we just head back to the hotel?"
"We've already waited two hours. What's a little more time?" Melody insisted on staying.
A figure emerged from the venue, surrounded by a throng of staff. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the person leaning against the flower bed.
Evan Fairchild stopped so suddenly that Jasper Rockwell, busy with a lollipop, nearly crashed into him.
Following Evan Fairchild's gaze...
Good heavens!
What a sight!
A girl had suddenly appeared in his line of sight. She was wearing a white dress, as pristine as a cloud.
Her jet-black hair veiled half her face, and her delicate, straight nose gave her profile a striking definition.
After seeing all those beauties inside, one look at this girl made the air itself feel fresher.
No wonder she made even Evan Fairchild stop in his tracks.
'To be here at this hour, she must be an actress attending the charity gala. But while everyone else is inside, she's out here.'
"Go find out why she's outside," Evan Fairchild instructed Tommy.
"Yes, Mr. Fairchild."
A few minutes later, Tommy hurried back. "Mr. Fairchild, that young lady was invited to tonight's charity gala as well, but she was barred from entering because she missed the admission time."
"Find out who she is. Donate three million in her name, and don't let anyone know the money came from me. Understand?"
"Yes, President Fairchild. I'll arrange it right away."
Jasper Rockwell was dumbfounded. With the lollipop still in his mouth, he didn't even realize he was drooling until it dripped. Wiping it away, he shot Evan Fairchild a lecherous grin and asked, "Slept with her?"
Evan Fairchild strode forward.
He had a private exit and could leave without going back through the public area.
"Evan, what's the meaning of this? Three million! And you're not even going to say hello? What in the world is your relationship with that woman?" Jasper Rockwell was not about to let this piece of gossip slide!
It wasn't like Evan Fairchild was ever short on gossip, but this was happening right beside him—he was seeing it with his own two eyes!
"You take one look at her and donate three million in her name? Hey, hey, over here!" He immediately blocked Evan Fairchild's path and pointed at himself. "Look at me! Take a few good looks! I only need one million."
Seeing the look on Evan Fairchild's face, Jasper Rockwell gulped and offered timidly, "Five hundred thousand, then. Five hundred thousand works too. That's enough to get some new parts for my car."
"Move."
...
Once the gala ended, the celebrities took a large group photo and began to disperse.
Everyone was a little weary after such a long evening of schmoozing.
The moment people started emerging from inside, Melody Monroe immediately looked their way.
When Raymond Ford saw Melody Monroe standing outside, a brief smile flickered in his eyes. 'Today's scheme really killed three birds with one stone,' he thought. 'Melody can't get into the gala, so she loses all that media exposure. Rose fought so hard to get her that spot, and having it wasted like this will definitely cause Melody to lose her favor. And no matter what Rose had arranged for her tonight, it's all for nothing now.'
"Melody, what are you doing out here? I was just wondering why I hadn't seen you inside!" Raymond Ford said, walking over to her with a look of feigned surprise.