Chapter 51
Chapter 51 A Disruption at Dinner
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Shirley sat between Liam and Owen. She was laughing and chatting with Owen while only casually acknowledging Liam. This left Liam feeling increasingly frustrated.
Victor maintained his cold demeanor and casually chatted with a few girls. He understood Owen’s style well and had no objections to Owen taking a seat.
“Owen, I really need your help with that matter. I’ll be sure to thank you properly!” Shirley whispered to Owen, after which she raised her voice with a pleading tone.
“Shirley, you should have told me earlier. I could have taken care of this simple issue with just a word. I can ask my cousin or my dad to step in if needed!” He nodded confidently.
Shirley had just revealed some troubling news from home. It seemed like no big deal to Owen as he could handle it easily.
“What’s going on, Shirley? Can you tell me? Maybe I can help!” Liam jumped in. He was eager to prove himself and not be outdone by Owen.
However, Shirley gently shook her head. “No need. You can’t help with this p>
Liam felt even more defeated at her words. Shirley was asking Owen for help, but she wouldn’t even share the details when it came to him. It was clear to him that she found Owen far more capable.
Shirley sensed Liam’s disappointment but chose not to explain further. The situation she was facing was too complicated for someone from an ordinary merchant family like Liam’s. Right now, her priority was to hold onto Owen and navigate through her family’s difficulties.
As Owen and Shirley continued their lively conversation, he occasionally glanced at Liam with a teasing expression. Hmph, do you think you can compete with me for a woman? You really overestimated yourself!
Owen fully embraced the role of the victor and looked down on Liam.
The atmosphere grew tense as the other classmates noticeably spoke less and focused on their meals instead.
Leander observed silently and chose not to intervene. After all, this was a personal matter for Liam, and getting involved would be pointless. Leander could step in later if Liam truly needed help.
In the midst of their chatter, Owen suddenly remembered something and turned to Victor. “Victor, my cousin recently opened a bar in the Eastvale District. Feel free to join us if you and your classmates have no plans tonight. The drinks are in the house p>
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Everyone in the room heard him clearly, although Owen addressed Victor.
It would be nice for them to take a break at a bar tonight with the intense study pressure in their senior year.
“Wow! Mr. Harmon, what’s the name of your cousin’s bar?” A few girls who frequented nightclubs couldn’t help but ask.
Owen smiled. “It’s called Aether Club. I wonder if you’ve heard of it, though p>
He seemed to be asking but wore a slightly smug expression.
“Aether Club? Isn’t that the hottest music bar in Eastvale right now? I heard it’s run by Mateo p>
Lots of them who lived in Eastvale gasped in surprise upon hearing the name.
The newly opened Aether Club had become the talk of the town. Even those who didn’t often visit bars had heard of it. Young people looking to have fun in Eastvale almost always chose Aether Club.
The atmosphere at Aether Club was clean and vibrant. Nobody dared to cause trouble there. It wasn’t because it was overly formal but because the owner was quite formidable.
The investor behind Aether Club was none other than Mateo!
Mateo was known for his uncompromising nature in Eastvale. No one dared to challenge him.
Some reckless individuals caused trouble at the Aether Club in the past and ended up with broken limbs after being thrown out by Mateo Erickson and his crew. They didn’t dare protest and even returned with a large sum of money to apologize. This demonstrated Mateo’s fierce reputation and influence in Eastvale District, where he ruled with an iron fist.
What made matters even more intimidating was that Mateo’s boss was Frankie, the head of Leandrix Corp. Frankie was renowned in Ravenridge and had been the city’s wealthiest for several years. His influence was widely recognized. Anyone crossing Mateo was essentially declaring war on Frankie. Who could afford such consequences?
“Wow! Mr. Harmon, so Mateo is your cousin p>
The girls present exclaimed in surprise. Even though they were top students, they admired powerful figures who commanded respect and could intimidate others with a single name.
“Yep, we’re cousins!” Owen said modestly, though the smirk on his face did not escape Leander’s notice.
Upon hearing that Owen was Mateo’s cousin, the girls couldn’t contain their excitement and
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Chapter 51 A Disruption at Dinner
quickly moved closer to him and were eager to chat. Even Jade shot Owen a glance, and Madeline was secretly impressed.
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Being the young owner of the Cascade House wasn’t enough to draw much attention from the girls. There were plenty of establishments of this scale in Ravenridge. They might have thought of him as somewhat noteworthy, but hearing that Matco was Owen’s cousin changed
everything.
Frankie Wainwright held immense power in Ravenridge, and his connections were anything but ordinary.
Seeing that so many of Liam’s classmates were suddenly trying to befriend Owen only reinforced Shirley’s choice.
Owen is Mateo’s cousin, and Mateo is the top dog in Eastvale District. I think resolving my family’s troubles should be easy with such a powerful connection.
She smiled even more brightly at Owen with this thought in mind. She was determined to put on a pleasant front even though she wasn’t particularly fond of him.
Owen had become the center of attention and left Liam to sigh in defeat beside them.
Liam had initially thought that although his family background couldn’t compare to Owen’s, he at least had a fighting chance. However, he felt completely demoralized after learning about Mateo’s connection.
Shirley agreed to go to the movies with Owen later that night during dinner. He was in high spirits, beaming with pride. He felt elated and confident as he raised his glass and toasted with his classmates. He downed the drinks with great flair.
Whoosh!
The sliding door to the private room was suddenly abruptly yanked open.
Jade’s expression changed slightly. This was a high–end restaurant, and it was unusual for anyone to barge in like that. The others were also displeased and turned to look at the entrance.
Everyone in the class lifted their heads. Everyone except Leander froze at the sight outside the door.
A group of intimidating men stood at the door, which was led by a young man who looked to be in his mid–twenties. He appeared pale and clearly having indulged too much in both alcohol and pleasure.
His
gaze briefly swept over Jade before landing directly on Shirley. His eyes filled with blatant
greed.
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Chapter 51 A Disruption at Dinner
Shirley’s face drained of color by seeing him, and she instinctively shrank back.
“Shirley, why didn’t you tell me you were eating in my territory p>
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