Vincent Fletcher stood tall and lean, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Dressed to the nines with an incredibly handsome face, his smile seemed disarmingly innocent. Whenever he wanted to put on an act, no one could connect him to the madman burdened with half the criminal code. Talia hadn’t met Vincent Fletcher before. Hearing him call out her name and noticing his impeccable and branded attire, she first wondered if he was a friend of a friend. Vincent Fletcher didn’t introduce himself; he merely gazed at Talia meaningfully and said, "Indeed, a beauty." The woman beside him, Cynthia Jacobs, frowned slightly, a flicker of jealousy flashing in her eyes before quickly disappearing. She wasn’t aware of Vincent Fletcher’s grudges with The Jennings Family or The Rhodes Family, nor did she ever inquire about his other women. A good lover should be obedient and sensible, not foolishly ask such questions. Cynthia Jacobs stood quietly by Vincent Fletcher’s side, discreetly sizing up Talia Rhodes. Hmm... indeed, she is beautiful, a natural beauty at that. Her skin is fair, her features are delicate, with no signs of having undergone any procedures. She has a great figure too, slim with a narrow waist and long legs, carrying weight only where it should. Talia didn’t notice Cynthia Jacobs’s gaze. Hearing the man’s flippant comment, her brows furrowed. This man gave her an uncomfortable feeling. The way he looked at her was predatory, full of aggression and amusement. Talia asked again, this time with a tinge of offended anger in her tone, "Who are you?" "Me? ..." Vincent Fletcher chuckled but didn’t answer, "You’ll find out soon enough, Miss Rhodes. We will meet again." Talia didn’t bother with him anymore, bypassing him to settle her bill at the counter. Claire Yorick caught up with her, unable to resist looking back towards the door, "Talia, was that man just now your friend? He’s so handsome! Such top-level handsome guys are really rare in real life!" For some reason, Talia felt uneasy. The man was indeed strange, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. Talia replied offhandedly, "I don’t know him, he’s a weirdo. Just ignore him." "Oh, okay, I thought you two were friends." December 31st, New Year’s Eve. Yvonne Coleman organized a gathering for the occasion. The Empyrean Tower, 88 floors tall, is a landmark building in Oakhaven. The view from the sixty-ninth floor is the best, offering a bird’s eye view of the entire city’s nightscape. In the presidential suite, fresh flowers, balloons, and streamers adorned the room, filling it with a festive atmosphere. Yvonne Coleman threw her mink coat casually over the sofa, wearing just a champagne-colored fitted long dress. She was fully made up, radiating an eye-catching, flamboyant beauty. "I must say, Ryan Quinn’s decision to renovate this place and turn it into a hotel was a brilliant move." Ryan Quinn snorted, "Was there even a doubt?" Yvonne Coleman gave him a sidelong glance, "Who knew your pigheadedness had some insight?" Floors fifty to sixty-nine of the building belong to the hotel under Ryan Quinn’s company, and the sixty-ninth floor had a presidential suite priced at tens of thousands per night. Ryan Quinn sneered, "Ha, who are you calling a pighead?" Yvonne stuck her tongue out at him, "Don’t pretend you don’t know who I mean." The heating in the room was adequate. Winter Donovan also took off her coat as she walked to the sofa and picked up Yvonne Coleman’s coat. Holding her own coat in one hand and Yvonne’s in the other, she hung them up, then turned back with a bright smile and said, "This place is perfect for a New Year’s Eve party, watching fireworks and the night view." "Yeah, see, wasn’t my choice to celebrate New Year’s here great?" Yvonne Coleman giggled. Winter Donovan nodded and smiled, "Uh-huh!" "Eh? Why isn’t Talia here yet?" Yvonne Coleman looked towards the door, pulling out her phone, "I’ll give her a call." As she spoke, the door opened. Yvonne looked up smiling, "I was just about to call you and you... what the f*@#?" It wasn’t Talia who entered, but Adrian Jennings. The smile froze on Yvonne’s face and was replaced by anger as she demanded, "Who invited them?" Winter Donovan shook her head, suggesting innocence. Andrew Donovan also claimed ignorance. Ryan Quinn awkwardly spoke, "Didn’t you say you wanted a New Year’s party? How could I not invite my good buddies?" "Aren’t you such an idiot?" Yvonne exploded directly, "Don’t you know he cheated on Talia? He’s seeing some celebrity now. Don’t you know today’s gathering is meant to console Talia, to comfort her, and help her move on? Why would you invite Adrian Jennings?" "Huh?" Ryan looked confused, "You didn’t tell me not to invite Adrian first. We’ve been good buddies for over ten years..." Ryan touched his nose and sighed, "Why are you so angry? Breaking up is just breaking up. We all belong to the same circle. We can’t avoid each other for life just because of their breakup, can we?" "Heh!" Yvonne sneered, "Why not? I can’t afford to climb the Jennings Family’s Crown Prince. Let it be!" Seeing Yvonne was serious, Ryan felt a bit flustered, "Hey, come on, it’s not that serious. Let me explain..." "Shut your mouth!" She cut him off sharply, "Either they leave or I leave!" Winter Donovan thought to persuade Yvonne Coleman, but turning her gaze to Adrian Jennings and Lana Larsen standing together, she felt uneasy. Talia was her good friend, and she naturally stood by Talia. Though Adrian Jennings was also her friend, and her brother’s old pal, a cheating scumbag was unforgivable! Winter Donovan and Yvonne Coleman joined forces, jointly protesting Adrian Jennings and Lana Larsen’s arrival. "Oh, come on, don’t argue, young master, Adrian, and I got together only after he broke up with Miss Rhodes. There’s no cheating or betrayal here." Lana Larsen smiled warmly. "You shut up, too!" Yvonne Coleman wasn’t giving any face at all. Ryan Quinn sighed, pulling Yvonne aside, "Please, don’t get involved, it’s all a misunderstanding." Yvonne Coleman didn’t know about the connection between Lana Larsen and Adrian Jennings, but Ryan was well aware. When the rumors broke out initially, Adrian confessed everything to him and Andrew Donovan. This content belongs to novęlfire.net Of course, with the Crown Prince of Oakhaven involved in the scandal, how could the media dare publish anything without his consent? Andrew had even warned Adrian to be careful that if he hurt Talia, she might never come back. Now, seeing Yvonne Coleman’s tone, Ryan nearly couldn’t resist spilling the truth, but a look from Adrian stopped him. Yvonne was loud and carefree, but she was terrible at keeping things to herself. If she found out, Talia would know soon after, and all their efforts would be for naught. Just then, amidst the argument, the door opened again. "Sorry, got held up by something, came late." Talia entered the room, her eyes meeting Adrian Jennings’s, causing her heartbeat to suddenly halt.