Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Showing No Respect
Zoe Hayes read the news that Owen Sinclair had divorced not long ago, but she didn’t pay much attention to the reason behind it.
But now, could it be because of this woman?
Tsk tsk, she looks quite young, and at such a young age, she’s already clung onto someone like Owen Sinclair. It’s clear she has some "skills" up her sleeve.
However, Zoe Hayes despises people who climb the social ladder by selling their looks.
She even thought this girl was pretty earlier, but now, she just looks gaudy.
Plus, for some reason, she feels she’s seen this person before.
Seems like she’s some unknown small-time celebrity. She’s here to latch onto Owen Sinclair, that’s for sure.
She showed a disdainful expression, and with Hank Hayes urging her, she quickened her steps.
In the private room, Lars Prescott was chatting with Mrs. Hayes.
He invited her to visit his home and play mahjong with Claudia Jennings.
People in Riverton are famously fond of playing mahjong, and Mrs. Hayes is no exception. Since Lars Prescott was the one to invite, she naturally agreed, though her eyes couldn’t hide a touch of trepidation.
She had just arrived in Westcroft today, and back in Riverton, she seldom attended gatherings.
If she didn’t attend, that’s one thing, but to attend with the chairman of Prescott Group and his son was nerve-wracking for Mrs. Hayes.
She couldn’t help but complain, wondering where her daughter and husband had gone, as they weren’t back yet.
While Lars Prescott was talking with Mrs. Hayes, Warren Prescott was at a loss of things to do.
He’d been forcibly "dragged" here.
Lars Prescott, with his beautiful rhetoric, had insisted that Warren clean up the mess he had made.
The previous James Langley had indeed been pushed out by him.
So for Hank Hayes, who was to take over James Langley’s role, Warren had to take the responsibility to solidify the relationship.
Thus, he had no choice but to come and even had to pick the location.
The Nocturne was the place he chose.
Thankfully, the choice wasn’t wrong. Within just two minutes of bringing the Hayes Family in, father and son had already grasped the Hayes Family’s temperaments.
Though they came from Riverton, a city of less than five hundred thousand people, they understood "etiquette" better than James Langley did.
Hank Hayes, without a doubt, knew his place and identity, and Mrs. Hayes didn’t seem like someone who liked to cause trouble either.
Overall, this family was much better than the previous Langley Family.
Lars Prescott was very pleased.
Warren Prescott remained noncommittal.
No matter who was in power, "Wilderness Survival" had been airing for three days now, with excellent reviews and high popularity, so he wasn’t worried about any sabotage.
Bored, he glanced casually downstairs.
With just one glance, he spotted a familiar figure seated in the first row of the east section.
His gaze seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, fixed upon a spot amidst the glimmering lights below.
At this moment, the lights in the audience were dimmed, yet they couldn’t hide that glimmer of purple radiance.
The woman was adorned in an exquisite traditional dress from The Empyrean Dynasty, the light purple silk swaying gently with her movements, like wisteria blooming for the first time.
Her hair was skillfully styled into a complex bun, with a few strands softly draping over her forehead, like a fairy stepping out of an ancient painting, untouched by earthly dust.
Who else but Ashley Shaw?
She seemed to be laughing at something, one hand slightly covering half her face, yet still revealing a pair of shallow dimples.
Due to his position on the second floor, he had a bird’s-eye view.
When Ashley Shaw bent over from laughter, he caught a glimpse of the snow-white scenery at her chest.
With just a slight additional bend, it seemed as though the breathtaking view could be fully revealed.
Warren Prescott’s heart involuntarily quickened its pace.
The surrounding clamor seemed to fade at this moment; all he could see was Ashley Shaw’s charmingly smiling face, and...
But in an instant, Warren forced himself to look away.
"Warren."
"Warren?"
Lars called out twice before Warren snapped back to attention.
He quickly adjusted his state, the warmth on his face receding as he returned to his usual expression.
When he turned his gaze back, he realized that the Hayes father and daughter, who had gone out earlier, had returned at some point.
He hadn’t noticed them come in.
"What were you looking at? I called you twice before you heard me," Lars asked.
Warren expressionlessly uttered two words, "The performance."
With an expression that seemed to say, "Are you stating the obvious?"
Lars felt slightly embarrassed.
But precisely because Warren never sugarcoated things, Lars didn’t doubt the truthfulness of his words.
Clearing his throat, Lars continued, "We were just talking about how Zoe also got into Aethelgard University."
"Oh." Still expressionless, though his face visibly carried an unsubtle message: What does that have to do with him?
But perhaps because Warren’s face was always so stern, neither Lars nor the Hayes Family grasped the connotation of his expression.
Lars went on, "Coincidently, Zoe will also be living in the same neighborhood in Westcroft. When the term starts, you can go to Aethelgard for the freshman registration together."
Lars didn’t really mean anything by it; he was just making conversation.
He wasn’t fond of Ashley Shaw, but that didn’t mean he saw Zoe Hayes as a suitable daughter-in-law.
The Hayes Family wasn’t quite the right fit; their roots were too shallow, and they came from a small place.
Hank Hayes’s current position might not be high, but it was quite useful.
If the children from both families became friends, there would be no harm for either party.
However, Zoe Hayes immediately misunderstood Lars’s intent.
She couldn’t help but glance at Hank Hayes, the look in her eyes clearly saying: Look, even Lars feels I’m worthy of his son.
Hank Hayes’s expression darkened, but soon returned to normal.
Ignoring Zoe’s gaze, he spoke up before Warren could, "Haha, if that’s possible, it would indeed be convenient. But our Zoe is still quite immature, and without the two of us accompanying her, she’s likely too timid to go study so far away by herself."
Mrs. Hayes, following suit, said, "We’d blame ourselves for pampering her too much; undoubtedly, I’ll have to take leave to go to Aethelgard and accompany her for a few days."
Zoe instinctively wanted to argue that she didn’t need her parents with her and wasn’t some immature child.
But before she could open her mouth, she heard Warren’s voice, distant and detached, "Actually, since I’ve already arranged with friends to head to Aethelgard in advance, I won’t be able to accompany Miss Hayes."
Zoe forced a smile, strained, but inwardly she was filled with regret.
What were her parents thinking?
Why did they have to portray her as an immature child?
What else could Warren say under such circumstances?
He could only find an excuse for himself, not like he’d insist on going to Aethelgard with her, right?
It was all her parents’ fault!
Beneath the table, Zoe’s hands were tightly clenched into fists, her face flushed with anger.
She couldn’t understand why, when other parents wished for their daughters to marry well, hers were different, deviating from usual expectations?
She genuinely suspected they had taken the wrong medicine before leaving the house today.
"Excuse me," Warren stood up at this point, "I need to use the restroom."
With that, he walked toward the exit of the private room without hesitation.