Surprised Ever After

Ch. 11: Spoiled Party

Ashton

The Trisure's ballroom is already packed with people when I enter, men in tuxedos and women in their evening dresses. I arrive later than planned because of my delayed flight, but instead of finding Char immediately, I step aside and stand next to a fake palm tree, next to the door for the waiters to bring in empty trays and out again with delicious snacks and drinks. I hope people won't notice me, at least for the first several minutes, while I can watch the party for a bit.

Two things that hold my attention are my mother being friendly toward Frederick and Char's enthusiasm in tailing Chadrick across the ballroom, to greet Trisure's leaders from all over the globe. It's funny that I was still one of the most important people in the business a few months back, and now I'm standing here merely as a family member.

Despite the relaxing ballad music in the background, waiters strolling around with a tray full of meals and drinks in hand, and people chattering and laughing over trivial things, Char must consider this as work. She's intensively involved in Trisure's back-to-back party preparations at a few places in the past week. The way she gushed over it and her eyes twinkled despite the crazy workload said enough that she was content to be productive again. We should talk about her next move after Trisure soon. I know she's too stubborn to take a job where my power has influence, but then she'll need to accept that it's inevitable. She needs to learn to ignore what people say and think.

"Ashton Knight!" a voice from behind me prompts me to turn around. Marco the wacko. Of course, he wouldn't miss the chance to fly over here to see Emily. The man shakes my hand with a firm grip. "It's a sweet surprise to see you here. It's been a while."

"A sweet surprise? Why is that?"

"Ever since you let go of your shares and stepped down from Trisure, I was almost sure you didn't want to have anything to do with this company anymore."

"Said Emily, I suppose? She's still actively supplying you updates, so it seems."

My reply catches him off guard, but he hides it by clearing his throat. "Well, that's what has been going around. No one expected you'd leave during Trisure's darkest moment. Though I have to admit our new CEO is a killer. He rebuilt the Hamilton sports club like a champ."

My eyes sweep the ballroom, searching for the very person among the ocean of people. It's easy to spot Chadrick, given his tall figure and dark hair. The man and Char are now standing by the stairs, engrossed in a conversation with a group of businessmen from their affiliation. "Maxwell is a fine businessman, indeed," I say.

Marco follows my line of sight with an interested glint. "But then I'm surprised you threw your girlfriend into the team."

"Char took Emily's offer because she wanted to help, and she was between jobs. I never threw her into anything, to begin with." He doesn't know what kind of person my girlfriend is. The more I push Char into anything, the harder she'll bounce back with a stinging slap.

"I see." He nods before picking up a glass of champagne from the waiter who passes us by. "There are plenty of theories going around, though."

I turn my head to him. Now he has my attention. "Oh?"

"Rumor has it that you and Ms. Garnett had a disagreement, and she took this job against her will. They call it a family obligation. Some believe you made her quit her previous job." He brings the champagne glass closer to his nose and inhales it. Instead of taking a sip, he lifts it at his eye level and examines the liquid. "Another theory is you had a quarrel with your family and left Trisure, but Ms. Garnett took the role to spite you."

"None of them seems to reflect a happy couple's life."

"You know how creative people can be with stories, and they love to see people fail."