Chapter 137
Elodie sat beside Professor Nolan, but he was still engaged in conversation with Grandma Miller, so he hadn’t turned his attention to her yet.
She shifted slightly in her seat and leaned toward Johnny, her voice low. “Thanks p>
She could feel the difference in Grandma Miller’s demeanor since Professor Nolan’s arrival. Her grandmother was visibly lighter, the tension that had been weighing on her shoulders all night finally easing. She was happy.
Johnny shrugged, his expression casual. “No need to thank me. Teacher gave me his response after seeing your project proposal a while back, so I mentioned tonight’s banquet to him. He decided to come because of that. If anyone should be thanked, it’s you p>
Before Elodie could respond, someone near the entrance called out, surprise lacing their voice. “Dante Wilson p>
Elodie hesitated, her breath catching as she turned toward the door.
And there he was.
Dante walked into the room with that usual, confident steps of his, his presence commanding attention the moment he crossed the threshold. The quiet hum of conversation died down as eyes followed him.
He made his way directly toward Grandma Miller, his expression unreadable, but polite.
“Happy Birthday,” he said, presenting her with a gift box, holding it carefully with both hands. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d like the previous gift, so I brought another one. I hope this one suits you better p>
Grandma Miller looked up at him, surprise flickering across her face before it was quickly smoothed over. The coldness in her expression didn’t change much.
While the Green family had been shameless in their actions tonight, it was painfully clear that without Dante’s backing, they wouldn’t have been so bold. They wouldn’t have dared. But with so many eyes on them now, Grandma Miller accepted the gift with a distant, courteous smile.
“Thank you. You’re very thoughtful,” she said evenly, then turned to a nearby server. “Please add another chair and set another place p>
Dante didn’t seem bothered by her cool reception. His gaze swept the room briefly before landing on Professor Nolan.
“Professor Nolan,” he said, his tone calm and respectful.
Professor Nolan gave a brief nod in return. “Mr. Wilson p>
The exchange was polite. Professional. But there was something unspoken beneath it, a quiet acknowledgment of who held more weight in this room.
Seeing Elodie glance at him, Professor Nolan looked back at her, then instructed a waiter to set a chair between him and Elodie.
Dante sat down. Right beside her.
Close enough that she could feel the faint warmth radiating from him, close enough to catch the subtle scent of his cologne that was familiar, achingly so.
She kept her eyes forward, hands folded neatly in her lap.
The moment Professor Nolan had appeared, word had spread quickly among the remaining guests at the Miller family banquet. The news of his arrival traveled like wildfire through whispered conversations and hurried text messages.
In less than two minutes, the news reached the Green family’s banquet hall.
The guests at the Green table were stunned.
“The Miller family has connections like that p>
“I didn’t know. Wait… is that Johnny in the photo? And the woman beside him… is that actually Elodie p>
“I hadn’t heard anything about this from the Greens. But if the woman next to Johnny is really Elodie, then it all makes sense now p>
“How so p>
“Don’t you remember? She attended the tech expo with Johnny recently. The two of them have a pretty solid relationship, and from what I’ve heard, things might be getting serious. The Gray family is also a strong force in the Pack, and from what I understand, Professor Nolan holds very high expectations for Johnny p>
“So the Miller family’s influence just increased significantly if they’re now connected to Johnny’s circle. Looks like we shouldn’t underestimate them anymore p>
The Brown family and other guests who had eagerly flocked to the Green family’s event had not expected Professor Nolan to attend the Miller banquet. And now, with the Green family’s guests quietly re-evaluating their relationship with the Miller family, the atmosphere began to shift.
Things were starting to feel… awkward.
Some of the guests exchanged uncomfortable glances, suddenly second-guessing their decision to leave Grandma Miller’s banquet early.
Tracy Green’s smile faltered slightly as she overheard the whispered conversations around her.
Sophia Green, who didn’t follow national news much, looked genuinely confused when she noticed the reactions rippling through the room. She turned to Sienna, her brow furrowed. “Who is Professor Nolan? Why is everyone acting like it’s such a big deal that he showed up p>
Sienna’s expression remained carefully neutral, but there was a flicker of something sharp in her eyes. “He’s a world-renowned figure in AI. A national-level talent. He could literally speak on behalf of the entire Pack if he wanted to. He’s also She paused, her voice cooling slightly. “He’s my ideal mentor p>
Sophia’s eyes widened. “He’s that impressive p>
She processed that for a moment, then her face twisted with realization. “So, the reason Uncle was so upset with Elodie earlier was because she missed the opportunity to meet someone like him p>
“Exactly,” Sienna said, her tone clipped and icy.
Sophia let out a scoff, her lip curling in disdain. “She’s really shameless, then p>
Her tone grew even more displeased as she leaned in slightly. “But wait, someone that powerful is at that old woman’s birthday banquet? Does that mean they’re close p>
“No,” Sienna replied coldly, her voice firm. “They only know each other casually p>
In her mind, Elodie had only met Professor Nolan through Johnny. It was almost certainly Johnny’s influence that had led to Nolan attending tonight. That was all. Nothing more.
Sophia’s expression softened, her shoulders relaxing. “Oh, I see. So it’s not really about her, then p>
“Not at all,” Sienna murmured, though something about the way she said it felt tight, like she was trying to convince herself as much as Sophia.
At a nearby table, Harry and Levi were seated just behind Sienna. Harry had been quietly eating, his focus elsewhere, when he overheard someone mention Professor Nolan attending the Miller family’s birthday banquet.
He paused mid-bite, his fork hovering in the air. “The Miller family’s birthday banquet p>
Levi glanced over, nodding. “Yeah. Today is also Elodie’s grandmother’s birthday. The banquet at their place and the one here are happening on the same night, so the guest lists overlapped a lot.” He shrugged casually. “Because of the connection between Dante and Sienna, most of the overlapping guests ended up here p>
He’d had no idea about this arrangement beforehand, only learning about it when he overheard the conversation buzzing through the banquet hall.
Harry’s jaw tightened slightly as he processed that. “So the Miller family’s banquet is practically empty now p>
Levi grinned, clearly enjoying the drama. “Yep. I heard about three-quarters of their seats are empty p>
A wicked gleam entered Levi’s eyes, and he leaned back in his chair, his tone dripping with schadenfreude. “It’s so pitiful, really. They watch all these guests walk out the door, and there’s nothing they can do to stop them p>
He spoke with unmistakable glee, like he was savoring every bit of the Millers’ humiliation.
Harry’s expression darkened. His hand clenched slightly around his glass before he suddenly stood up, his chair scraping against the floor.
Levi froze, blinking up at him in confusion. “What’s wrong p>
“I need to make a call,” Harry said curtly, cutting him off.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his stride quick and purposeful.
Levi sat there, still confused, watching him disappear toward the hallway.
As Harry hurried off, Sienna and Sophia both turned their heads to look at him, curiosity flickering across their faces.
Sienna frowned slightly. “Where’s Harry going p>
Sophia shrugged, unbothered. “He said he’s got an urgent call to make p>
Sienna didn’t ask any more questions, but her gaze lingered on the empty doorway for a moment longer before she turned back to the table.
The seat beside her remained empty now, and the atmosphere around them shifted, just slightly, but noticeably.
Something had changed.
And Sienna couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the night wasn’t going to go the way she’d planned.