Chapter 699 - 695: A Country Bumpkin

In a spot by the window in the banquet hall, a crowd of exquisitely dressed, beautiful young women gathered around Shawn Lane and Kylie Churchill.

The Churchill Family held a distinguished position in Lorcain, so naturally, Kylie Churchill was highly regarded among these wealthy heiresses. Although it was all superficial flattery, Kylie enjoyed it immensely.

Today was the first time she had brought a boyfriend to such an event. For such a formal debut, everyone naturally had to show her some respect.

And so, they all began to chime in, showering Shawn Lane with praise.

"Kylie, your boyfriend is so handsome."

"I’ve never seen you bring a guy to one of these parties before. I thought you weren’t interested in dating, but it turns out you just have high standards."

"Of course Kylie has high standards. How many men in all of Lorcain are worthy of her?"

"That’s right. And you look stunning today, Kylie. That jewelry set is a limited edition, isn’t it? I saw it in a magazine, but I never expected it to be even more beautiful in person."

Kylie Churchill held Shawn Lane’s arm, basking in the praise as if she were the center of the universe. With the person of honor absent, she had become the most conspicuous person in the banquet hall.

With so many people present, it was inevitable that some would recognize Shawn Lane.

"Shawn Lane, your father is the chairman of the Lane Group, right? I think we’ve met before."

"You look a little familiar to me, too. You’re even more handsome now, though. No wonder Kylie likes you."

"I think I saw you at some event a couple of years ago, but I haven’t seen you since."

"You went to study abroad? No wonder..."

Shawn Lane wasn’t surprised that people recognized him. After all, the Lane Group was hardly an unknown entity in Lorcain. He chatted calmly and composedly with everyone. Beneath his handsome exterior was a steady, reserved temperament different from the other young men present, and it made Kylie Churchill’s heart flutter.

As Shawn Lane was effortlessly socializing, he happened to glance up. An enchantingly cool and elegant figure suddenly entered his line of sight, and his heart skipped a beat.

On a nearby sofa, Jonah Goodman was stuffing a crumpled ball of paper into his palm, clenching it tight. Then, with a sudden flick of his arm, he produced a fresh flower from his hand.

Cecilia Sterling laughed with genuine delight at his little magic trick. The joy on her face and the smile in her eyes were breathtakingly beautiful.

It wasn’t just Shawn Lane; most of the young men at the party had noticed Cecilia Sterling.

Her style today was also completely different from Kylie Churchill’s princess-like look. Shawn Lane watched, mesmerized. It was clear he still preferred Cecilia’s type.

"So? Was that impressive or what?"

Jonah Goodman asked smugly after performing several little magic tricks in a row for Cecilia Sterling.

Cecilia Sterling clapped her hands. "Impressive. Much better than your old low-effort tricks."

"Hey, now. I only do this for you. Other people don’t get to see this, you know."

"Jonah, stop pestering Cecilia. Didn’t you bring a girlfriend? Go keep her company!" Estelle, who had been rolling her eyes so much she was getting tired of it, couldn’t help but try to shoo him away.

"No girlfriend. Your brother here is currently single!" he said, not forgetting to give Cecilia a meaningful eyebrow waggle.

"So gross." Estelle Goodman stood up and pulled Cecilia to her feet. "Cecilia, don’t mind him. Let’s go get something to eat."

Cecilia Sterling rose with a helpless smile. She actually quite enjoyed watching Estelle and Jonah bicker.

Guys like Jonah Goodman—the devil-may-care type who wore their playful, flirty nature on their sleeve, especially when they had a sense of humor—were actually very popular with girls.

"Estelle!"

Just then, someone in the distance waved at Estelle. It was clearly a friend of hers.

Estelle knew Cecilia Sterling disliked making awkward small talk with strangers, so she said to her, "Cecilia, why don’t you wait for me by the buffet? Ignore my brother. I’ll just go say hi and be right back."

"Okay."

Cecilia Sterling nodded and headed to the buffet area by herself.

At this kind of event, hardly anyone would be walking around the buffet area with a plate of food. The heiresses found it inelegant and improper, while the young masters were all focused on the heiresses.

So, the entire buffet area was empty except for Cecilia Sterling. She was genuinely a little hungry.

Holding a plate and gazing at the dazzling array of fresh food, Cecilia’s appetite was whetted.

’King salmon sashimi! A must-have.’

’Crab sushi! Gotta get some of that.’

’Foie gras nigiri! Definitely.’

’...’

Compared to forcing fake smiles and making awkward small talk, Cecilia Sterling clearly preferred this tranquil corner of the buffet area.

But soon, someone arrived to ruin the atmosphere.

"Hah. Is she here just for the buffet?"

A malicious, mocking voice came from behind. Cecilia Sterling, who was still holding a cherry mousse, turned around at the sound.

Cecilia Sterling was simply too beautiful today. The moment she turned, the light in Kylie Churchill’s eyes dimmed.

It was a beauty one simply had to acknowledge.

’But what’s the use?’

’She’s just a country bumpkin!’

The two girls standing next to Kylie Churchill, clearly aware that Kylie disliked the beautiful woman before them, chimed in with their own mockery to curry favor. "How did someone like this even get in?"

"Exactly. I’ve never seen anyone actually eat at an event like this. It’s so embarrassing."

Kylie Churchill sneered. "I’ve said it before. Once my dad acquires this place, I’m going to make sure people like her are explicitly banned. We can’t have them lowering the standard. What an eyesore."

The provocation was sudden, but not entirely out of the blue. From the moment Cecilia Sterling saw it was Kylie Churchill behind her, she knew Kylie was here to humiliate her.

She slowly put down the dessert in her hand and turned to face them.

Her expression was cool, her eyes icy. Now facing them head-on, her aura was far more intimidating than it had been from behind.

For a moment, Kylie Churchill and her two friends felt their confidence waver, but it was only for an instant before they defiantly glared back at Cecilia Sterling.

Cecilia Sterling walked right up to Kylie Churchill. Bolstered by her two friends, Kylie felt confident, but due to their height difference, she still had to tilt her head up slightly to look at Cecilia.

"I really didn’t expect to run into you here again today," Kylie Churchill said, launching a preemptive strike. "Which man brought you in this time? You probably don’t get many chances to eat food this good, do you? Go on, eat up. No one will laugh at you. This is just what unsophisticated people are like."

Kylie Churchill clearly despised Cecilia Sterling on a fundamental level because of what Shawn Lane had said, believing her to be a vain woman who used cheap tricks and her good looks to win men’s favor.

Coupled with the fact that Cecilia Sterling had hurled insults at Shawn Lane the other day, Kylie’s hostility toward her now was not without reason.

Kylie Churchill had said so many nasty things, her words dripping with mockery about Cecilia being unfit for high society and unsophisticated. After all that direct contempt and belittlement, Cecilia Sterling simply looked at her coldly and said lightly, "You have lipstick on your teeth."

Kylie Churchill gasped, hastily covering her mouth with her hand as a look of shame and anger flashed in her eyes.