Chapter 327
She Is the Lawfully Wedded Mrs. King
He sat down across from Old Mr. Sterling, then lifted his eyes to look at him and said with a face full of apology, "What happened just now was because Hazel didn't investigate in time. I hope you won't take it to heart."
Old Mr. Sterling pressed his lips together. "I'm not that petty."
Seeing that Old Mr. Sterling did not mind the matter, Daniel Lewis felt much more at ease.
His eyes shifted as he asked tentatively, "Old Mr. Sterling, we'd previously agreed to announce Julian Sterling and Hazel's marriage at today's birthday banquet. After what happened to Hazel just now, announcing it next would be the best timing. It could also help salvage some face. Do you think we should announce it immediately?"
Only after Daniel Lewis reminded him did Old Mr. Sterling remember this matter.
Quite a few unexpected things had happened one after another just now, and Julian Sterling had run off without a trace, so he had probably gotten wind of it.
Hmph! Did Julian Sterling really think he could run away from this?
"Originally, I planned to announce it after the birthday banquet, but since that's the case, we might as well announce it now!" After saying that, Old Mr. Sterling looked at Uncle Ming and said, "Uncle Ming! Go out right now and announce to everyone the marriage alliance between Sterling Group and the Lewis family."
Uncle Ming's eyes flickered, and he lowered his head as he said, "Yes, sir."
When Daniel Lewis heard that Old Mr. Sterling was going to announce the news in public, delight flashed through his eyes.
Fortunately, Old Mr. Sterling was still on their side. This time, absolutely nothing would go wrong again!
...
In the banquet hall, everyone was still chatting when Uncle Ming walked out holding a microphone.
"Distinguished guests!"
His voice carried through the microphone to every corner of the estate. Everyone who had been talking fell silent and looked at Uncle Ming, not knowing what he was about to do.
Uncle Ming cleared his throat lightly and continued, "On this joyous day, I have an important piece of news to announce to everyone. It concerns the romantic status of our young master Julian."
Those words caused quite a stir, and all the guests turned to look at Uncle Ming.
The Sterling family was enormously wealthy and overwhelmingly powerful. Who didn't want to form a powerful alliance with the Sterling family and rise to an even higher position? But although Old Mr. Sterling had been looking for a wife for Julian Sterling for so long, nothing had ever come of it, so everyone had assumed there would be no changes anytime soon.
No one expected the Sterling family to announce Julian Sterling's romantic situation today. At once, astonishment appeared on many faces, and people began discussing it among themselves.
"Do you think Julian Sterling has a girlfriend?"
"Probably. Otherwise they wouldn't be announcing it so formally."
"I wonder which family's daughter is lucky enough to have the man every woman wants!"
...
Only the socialites who had just learned about Hazel Lewis's situation looked at her with envy on their faces.
While Uncle Ming was speaking, Old Mr. Sterling slowly walked out from the back and took his seat at the place of honor in the banquet hall.
As he watched everyone's reactions, he let out a quiet snort in his heart.
His gaze also drifted, intentionally or not, toward Claire Bennett. Her expression was utterly calm, showing only a thoughtful look, as if she still had no idea what was about to happen.
Old Mr. Sterling snorted inwardly: he would make Evelyn understand that inviting this woman here had been a mistake!
The hushed whispering at the scene went on for quite a while before it finally quieted down.
Only after everyone's emotions had calmed slightly did Uncle Ming continue, "I'm sure everyone is very curious about our young master Julian's love life. On behalf of the Sterling family, I hereby announce to you all..."
A smug smile curved Hazel Lewis's lips. Her scornful gaze swept over Claire Bennett, carrying lofty disdain, as if she were the victor.
She wondered just how heartbroken Claire Bennett would be in a moment.
So what if she'd managed to sneak in?
In the end, Julian Sterling was still her man, and Claire Bennett was nothing but a clown!
Amid everyone's eager anticipation, Uncle Ming took a deep breath and loudly announced, "Our young master Julian is no longer single!"
As soon as the words fell, the scene first went completely silent, then erupted in cries of surprise, followed by a great deal of discussion as everyone leaned toward one another and whispered among themselves.
Julian Sterling was already taken?
How had they not heard even a single bit of news about it?
After all, there was some distance between Chicago and New York, and with Julian Sterling deliberately keeping things under wraps, how could any news possibly have reached New York? So everyone was extremely shocked to hear this news.
Only after hearing Uncle Ming's words did Claire Bennett realize that this was the big thing Julian Sterling had been talking about earlier.
So President Sterling wanted to publicly announce that he had a girlfriend and give his girlfriend a surprise?
As for President Sterling's girlfriend, Willow Lane, Claire Bennett did not want to comment too much. She could only say that she wished them well.
It looked like she'd have to keep her distance from Willow Lane from now on.
When Julian Sterling saw that there was not the slightest suspicion on Claire Bennett's face, the heart he had been holding in his throat finally eased down slowly.
At that moment, Wes Mercer, dressed in a sharp suit, walked up from the back and simply stood there at the side with an unfathomable expression.
After seeing Wes Mercer, Claire Bennett became even more convinced that he was President Sterling, and she felt guilty about having misunderstood Julian Sterling just now.
After hearing Uncle Ming's words, Old Mr. Sterling's brows knit tightly instead, and his expression turned dark and ugly, his face lengthening considerably.
Why did he feel that something was a little off?
If they were announcing a marriage alliance between the Sterling family and the Lewis family, that should not have been the wording. What exactly did Uncle Ming mean by this?
At that moment, someone boldly asked, "May I ask which family's daughter Julian Sterling is dating?"
The people around them also pricked up their ears, waiting for Uncle Ming's answer.
Faced with everyone's curious gazes, Uncle Ming smiled.
His eyes glanced, neither too lightly nor too heavily, toward Old Mr. Sterling, and a trace of barely perceptible guilt surfaced in them.