After that, Eric Ferguson stood up and left, leaving the pale-faced Colton White behind.

Keith Ludwig chased after Eric. 'This must be related to Nicole again. That woman's really troublesome. '

"Ferg, why do you look so upset? We're all bros. You know that Colton's always been straightforward. Don't take whatever he said to heart."

Eric also knew that he had overreacted and did not expect to have lost control of his emotions like that. I t was just that when he found out about these things that he should have known but was kept in the dark, his only thought was, 'Is this why Nicole hates me? '

His chest felt stuffy and uncomfortable.

He stood at the entrance for a while. After getting blown by the cold wind, his mind felt much clearer. He took out a cigarette and lit it. "I know. You can tell him that it's not directed at him."

'I'm just mad at myself! ' Eric thought.

Keith breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, but you're not longing for that woman, right?"

Eric cast a sidelong glance at him and snorted. He was not bothered to answer Keith's curiosity. "Your restaurant can't compare with this new restaurant. My advice is for you to close your business..."

Keith's face reddened with anger. "Are you even my bro?! "

J&L Corporation invited many socialites, businessmen, and politicians to their anniversary banquet. Everyone who attended the banquet was an elite.

Nicole had done her research. J&L Corporation was a relatively new company that did not have much backing, so it was not an easy feat to achieve such a reputation and develop to this scale in a few short years.

J&L Corporation's R&D focus was to integrate technology and artificial intelligence into regular life. They had already mastered core technologies that were beyond the reach of many countries.

Nicole thought, 'If I can land this artificial intelligence project, Stanton Corporation will be able to become a pioneer in this new field."

Thus, Nicole came prepared this time.

Everyone was in the hall exchanging pleasantries when there was a sudden cry of surprise. The crowd looked towards the sound and saw a couple standing at the entrance of the banquet hall.

They were all familiar with the man – Grant Stanton of Stanton Corporation. He was ruthless, decisive, and feared by many.

The woman beside him had on exquisite makeup that highlighted her stunning features. Her long wavy hair was pinned back. Under her gentle appearance was a hidden majesty.

She wore a hand-stitched bespoke dress inlaid with diamond bits that accentuated her slender waist. Her dress glittered when she stood under the light, which made her shine so brightly. Her elegant demeanor and extraordinary temperament made the crowd marvel at her presence.

Some people also recognized her. 'Isn't she Eric Ferguson's ex-wife? He's so blind to divorce such a stunning woman...'

People came forward to greet them. "Mr. Stanton, your female companion today is a real showstopper "Mr. Stanton, welcome..."

Grant Stanton's smile reached his eyes as he held up his wine glass to the crowd. "She's my Vice President, Nicole. Please take good care of her."

"Vice President Nicole is so beautiful and talented. You must be very outstanding to be able to stay in Stanton Corporation..."

"That's really remarkable! Vice President Nicole, please take care of us in the future..."

"We must cooperate when we have the chance..."

Nicole maintained a decent and elegant smile and responded to everyone's greeting. Grant saw that it was almost time, so he patted her wrist and lowered his head to whisper a reminder in her ear. "President Lichman of J&L Corporation is upstairs, so let's go."

This was their purpose of coming here. Nicole nodded gently. Her long slender neck was flawless and her every move was simply amazing.

Not far away, Ingrid Ferguson and her clique of high-society ladies watched as Nicole accepted the crowd's praises. Their expressions were very amusing with all sorts of emotions because Nicole's diamond -studded dress stole all the attention away from their carefully selected dresses.

Ingrid looked especially shocked and angry because she already had an eye on Nicole's dress half a month ago. It was one of Louis Vuitton's private custom dresses. The diamonds on it were real diamonds from a famous jewelry brand. This dress was valued close to the nine figures and was only for display among the elites.

She had asked to rent this dress but was told that someone had already ordered it. Moreover, she was told that this dress could not be replicated because that mysterious lady wanted unique attention.

Who knew that the dress she wanted would be worn by Nicole?

'What's going on?' Ingrid thought.

Nicole used to be conservative and ugly when she was staying with the Fergusons. She only knew how to do chores around the house and did not even dare to utter a word. Nico le was so humble like a servant, but this woman in front of Ingrid was proud, confident, and had such a stunning aura. She was like a completely different person!

If it was not for the wrong occasion, Ingrid wanted to go up and tell everyone that Nicole was just an ugly, old-fashioned woman who had been abandoned by the Ferguson family. Ingrid wanted to tear off Nicole's confident mask and let everyone see how miserable and lowly Nicole actually was!

"What's going on? Ingrid, is Nicole really your sister-in-law? She's not ugly..."

"Yeah, she's so pretty! Did you see that? Her skin is glowing! I wonder where she does her facials..."

"Did you girls see the man next to her? He's so handsome and considerate! I just saw that your brother was also staring at her..."

Ingrid closed her eyelids to suppress the jealousy brewing in her eyes, she slammed the glass down on the side and coldly snorted.

"She got kicked out of my house, so what else can she do but hook up with other men? I'm sure that she's just a gold-digger trying to find a sugar daddy so that she won't have to worry for life..."