Madeline’s face instantly shifted between an interesting range of colors. Wasn’t the most sightly thing to
see, but Quentin ignored her. “Ellie, I’ve heard that you were the highest scorer in the college entrance
examination for your city. That’s an amazing feat! Which university did you apply to?” Elise chuckled.
“Tissote University! But I still haven’t gotten my letter of admission yet. It’ll probably arrive in a few more
days.”
“Tissote University is among the crème de la crème nationally! Since you managed to get a spot there,
it just shows how smart you are! I’m so proud of you!” Quentin had a look of pride on his face. He
couldn’t wait to announce this piece of good news to the world. “Thank you for all the compliments. I’ll
continue to work hard.” “Do your best! I have high expectations of you.” Everybody could see every one
of the pair’s interactions. Madeline was well and thoroughly stunned. She never once thought that Elise
and Quentin would know each other, and from the looks of things, they were close as well.
The bystanders were smart; they had been a little taken aback by Elise when they saw her, a strange
girl, dancing with Alexander, earlier. Now that they saw her interacting affectionately with Quentin, they
surmised that Elise was no ordinary girl. Right then, Maya approached them with her father, Maxwell,
alongside. “Mr. Fassbender, this is my daughter, Maya.” Maya was all smiles as she greeted Quentin.
“Pleased to meet you, Uncle Quentin!” Quentin raised an eyebrow slightly. He couldn’t accept others
calling him that, so he gave Maya a terse reply. “No need for such stiff politeness, Miss Dahlen!”
His curt response was enough to establish his attitude; his tone with her and with Elise seemingly came
from two different people! Maya couldn’t quite hide her expression now, but she was mindful of her
family’s business, so she didn’t dare to raise her voice at Quentin. She simply smiled instead. “I’ve
heard about you for a long time, Uncle Quentin. Now that I’ve met you in person, you seem to be a little
different from what all the legends say. After all, the Quentin Fassbender that people whisper of is a
solemn and serious businessman. However, I feel like you’re far friendlier than what the rumors said
about you.”
Her choice of words was absolutely beautiful; no regular person would have been able to find a flaw in
her spiel. But Quentin was no regular man; he had long since gotten used to hearing people trying to
get into his good books like this, so he didn’t feel any way toward Maya. He just didn’t feel right with
how she addressed him. “Miss Dahlen, we aren’t that close to each other. Please, call me Mr.
Fassbender.”
Maya wasn’t the only one affected by this, her expression changing upon hearing that; even Madeline
began to ruminate on this turn of events. Prior to this, Maya had been talking about how close she was
with Quentin and how highly he thought of her. Now that Madeline saw what just happened, things
weren’t as how Maya said they were. On the contrary, Elise seemed even closer to Quentin than Maya
was! However, Elise is just a country bumpkin. How did she get to know a man of high status like
Quentin? Is there something that I’m not aware of?
Maxwell swiftly came to Maya’s rescue. “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Fassbender! Maya calling you
‘Uncle Quentin’ isn’t exactly appropriate. After all, you look so young, and you don’t look like you’re
much older than Maya. She didn’t quite notice this, so please, don’t take offense to my daughter.” It
was simple, but there was an extra layer to his words when he placed Quentin on the same level as
Maya—Maxwell’s motives were plain as day.
The only reason Quentin came here today was to see Elise. If he hadn’t known that Elise would be
here at this banquet, he wouldn’t have attended such an occasion to socialize with others. Now that he
had met Elise, he was no longer willing to spend another minute here. So, he said, “I have some other
business to attend to, Mr. Dahlen, so I’ll be on my way!” “Don’t you want to stay a little longer? If there’s
anything you need, I can make the arrangements—” However, Quentin didn’t give Maxwell a chance to
finish as he simply turned to Elise. “Ellie, my girl, remember to let me know if you need anything,
okay?”
Elise nodded, having picked up on his intentions. “Got it!” Quentin dipped his head before turning
around and leaving with his entourage, completely ignoring everyone else. The moment he left, the
atmosphere in the hall immediately changed. Everyone had seen how Quentin treated Elise, and they
quickly approached her, clamoring for her attention like groveling limpets. “Hello there, Miss Sinclair.
I’m Sprowls from Bluestar Enterprises. Nice to meet you.” “Miss Sinclair, you’re such a beautiful lady.
Please take a look at our company if you have the time.
It’s a company with a bright future ahead.” “Here’s my name card, Miss Sinclair! I hope that you’ll keep
an eye on our company in the future.” Elise was wordless. She knew that their sudden one-eighty was
because of Quentin. She also knew what their thoughts truly were. The next moment, Madeline
changed her tune as well, and she grabbed Elise’s hand. “It was my fault earlier, Elise! You’re a grown
woman; please don’t hold it against me.” Elise raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Alexander,
who was off to the side. He answered her with a smile, but he didn’t speak.
Elise was grateful for his trust in her, so she withdrew her gaze and looked at Madeline. “Don’t be a
stranger, Mrs. Griffith. We’re family, after all. We don’t have to be so stiff with each other.” Madeline
was so touched by this that she nearly cried. “You’re so understanding, Elise! I was blind earlier. That
being said, how did you know Mr. Fassbender?” All Elise said was, “He was a neighbor of mine ages
ago. There’s nothing else to it.”
This revelation immediately dropped a roadblock in Madeline’s plans. She had been thinking that if
Elise and Quentin were that close, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible for the Griffiths to make inroads
with the Fassbenders. But now that Elise said so, her plan wouldn’t work anymore. Well, I suppose
that’s to be expected. How could anyone just easily worm their way into the Fassbender Family’s
graces, when they were a single, large trove of wealth? Madeline’s demeanor promptly chilled. Elise
didn’t mind this change. “It’s getting late now. I’ll be going first.”
Madeline made a noise of affirmation. “Sure. You may take your leave.” Alexander then called out from
the side, “I’ll go with you.” Madeline wanted to stop him, but this time, she caught sight of Elise, and
she decided to drop the notion. She just allowed the pair to leave. After they left the banquet, Elise’s
eyes darted around. Alexander got a little curious then. “What are you looking for?” Elise fixed her gaze
on her target, her eyes glinting.
“Over there.” Alexander followed her gaze, and he saw a Rolls-Royce parked by the side of the road.
He could already guess who owned it. “Is it Mr. Fassbender?” Elise made a sound of affirmation. “Papa
signaled to me before he left to come out and find him. That’s why I was in such a hurry to leave.” Elise
walked over to the car with quick steps as she explained to Alexander. When she neared the car, the
chauffeur got out and opened the door for her most respectfully.
“Please take a seat, Miss!” Elise thanked him and got into the car. Alexander followed suit. With the
door now closed, the car began to slowly take off and leave the grounds. “Papa!” A smile bloomed on
Quentin’s face when Elise called out to him. “Ah, Ellie, you didn’t acknowledge me as your godfather
earlier in front of everyone. Were you worried I would embarrass you?”
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