Chapter 242 - 240: The Drinker’s Intention Is Not in the Wine

Besides the father and son, there was also a refined-looking man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses. Cecilia Sterling took a closer look. Well, what do you know, she knew him too!

It was the lawyer who had handled Director Marshall’s divorce case—Lawyer Yves Quincy!

Yves Quincy was also startled to see Cecilia Sterling. His profession demanded an excellent memory, and he immediately blurted out, "Cecilia Sterling?"

"Lawyer Quincy, what a coincidence!"

The moment they met, they were the first to greet each other, which surprised the others.

As the junior, Henry Marshall didn’t dare say anything. However, he wasn’t as shocked to see Cecilia Sterling as he had been at noon. It seemed he already knew she would be at dinner tonight.

Winston Marshall, on the other hand, looked at the two in surprise. "Lawyer Quincy, you know Miss Sterling?"

Yves Quincy adjusted his glasses and nodded with a smile. "You could say that. I handled a case for Miss Sterling on behalf of a client."

Cecilia Sterling chimed in, "Lawyer Quincy helped my professor win his case. I haven’t even had the chance to thank you properly!"

"It was a guaranteed win. Not worth mentioning." As Yves Quincy spoke, his gaze toward Cecilia Sterling from behind his lenses grew somewhat profound.

’This young woman... not only is she navigating the social circles of Lorcain, but she’s also seen with Jeb. I used to just think she was a bit special for her age, but I never expected her to be this formidable.’

Wesley Yates’s reaction remained indifferent. While the others were talking, he had already taken a seat on his own, his presence radiating an effortless air of authority.

Cecilia Sterling naturally sat down in the seat beside him, only to look up and see the others across the table still standing.

Winston Marshall didn’t dare to sit, as he hadn’t yet greeted Wesley Yates. He quickly shot a meaningful glance at Yves Quincy.

Seeing this, Yves Quincy looked at Wesley Yates and began, "Jeb, this is Chairman Marshall of Zenith Group. There was a small misunderstanding with Miss Sterling before that ended up troubling you, so he wanted to find an opportunity to apologize to both Miss Sterling and you."

As soon as Yves Quincy finished speaking, Winston Marshall had already filled his glass. "Jeb, I’ve long heard of your great name. I was blind before, and my son is terribly spoiled. In any case, I’m here today to sincerely apologize to Miss Sterling and you, Jeb. Thank you for gracing me with your presence. I’ll empty my glass first as a sign of respect."

With that, he tilted his head back and drained the sizable glass of liquor in one gulp.

Henry Marshall, confused, glanced around before quickly following his father’s example and downing a glass of baijiu. The next second, he grimaced from the burning sensation.

Wesley Yates said nothing, merely turning his head to look at Cecilia Sterling.

Seeing this, a playful smile touched Cecilia Sterling’s lips. She then raised the small cup before her and returned the toast. Only then did Wesley Yates also pick up his glass.

This subtle gesture conveyed one clear message: Wesley Yates’s actions today would follow Cecilia Sterling’s lead.

Cecilia drinking the glass meant she accepted Winston Marshall’s apology, which was why Wesley Yates followed suit.

If Cecilia hadn’t made a move, Wesley Yates wouldn’t have either.

They were all shrewd people; how could they not understand the implication? It was just that both Yves Quincy and Winston Marshall were a little surprised. They never expected this young woman named Cecilia Sterling to be held in such high regard by Wesley Yates!

But Cecilia could also tell that Winston Marshall was just using the apology as a pretext. His real target was obviously Jeb, not her!

’It’s just that I’m the only connection Winston Marshall has to Jeb, so he’s using me as a Cloud Ladder to climb his way up to him.’

Cecilia didn’t need to say any of this out loud; Jeb had surely figured it out himself already.

"Everyone, please sit," Cecilia Sterling said, looking at them with a calm and composed expression. "Let’s not talk about apologies. I’ve already resolved the previous matter in my own way. The moment I walked away, it was over."

It wasn’t something proper to discuss anyway, and Cecilia had no desire to elaborate. But that one sentence was enough to make Henry Marshall too scared to even lift his head.

"Miss Sterling, you have real character. I gave him a good lesson when we got back, too. I grounded him for a month or two and didn’t let him leave the house," Winston Marshall said, going along with her.

Cecilia smiled without a word. ’Given the state Henry was beaten into, wouldn’t he need a month or two to recover anyway? How else could he show his face in public?’

Just then, Wesley Yates spoke softly, "A person’s nature is a hard thing to change. I don’t have any other requests. Cecilia is my sister. From now on, don’t you dare cross her again in Lorcain."

"Of course, absolutely!" Winston Marshall nodded repeatedly. Facing Wesley Yates, his previous stubbornness was gone, replaced by a respectful expression as he raised his glass. "I’ll have another as punishment. As long as you’re not angry, Jeb."

Wesley Yates’s fingers slid slowly along the rim of his glass. He said nonchalantly, "If Cecilia isn’t angry, then naturally, I’m not angry either."

"Miss Sterling, let’s have a drink." Yves Quincy proactively raised his glass. As he stood, he stretched out a long leg under the table and kicked Winston Marshall hard.

’His aim is too obvious,’ Yves Quincy thought. ’He keeps focusing on Jeb, but Cecilia is the real key. As long as she’s happy, winning over Jeb will be effortless.’

But as luck would have it, his kick, and it was a strong one, landed right on a nerve in Winston Marshall’s calf.

Winston Marshall had been standing perfectly straight, but his left leg immediately went numb. He instantly lost his balance and started to topple to the left.

"Dad!"

"Chairman Marshall!"

Henry Marshall cried out instinctively. Yves Quincy also quickly put down his glass to help. Fortunately, Winston Marshall managed to grab a nearby chair and avoid a truly embarrassing fall. Still, the loss of composure was completely unexpected. That, combined with having downed half a catty of baijiu, made his face flush beet red.

"Chairman Marshall, with a tolerance like that, you really shouldn’t be drinking this way. We’ve only just started and you’re already drunk," Cecilia Sterling commented teasingly when she saw this.

Wesley Yates also spoke up. "Since my sister has already said she isn’t angry, you all don’t need to be so tense. Just sit down and have a quiet meal."

Such a tense atmosphere was a waste of a table full of good food and wine.

Winston Marshall nodded with an embarrassed expression. Yves Quincy was even more speechless, letting out a sigh. After sitting back down, he picked up his glass again. "Miss Sterling, my toast is to you."

Cecilia Sterling returned the toast graciously. Beside her, Wesley Yates picked up his chopsticks and, for his first move, placed a piece of roe crab on her plate. "The roe crab here is excellent. You should try it."

"Thanks, brother."

Seeing Wesley Yates start to eat, the others also picked up their chopsticks. However, now that the previous matter was off-limits, the table fell silent, and the atmosphere became a bit stiff.

Noticing this, Yves Quincy took the initiative to speak. "Jeb, actually, Chairman Marshall has another important matter he’d like to discuss with you today."

"Oh, right. Yes." Winston Marshall caught on and nodded quickly. "I was thinking, an apology needs to show some sincerity. This one meal is definitely not enough."

Chewing on her roe crab, Cecilia Sterling watched Winston Marshall with an amused glint in her eyes. ’I knew it. His real intentions lay elsewhere. He’s using the apology as a pretext to get something from Jeb!’