Chapter 338 - 336: Buffs Fully Stacked

Cecilia Sterling’s remarks were nothing short of scathing, and the men at the table flushed, their necks growing red.

But if you thought these men were red-faced with shame, you’d be dead wrong!

Cecilia Sterling never expected these arrogant men to find a single shred of self-awareness in the words of a young woman like her.

They flushed red with pent-up rage, incensed at being mercilessly mocked by a young woman and unable to lash out given the occasion.

The atmosphere became awkward to the extreme. Even James Lockwood, wanting to smooth things over, was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to begin.

"Miss Sterling certainly has a silver tongue. She even brought up Empress Wright."

Someone finally tried to break the silence, attempting to give the men an out. He chuckled sheepishly. "President Cross was just making a joke. Why take it so seriously?"

Cecilia Sterling looked calmly at Director Cross. His face was dark and ugly, unable to conceal that her words had made him lose face.

’His business might be big, but his mind is smaller than the eye of a needle.’

’It wasn’t that she was targeting Chairman Cross specifically. What she really wanted to express was that every single one of them at the table was trash!’

"A joke is only a joke if both sides find it funny. If one person finds it funny while the other feels uncomfortable, then it’s not a joke—it’s an offense!"

Cecilia Sterling paid no mind to Director Cross’s increasingly ugly expression and continued with composure, "Besides, I’m not angry. I was just speaking my mind. As a woman, if even Empress Wright had to deal with such things, what reason do I have to be angry?"

By now, James Lockwood was drenched in sweat.

He couldn’t care less about how the others felt; his only concern was for his major benefactor, Miss Sterling. He had invited her today with the best of intentions, hoping to help her expand her high-society network in the new media industry, but he never expected something like this to happen.

Fortunately, just as he was starting to fear things would spiral out of control, the event began.

The lights in the venue dimmed instantly, leaving only the stage illuminated. The event’s emcee, a well-known host in the country, went through the standard opening remarks before the head of the organizing sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, came up to give a speech.

Cecilia Sterling listened distractedly, unable to muster the slightest bit of interest in this type of cocktail party and banquet.

She turned to look back at Blair and found her staring blankly, her gaze unfocused. Although beautiful, she exuded an aura that was completely at odds with the event.

Cecilia Sterling felt a laugh coming on.

But as her gaze shifted, she locked eyes with someone else who was looking right at her.

Cecilia Sterling froze for a second. ’It’s him?’

’The male celebrity from the plane who mistook her for a stalker fan.’

Gideon Hale had actually noticed Cecilia Sterling much earlier. However, her seat was in front of his, and even though he was a top-tier celebrity, he could only get a seat in the second row. As a result, he had only been able to see her profile and the back of her head.

Caught off guard, they locked eyes. Gideon Hale gave a nod by way of greeting, and Cecilia Sterling simply returned it with a slight incline of her head.

A sudden burst of enthusiastic applause startled Cecilia Sterling. She came to her senses and realized the speaker had finished his speech.

The room instantly grew noisy and lively. The banquet had now officially begun.

Cecilia Sterling took the opportunity to stand up and whisper to James Lockwood, "I’m going to the restroom."

As she moved, the eyes of the others at the table followed her in unison. It wasn’t until she was at a distance that Director Cross shook his head with a cold smile and said in the tone of a seasoned veteran, "So young, yet so aggressive. She’s bound to hit a wall sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, James Lockwood’s expression soured. "Director Cross, Miss Sterling is my friend. If you have any issue with her, you can take it up with me, not deliberately provoke her in a public setting like this."

As a fellow company president, James Lockwood wasn’t afraid of him. They usually maintained a veneer of harmony to keep things civil, but if someone truly crossed a line, he wasn’t one to just cower and take it.

The same, of course, could be said for Director Cross.

He turned his head to look at James Lockwood, his expression meaningful. "President Lockwood, this Miss Sterling has invested in a few of your company’s projects, so I can understand why you’re defending her. But the rest of us have no financial ties to her."

"She’s just a little brat. How much respect do you expect me to show her?"

"Miss Sterling earned her own respect; she doesn’t need you to ’give’ it to her," James Lockwood retorted, his anger flaring as his tone grew heavy. "And Director Cross, don’t think so highly of yourself. You see a young, beautiful woman and you can’t resist the urge to lecture her, regardless of whether she needs or wants your ’wisdom’!"

This statement was tantamount to grinding Director Cross’s dignity into the dirt.

The others looked slightly stunned and quickly chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

"Whoa, there’s no need for that."

"It’s just the heat of the moment. President Lockwood, your words were a bit harsh!"

"Right, right, let’s all just drop it!"

Director Cross was also taken aback. He never thought James Lockwood would be so disrespectful to him over some young woman.

"We’ve known each other for so many years. Are you really dead set on turning on me for some little girl?" Director Cross demanded coldly.

James Lockwood slowly rose to his feet. He looked at Director Cross and said, "Miss Sterling is currently the biggest investor in Goldman Golding. Making her unhappy is tantamount to smashing my livelihood. Director Cross, you’ve provoked the wrong person!"

With that, James Lockwood turned and left the table, leaving Director Cross sitting there, his face contorted with rage.

At the restroom, Cecilia Sterling came out after washing her hands to find James Lockwood waiting outside. She glanced around in surprise before asking, "President Lockwood, are you waiting for me?"

James Lockwood felt a genuine sense of apology. He stepped forward with a guilty expression and said, "Miss Sterling, I am truly sorry about today. I never imagined they would be so arrogant and rude."

"When you all get together, you rarely have a woman of equal status at your table, do you? And one my age is even rarer, right?" Cecilia Sterling asked with a smile.

James Lockwood thought for a moment. It wasn’t that there were no women with status and seniority in the industry, but they were few and far between. And as for one as young as Miss Sterling? There were none.

James Lockwood nodded.

Cecilia Sterling gave a wry smile. "This has nothing to do with you. If I were a man, I’d probably be praised as a ’brilliant young talent’ or ’accomplished for his age.’ The words ’woman’ and ’success’ together are enough to send their minds racing. And if you add ’young’ to the mix, well, then my ’buffs’ are fully stacked."

"They just never showed their true colors before because no one like me ever appeared. President Lockwood, you don’t need to take responsibility for them. In their eyes, they’d rather believe in aliens, ghosts, and goblins than accept that a young, successful woman can actually exist!"

These words made James Lockwood feel even more ashamed.

"In any case, I was the one who insisted on inviting you, Miss Sterling. I never expected it to be such a terrible experience for you. I am truly, very sorry."