Julian Winslow, just who exactly are you?
How could you mobilize the people from The Gilt Tower?!
This was no longer something a mere CEO of a listed company could do.
Walking inside, it seemed the people there had been waiting for her for quite some time.
Upon seeing her, they were briefly stunned before methodically leading her into a room.
Inside, the room was swathed in creamy white.
Sheer curtains swayed continuously in the breeze, and a massive chandelier adorned with radiant pearls looked all the more dazzling under the lights.
A huge mirror stood in the center of the room.
Shalma Hughes walked up and stood before it.
Looking at her own reflection, she felt a momentary daze.
She wondered if it would be too late to leave right now.
“You truly are beautiful.”
A voice rang out from behind her.
It was a melodious tone, yet entirely impossible to distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
TAP TAP TAP TAP!
Suddenly, another figure appeared in the mirror.
The person had neat short hair, fair skin, and slightly up-tilted, narrow, phoenix-like eyes.
Their thin lips were faintly tinted, and a stud in their right ear emitted a peculiar, shimmering blue light.
This person possessed the soft beauty of a woman, yet carried the heroic, dashing aura of a man.
The seductively blooming teardrop mole under their right eye, in particular, made it even harder to look away.
For a moment, Shalma actually couldn’t tell what this person’s gender was.
They walked over with a faint smile and stopped behind her, lifting her chin with a slender index finger.
“What an utterly breathtaking stunner.
No wonder my brother is completely smitten with you.”
Shalma deftly avoided the hand lifting her chin and stepped aside.
Casting her beautiful eyes over, she asked, “Are you Julian’s younger brother or sister?” Her tone was full of teasing, but she couldn’t be blamed.
The person before her was truly too difficult to decipher in both attire and aura.
“I don’t mind.
Future sister-in-law, you can view me as a woman or view me as a man.
It’s just a gender.
I couldn’t care less.” Stella Winslow’s words were nothing short of shocking.
Shalma furrowed her brows.
“What did you just call me?
Future sister-in-law?!”
Has my brother not proposed yet?” Stella’s narrow eyes were brimming with amusement.
“…I think I’d better get going.
Whether you’re a beautiful girl or a handsome guy, let’s chat another day.” With that, Shalma prepared to head for the door.
She was inwardly annoyed, realizing she had nearly fallen into his trap.
It seemed tonight’s banquet would definitely not be simple.
She vaguely felt that if she went tonight, she and he would be entangled forever, with no end in sight.
However, things rarely went according to one’s wishes.
Just as Shalma reached the doorway, the door suddenly swung open.
Julian elegantly entered.
As usual, he was dressed in black over a perfectly pressed white shirt, his handsome face looking as if it were carved from jade.
If there was any difference from his everyday look, it was that he was wearing a tailcoat today, looking as elegant as a noble gentleman stepping right out of the Middle Ages.
He looked at her with an indifferent gaze, yet asked, “Stella!
Where are the clothes I asked you to prepare?”
“Oh…
they’re right here!
Big brother, can you stop dressing so somberly all the time?
It’s so boring just looking at it.” Stella glanced at Julian’s attire and curled their lips, seemingly quite disapproving of his taste.
Julian ignored Stella’s words.
His gaze remained fixed on Shalma before him.
“Trying to run away again?”
“You only need a female companion.
With a single word from you, thousands of women would be waiting in line.
Why must it be me?” Shalma truly didn’t understand at this moment.
Why did the man before her keep provoking her time and time again?
They had clearly agreed on a mere six-month arrangement, and their relationship had already ended two months ago.
“Shalma, there are some things that, just because you started them, doesn’t mean you have the ability to end them.
Understood?” Julian raised an eyebrow, his expression calm.
“You mean that even if I’m unwilling, you’ll still force me to go with you today, right?” Shalma’s eyes darkened.
Julian looked at the delicate face before him.
This face was truly born with a bewitching charm; even he couldn’t deny being drawn to it.
“Do you know what true force is?” Saying this, he stepped forward and brushed his hand through her long hair.
In a voice only she could hear, he added, “If you aren’t obedient, I wouldn’t mind letting you experience it.”
Shalma was left speechless.
She felt that the man in front of her was nothing but a hooligan—handsome on the outside, but rotten on the inside.
At that moment, Stella had already ordered someone to bring the clothes over.
There were three gowns in total.
Shalma looked over with angry, beautiful eyes.
In no mood to pick out a gown, she grabbed one at random.
“My, my!
Future sister-in-law truly has a great eye.
My brother really likes this gown too,” Stella said from the sidelines, clasping their hands together, narrow eyes full of stars as they shamelessly flattered her.
As soon as Shalma heard it was a favorite of Julian’s, she immediately put the gown back and picked up the qipao instead.
Holding the qipao in one hand, she cast a provocative glance at Julian, her eyes practically declaring, “You like that one, so I absolutely refuse to wear it.”
She was then led into the dressing room by Stella.
When Shalma emerged from the dressing room in the qipao, it seemed, for that split second, as though all the beauty in the world paled in comparison.
Shalma’s beauty had always been ostentatious and aggressive.
Yet, upon wearing the qipao, this kind of beauty was perfectly concealed.
Her ostentation and aggression transformed into gentleness and delicacy.
Her slender waist looked as though it could be held in one hand.
The delicate gold thread piping along the collar, cuffs, and hem added a touch of regal elegance, while her fluid, graceful bearing exuded a refined freshness.
“Absolutely stunning!” Stella blurted out in astonishment.
Julian was similarly mesmerized by Shalma.
He had always known she was beautiful, but at this moment, the woman before him was as breathtaking as a goddess descending from the heavens.
When Julian appeared at the banquet venue with Shalma on his arm, it instantly caused a commotion.
Countless camera flashes went off, blinding Shalma so much that she could hardly keep her eyes open.
She instinctively tried to raise a hand to block the light, but before she could even move, the man beside her cast her a deep, profound smile.
The meaning behind that smile was clear—they were in the public eye right now, and she couldn’t make any other moves except to smile.
“Mr.
Winslow, is the female companion beside you your fiancée?”
“Mr.
Winslow!
Mr.
Winslow!
Mr.
Winslow!
Please answer this—has Winslow Corp been aggressively annexing small and medium-sized enterprises recently?”
“Mr.
Winslow!
Are you planning to get married soon?
Please answer…”