Alex knew he didn't need to worry about Jason's insults. Instead, he looked at Jason and smiled. "The Ferrari was pretty great. Do you remember how I tied you to it and the exhaust pipe singed your hair?" he asked.
Jason remembered it well. His heart started beating faster as he recalled that Alex had then gone on to defeat Fergus Plummer. Jason took a step back. "Shut up!" he said, glaring at Alex with pure hatred. "I'll pay you back for everything you've done."
"What's going on?" called a voice from the direction of the door. "What are you all doing here?"
They turned to see Darryl standing there, looking tall and handsome in his black suit. Myriam stood next to him, wearing a black dress.
Darryl and Myriam weren't happy to see Alex. They still felt humiliated after being forced to kneel to him in the lounge of the Olympic Sports Center. They had managed to suppress most of the idle chatter about the incident, but every once in a while, someone who had been there would shoot them a knowing look. If more people had found out, Darryl's image would have been destroyed.
Even now, Darryl was furious enough to kill Alex.
"Why are you here?" Darryl asked, glaring at him.
"Alex, you jerk!" Myriam screeched. "How dare you show your face around here!" She picked up a fork and hurled it at Alex, who raised his hand and batted it away.
Everyone watched, gaping in shock.
"Darryl, has this man offended you in some way?" someone asked.
Myriam gestured angrily at Alex. "At the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, this loser—"
"Quiet!" Darryl interrupted her. It was bad enough that he had been humiliated once. He didn't need Myriam telling everyone about it.
"Sorry, Darryl," Myriam said, hanging her head. "I lost my temper, and I nearly said too much."
"How did he get in here?" Darryl asked, looking around at the others. "This is an exclusive party. Why has no one thrown him out?"
"He must have been pretending to be a valet," Jason said, smirking at Alex. "Let's ask security to throw him out."
The others agreed, calling out their opinions.
"Yeah! Let's get rid of this loser!"
"Let security deal with him."
"No, we should lock him up somewhere until the party is over. We can't let him get away with everything he's done. It's time we got our revenge!"
Alex clenched his fists as he looked around at them. "I was invited by the sultan of Brunei!" he said. "What right do you have to drive me out of here?"
Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then they all burst out laughing. Several of them pointed at him, jeering.
"Invited by the sultan of Brunei? Who does he think he is? Even David wasn't personally invited by the sultan."
"He's crazy! The sultan would be more likely to invite a dog than someone like him."
"I've never heard anyone boast so outrageously before. Does he really expect us to believe this nonsense?"
"The sultan is due to arrive at any moment," Jason said. "Shall we get rid of this loser now?"
"Absolutely!" they all agreed, sneering as they approached Alex.
Alex shook out his muscles, preparing to defend himself. Anyone who dared attack him would regret it.
As they reached out to grab Alex, the door opened, and the sultan entered, accompanied by some of the most prominent people in the city.
Startled, Alex's attackers backed away, not wanting to make a bad impression.
Alex spotted Nelly following the sultan and several important-looking men in suits. The hall was crowded, and the sultan didn't notice Alex.
Myriam nudged Darryl. "Why is Nelly walking behind the sultan?"
Darryl shrugged. "Maybe the sultan feels sorry for her," he suggested.
After the sultan had sat down, a city official stepped forward. "Thank you for coming," he said. "And I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I have some bad news. Unfortunately, her Majesty, Queen Zora, has died. So, let us observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect for the queen."
Nelly and the sultan seemed grief-stricken, and Alex noticed that they both wore a small white flower pinned on their clothes as a mark of respect.
After Zora's death, the sultan and the main leaders of the city had agreed to suppress what had happened at the West Lake guesthouse. To protect the reputation of both countries, they had simply announced that Zora had fallen gravely ill and had not recovered.
Once the minute's silence had ended, the city government stepped forward. "The sultan is ready to announce whether he will invest his five billion dollars in Washington, D.C., or in New York. And I know that, no matter the result, we will respect his Majesty's decision."
The important families from Washington, D.C., all relaxed. Surely the governor was merely being polite. After all, if the sultan had chosen to invest in New York, then this event would have been held there.
They all smiled politely.
The governor continued speaking. "The sultan will announce the results after dinner."
From her place beside the sultan, Nelly looked over at Alex. When their eyes met, Nelly gave him a sad smile and then looked away. She's still grieving for Zora, Alex thought.
Everyone began to eat. Alex had chosen a simple meal, causing the others to make fun of him. They nudged each other and snickered, rolling their eyes.
"School meals are always such poor quality," Colin said, looking over at Alex. "You'd think a student would take the chance to eat better when they're in the best hotel in Washington, D.C."
"Yes, he's lowering the whole tone of the place," Jason said. He turned to Alex. "Didn't you say that the sultan invited you? Well, he's right over there, so why don't we ask him?"
Alex smiled. "Go right ahead."
"Ooh, such a brave man," Jason said. "If the sultan hadn't arrived when he did, we would have driven you out!"
The others nodded their agreement.
Darryl pointed at Alex with his fork. "Alex, as you can see, all the most important people in the city are here," he said. "When the banquet is over, we'll tell them about you gatecrashing this event. And what do you think they'll do to you then?"
Everyone laughed and taunted Alex.
"Let's see you survive in the city when its leaders are against you."
"As soon as the meal is over, we'll report this loser and let the authorities deal with him."
"See how calm he looks? I hope he enjoys his meal. After all, it might be his last."
Alex didn't take them seriously and simply continued to eat.
The sultan was still mourning the death of his wife, but as the leader of a nation, he had to continue working to advance his country's interests. The investment of five billion dollars had been planned for some time, and he had to see it through.
He sat at a table, trying to hide his heartbreak, while he spoke with the city leaders. He glanced around and spotted Alex sitting at another table.
When Zora had been dying, she had asked him to take care of Nelly and her friends, so the sultan wanted to see Alex before returning home.
Darryl, Myriam, Colin, and Jason saw the sultan looking in their direction. Surprised, they sneaked glances at him as they whispered to each other.
"Do you think the sultan wants us to be involved with his investment?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"That would be great! Hey, I can't see the sultan from here. What's he doing? Is he still looking at our table?"
The sultan spoke in Malay to one of his bodyguards, asking him to invite Alex to join him.
A moment later, the bodyguard walked toward Alex's table.
"The sultan has sent someone over!" Jason whispered. "Is he going to invite us to sit at his table? But there isn't enough room for all of us!"
"I think the sultan wants to invite one of us to join him," Colin said. "Look at his expression! He seems to be very interested in us."
The others agreed, everyone talking at once.
"Yes, the sultan must want to invite one of us. But who?"
"It must be Jason. His family works in the internet industry, and Brunei needs to upgrade their networks."
"I think it's Colin. Maybe the sultan is looking for a suitable husband for his daughter. It must be Colin."
Myriam hugged Darryl's arm and said, "I think it's Darryl. He's already made a very good impression on the sultan. Perhaps he wants to say goodbye to Darryl before he leaves."