Cecilia paused for a moment. It wasn't as exaggerated as Gabriella described, but he indeed was quite handsome.
As Gabriella continued gushing, Lucy, standing beside Cecilia, struggled to hold back her laughter, with tears welling up in her eyes.
The evening event was about to begin, and the seating arrangement was according to the guests' status. Lucy sat with Cecilia towards the back.
The host on stage was following the agenda, and whether intentionally or not, the camera on the big screen repeatedly focused on the front row, precisely on Tristan sitting in the middle. Each time, it stirred a wave of cheers.
The host looked at him, seemingly wanting him to come up on stage and say a few words. Tristan lifted his gaze, casually glanced at the camera, and pursed his lips, exuding an air of authority.
The camera shook for a moment before cutting back to the stage, and thereafter, it didn't dare to sweep towards the front row again, leaving even the leading actors and actresses in the first row without any camera attention.
Lucy tilted her head and sighed, "Cecilia, your husband has such a strong presence. Just one glance and the cameraman's hands were trembling. Look at yourself, the employees at your own company only know Mr. Princess, they don't recognize you, the rightful heir of the conglomerate, who's assigned to work as an editor at a magazine."
Cecilia lowered her head and picked at the newly done nails from yesterday. "My dad wants me to gain more experience at the grassroots level."
"Gaining experience is not like this. He should have directly let you enter the headquarters and find an experienced senior executive to guide you through the company's operations, making it a smooth transition for you to take over the company. Although your dad used to treat you well, as the saying goes, when you have a stepmother, you have a stepfather too. You can't just listen to him. What if your stepmother gives birth to a younger brother in the future, and he gets a share of the company through the child? You'll be at a loss. You need to learn from your husband and find a way to keep control of the company in your own hands. Only then you won't be taken advantage of by that crafty Lydia."
Lucy advised Cecilia based on her experience playing supporting roles in several wealthy family inheritance dramas.
Cecilia couldn't help but chuckle. Ever since her parents were preparing for divorce, the assets of the Sterling family had been redistributed. Besides the company shares and the house her father currently resided in, all other assets were placed under her name. Even in terms of the company shares, she didn't have any less than her father.
"Just look at your husband. So domineering. I heard that he's now the one calling the shots at NexaGlobal Group. Even his own father has been sidelined, not to mention those illegitimate children his father had outside. His father can't even step foot into the NexaGlobal headquarters. You need to learn from your husband."
"It's not that easy. The members of the board of directors aren't pushovers either. I don't know anything about it, and if I go in, they will surely marginalize me." Cecilia had mentioned this to her father before. When she discovered that her father, Dominic Sterling, was keeping a mistress, she had a huge fight with Dominic. In order to prevent the mistress from taking advantage after her parents' divorce, she proposed taking over the company. However, she had spent the first twenty years of her life carefree and ignorant about managing a company. If it weren't for her parents' failed marriage and the mistress taking over, she would have continued doing what interested her, without considering inheriting the family business. Of course, Dominic couldn't hand over the company to her with such uncertainty.
"Have your husband help you, you're a couple. Let him go to Starlight Entertainment and shake those shareholders. I guarantee no one will dare to object."
SterlingCecilia chuckled twice, "Do you think he looks familiar to me?"
Lucy: ".... Aren't you married for over three months? Still not familiar?"
SterlingCecilia glanced at her, "Stop acting like you've never seen the world. It's a business alliance, and he has already inherited his family's company. He's as busy as a flying man in the air. It's normal not to be familiar."
Lucy: "..." It's not that she hasn't seen the world, but she has never seen a woman who says she's not familiar with her husband after getting married. "Then isn't he here because of you today?"
SterlingCecilia gestured with her hand the distance between Tristan and herself, "Do they look like it?"
Indeed, from this perspective, they didn't. But Lucy used her imagination as a third-rate actress.
"Maybe he thought it would be too late for you to go home alone after the party, so he specifically came to pick you up and go home together."
SterlingCecilia looked dignified and cold, "I have a driver and bodyguards." There's no such thing as going home alone.
Well, she's a rich woman.
Lucy kept her mouth shut.
After the party, most of the people present stayed behind, holding their wine glasses, networking with familiar faces. Adrian Whitfield, the owner of the Crown Elite International Hotel, happened to come over. He and Tristan had a good relationship, and they chatted for a while. SterlingCecilia bid farewell to Isla and asked Lucy, "Hasn't your company provided you with a car yet?"
Lucy nodded and said, "I'll take a taxi myself."
"My driver has already come, I'll give you a ride."
Lucy glanced in Tristan's direction, "Aren't you going with your husband?"
SterlingCecilia murmured, picked up her bag, and said, "He probably has something to discuss with his friend. I don't need to waste time waiting for him."
Her tone was natural, not like a wife having a quarrel with her husband, indicating that this is their usual way of getting along.
They attended the same event but didn't go home together at night. They really are an unfamiliar couple.
Lucy surrendered.
The two of them took a few steps outside, and Cecilia's phone buzzed, she raised it and glanced at the message, it was from Tristan.
"Come, ride with me in my car."
Cecilia was somewhat surprised and instinctively typed, "But my driver is already waiting for me outside."
Miss Marissa Whitfield of the Whitfield Family was the epitome of adoration, envied by everyone around her. Not only did she come from a prestigious background, but she also had a childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Chambers Redfern, the third son of the renowned Redfern Family in Silver City.
However, Marissa, being arrogant and haughty, underestimated her privileges and looked down on others, believing herself to be the sole daughter of the Whitfield Family, while Chambers was merely one of Mr. Redfern's five sons. In essence, Chambers was the one who was trying to climb the social ladder by being with her.
Later on, when the Whitfield Family suffered financial ruin, those who once fawned over Marissa now ridiculed and awaited Chambers to abandon her.
Marissa knew she had offended many people, and with the downfall of the Whitfield Family, there were countless individuals who wanted to destroy her. To salvage her reputation, she fled the country overnight, disappearing without a trace.
Little did she know that Chambers had searched high and low for her, even causing a commotion throughout Silver City.
Eventually, when people mentioned Silver City, they only knew of the wealthy Redfern Family and were unaware of the once-dominant Whitfield Family. Recognizing that her time in the spotlight had passed, Marissa returned to her hometown.
At a banquet, she was recognized by a rich second-generation whom she had previously offended. The individual publicly humiliated her, demanding that she become their mistress.
Just as Marissa clenched her fist, ready to strike, Chambers intervened, knocking the person to the ground. It was the newly-appointed leader of the Redfern Family—Chambers himself.
At that event, Marissa, as Chambers's fiancée, once again became the center of attention within Silver City's high society.
That evening, Chambers cornered Marissa in the car, cautiously asking, "Are you thinking I seek revenge? To raise you to the highest heights and then cruelly discard you?"
Chambers reached out, gently caressing her swollen lips, his voice husky, "I intend to marry you and make you Mrs. Redfern, and then slowly torment you."
Lucy Preston asked as soon as the message was sent, "Who are you chatting with???"
Cecilia Sterling candidly replied, "Tristan Harrington asked me to go with him."
Lucy's eyes lit up, as if a candy-loving fan had stumbled upon a candy bin. She quickly and decisively said, "If you're going with him, I'll take a taxi back."