"Please, have a seat."
As Carmen Case sat down, Ronan pulled out a chair and sat behind the bearded man.
The lounge area of the banquet hall wasn't particularly spacious; the tables were quite close together.
Because of their previous encounter with Leonardo, Ronan and Carmen Case had become somewhat acquainted. Unlike most Americans, Ronan didn't view people from Eastern Europe with prejudice.
In his experience, the quality of Eastern European girls surpassed that of American girls. Girls like Nikiya, Angelica, and Mila Azul were much more appealing than the likes of Jenna Jameson, with her fake assets.
These observations were kept to himself.
Ronan discreetly observed Carmen Case. The Estonian model was tall, with long legs, and possessed both beauty and charm, albeit lacking in ample bosom.
But considering her height of nearly six feet, it was quite normal. Not every woman could be as endowed as the first daughter from his past life, who was exceptionally tall and generously endowed.
Most women with such tall and slender figures tended to lack in fierceness.
Guided by Ronan's subtle cues, Carmen Case began discussing her life before and after the upheavals in Eastern Europe. Ronan appeared genuinely attentive, both to Carmen's words and to the commotion behind them.
The bearded man behind them was complaining to someone, "Kate's getting too close to that jerk. He flirts with women everywhere, and Kate acts like she doesn't see it..."
His words carried evident frustration.
Ronan welcomed the display of frustration; the more, the better.
He continued to appear attentive.
For anyone, it would be unsettling to see their girlfriend or even fiancée getting too close to a charming womanizer.
"These past few years, life has gradually improved," Carmen Case said with a smile. "My modeling career has also taken off. Tonight, I was invited by the sponsor to attend, and unexpectedly, I ran into Leonardo."
Clearly, this young girl under twenty was highly displeased with Leonardo's attempts to flirt with other women and then with her.
Tonight, as with the last time, Ronan found Leonardo's words and actions very distasteful.
In a somewhat hoarse voice, Ronan said, "Leonardo is too full of himself. Carmen, you'd better stay away from him."
The conversation behind them abruptly ceased.
Carmen Case found it odd that Ronan's voice had suddenly become hoarse since they sat down. She remained composed and nodded, "Okay."
Ronan winked at Carmen and said, "Do you know how much of a jerk Leonardo is? He failed to seduce you, so he took Kate Winslet to the terrace. People say they're involved, who knows, they might be fooling around on the terrace."
Carmen Case was about to respond when a man sitting opposite them suddenly stood up and hurried towards the terrace.
What's going on? She was a bit confused.
Ronan reached out and stopped her. "Let's go check it out," he said, adding, "Leonardo's involved."
Being suddenly grabbed by someone she had just met, Carmen Case felt a bit startled. But upon hearing the last sentence, she stood up smoothly, allowing Ronan to lead her towards the terrace.
"What's happening?" she asked in a low voice.
Following Ronan, she felt excited and looked forward to what would happen next.
This person called Ronan Anderson was young but interesting.
Hmm... seems quite calculating.
That's both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Calculative people tend to have many thoughts; those who aren't tend to be too simple. Her experiences in the modeling industry had confirmed one thing for her: simple people mostly ended up as losers in life.
Ronan's thoughts were actually quite simple. If he encountered such a woman, it would be great to get her, but if not, he wouldn't force it. After all, his main focus at this stage was on his business.
As for Leonardo, if the opportunity arose, with or without Carmen Case, he wouldn't miss it.
"Leonardo!" Even before reaching the terrace, Ronan heard an angry British shout, "You bastard!"
"Quick!" He pulled Carmen.
Carmen followed Ronan closely for a few steps, then heard a female voice, "Jim Terrington!"
This voice drew the attention of many people, and even some curious onlookers walked a few steps closer.
Ronan stopped where about five or six people were gathered. This position provided a good view of everything happening on the terrace.
Perfect, a punch thrown by the bearded man landed heavily on Leonardo's left eye, despite Kate Winslet's attempts to intervene.
Carmen quickly covered her mouth, appearing surprised, but in reality, she was hiding her smile.
Leonardo was taken aback, never expecting someone to dare lay hands on a 1.5-billion-dollar leading man!
Kate Winslet, who had openly cohabited with men since she was sixteen, was far more mature in her thinking than Leonardo, but a woman's strength meant she couldn't do much at the moment.
The bearded man called Jim Terrington landed another punch on Leonardo's right eye.
In his black suit, Leonardo transformed from a Black Panther into a giant panda in an instant.
"Ahh!" Leonardo's screams echoed.
Carmen grabbed Ronan's arm tightly, her other hand covering her mouth, her shoulder slightly trembling as if trying hard to suppress her laughter.
"That's enough! Jim Terrington! Stop it!" Kate Winslet roared like a lioness. Only then did Leonardo react, trying to retaliate.
Two men fought while Kate stood between them, trying to calm the situation. More people gathered around, some trying to mediate.
Ronan knew it was time to leave. He whispered to Carmen, "Let's go."
Carmen nodded and followed Ronan as they squeezed out of the crowd and headed for the banquet hall's exit.
The corridor was deserted. Carmen couldn't hold back anymore; she grabbed Ronan's arm and burst into laughter, tears almost streaming down her face.
Ronan chuckled; how could he resist such a stroke of luck?
"Did you see Leonardo hiding behind a woman?" Carmen held onto Ronan's arm, delighted. "He's like a coward!"
A waiter entered the corridor, and Ronan gestured for silence. Carmen stopped immediately, and the two walked arm in arm like a gentleman and a lady, quickly leaving the corridor.
"What a relief!" Carmen said again.
Ronan nodded, sharing the same sentiment. "That brat isn't likable."
"Haha..." Carmen left behind a string of crisp laughter. Then she asked, "How old are you? You can't be much older than Leonardo, right?"
"Twenty," Ronan replied directly.
Carmen stared at him. "You don't seem like it."
"Are you saying I look old?" Ronan teased.
"I mean..." Carmen hesitated for a moment, not sure how to put it. Walking with Ronan into the hotel lobby, she finally said, "You're more mature than Leonardo. Compared to you, he's just an immature brat."
"Is that a compliment? I'll take it," Ronan said.
Carmen laughed. "Consider it one."
The two arrived at the hotel entrance, and Ronan asked, "Do you need me to drop you off?"
"Thank you, but it's unnecessary." Carmen was
from the modeling world and had a valid reason for refusing. "My agent is waiting for me outside."
Ronan didn't insist. Like his experience in Abu Dhabi fundraising, patience was always a key virtue in becoming an excellent hunter.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Carmen," he said with grace. "It's been a delightful evening."
For Carmen Case, the night had started off pleasantly, turned sour at one point, but became intriguing after meeting Ronan.
"Yes, it was very enjoyable," Carmen, a model from Eastern Europe, was no longer shy or introverted, but straightforward. "You're more interesting than any American I've met."
"Thank you." Ronan noticed that people outside of the U.S., like Arabs or Carmen Case from Estonia, seemed to like him more.
Hmm... in the future, truly popular Americans, especially in Hollywood, would be those who champion the rights of minorities over authentic white Americans.
I'm on the right path.
In a couple of years, I can reach out to the black uncles again, show respect to the LGBT community at the appropriate time, especially to couples like two women, which are quite lovely.
Ronan asked, "Carmen, can the interesting person call you sometime?"
"I didn't bring my business card." She then recited a string of numbers. "This is my personal cell phone number. Sometimes it might not go through; I don't carry my phone when I'm working."
Ronan nodded. "I'll remember."
Carmen raised a slender finger. "Goodbye."
Ronan held the door open for her. "Goodbye."
The girl got into a car and disappeared quickly.
Ronan quickly took out his phone, noted down the number, dialed to confirm it rang, and then sent a text message.
Since she didn't refuse to give him her number, it was a good start.
Carmen Case might not have reached the A-list yet, but for someone like him, still struggling in his entrepreneurial journey, there might be an opportunity.
Of course, Ronan knew his priorities and wouldn't chase after her relentlessly or invest too much energy into it.
Career was the most important thing.
Having experienced the highly materialistic society of his past life, some of his perceptions were deeply ingrained.