Within the manor, the celebration is magnificent.
As one Vanderbilt after another makes their appearance at the banquet, the atmosphere becomes increasingly lively.
Finally, the arrival of the soul in Vanderbilt family, Nicholas Vanderbilt, propels the entire event to its climax. On the stage, the voice of the family head echoes through the hall.
A blessed couple stands beside him, happily receiving the old man's blessings, while the second generation of Vanderbilts flanks both sides.
In a corner, Sebastian is enjoying his meal.
Having been reincarnated, he has already charted a path for a gradual rise to power. Today's encounter with Garland Blackwood and the acquisition of Empire Investments could be considered an unexpected windfall. To Sebastian, it feels like finding money on the roadside.
Although draining all the funds from KG Studio temporarily would cost him, it is still a huge windfall. He is in a great mood. And when the mood is good, the appetite naturally follows.
"Hey, can you not eat like a hobo who's never seen decent food before?"
Abigail appears out of nowhere, sitting next to him, her gaze fixed on the stage. In a hushed voice tinged with disdain, she says, "Do you have any idea how many eyes are watching the Vanderbilt descendants at an event like this?"
"But if you're hungry, you should eat, right?" Sebastian replies earnestly, his way of eating becoming even messier.
"Do you realize how embarrassing you look?"
"It's okay, I'm not afraid of embarrassment."
"You..."
"But, there might be a way to resolve this."
"How about you call me 'Sebastian' instead of 'hey'? How does that sound?"
Sebastian sounds a bit aggrieved, "After all, I am your elder cousin, and furthermore, the only one who cares about you. But I remember you haven't called me by my name since you were ten."
Before he can finish, he gets his answer.
"You're not worthy."
Abigail's face turns red, whether from anger or embarrassment.
"Then..." As Sebastian's eyes shift, he sets down his fork, picks up his soup bowl, and pours it all over a piece of bread, mixing the food with a spoon...
Abigail's eyelids twitch, her teeth grinding together.
And then... Sebastian, seemingly dissatisfied, directly picks up the bread with his hand. This action even makes Victoria, standing behind, tense up, her blood pressure seemingly rising.
"OK! OK! Sebastian! Stop doing that!" Abigail, embarrassed and annoyed, finally calls out the words. The moment they are spoken, it is as if her energy is drained, her sharp edges gone, leaving only the cuteness and playfulness of the girl next door.
After all, at eighteen, she is at the age of blossoming youth.
Sebastian turns his head, his eyes flowing with a gentle smile.
"Such a cute cousin, you must have many admirers at school, right?" Sebastian asks with interest.
Before and after his rebirth, this seems like the first time he is conversing with a family member in such a familial manner, a feeling of excitement that is both foreign and familiar.
"Those kids are not my type!" Abigail seems reluctant to talk to Sebastian, the name she refused to call leaving her feeling as though she had lost face. She suddenly turns her head to the side, her smooth black hair swaying, leaving Sebastian with a view of the back of her head adorned with a large black butterfly hair clip.
Hmm. That style of hair clip is a product of KG Studio.
"That's right, ordinary boys indeed are not worthy of the little princess of the Vanderbilt family!" Sebastian nods in agreement, clearly unable to agree more, and says with some disdain, "Especially since I heard that the quality of the recent male students at our school has been very worrying. Both their thinking and their hands-on capabilities are like that of young children with low intelligence..."
"And you think you're any better, Sebastian?" Abigail seems uncomfortable with the brotherly address, but it doesn't prevent her from expressing her disdain for Sebastian's thoughts: "Aren't you also just a guy who can't even muster a retort in the face of ridicule and mockery?"
"How about we make a bet?" Sebastian suddenly suggests with a smile. "Abigail, if you fall in love, you must find a man more outstanding than me!"
"Isn't that going to be easy?" Abigail glances over, her lips curving into a casual smile.
"Maybe," Sebastian chuckles, extending a finger, "In that case, let's make the wager official, shall we?"
"What's the stake?" Abigail's gaze drifts over Sebastian's finger without hooking it, her tone cool.
"If you can prove that your boyfriend is more exceptional than your favorite cousin, how about I gift you a car?" Sebastian proposes with a smile.
"A car?" Abigail's eyes gleam slightly, "Any car?"
"As long as it's available on the market," Sebastian nods in agreement.
"Seb, wait for your promise to be fulfilled," Abigail lifts her delicate chin proudly, her face full of arrogance: "If you lose, even if you have to sell the studio, you must satisfy the bet, or I'll go complain to Grandpa!"
In every family, the eldest and the youngest are doted on by the grandparents, and the Vanderbilts are no exception. Given that Abigail is the last in line for inheritance, she naturally receives more indulgence from Nicholas Vanderbilt, so her threats carry some weight.
"Agreed." Sebastian nods without a second thought, then adds, "However, if Abigail's suitors aren't as outstanding as me, even if you like him, you can't be with him."
Speaking quickly, he adds, "As a Vanderbilt, you should know that both parties in a deal should put up equal stakes."
Abigail's lips part as if to say something more, but she turns and leaves with one last comment.
"I'm off to check out my future cars!"
"Is that girl planning to corner me?" Sebastian watches his cousin's retreating figure with an amused smile and then sighs.
Good men with lesser women.
Good women with lesser men.
The world seems ill; the only Vanderbilt princess would fall for a lesser man in college, only to suffer emotional turmoil at the peak of her youth.
With Abigail's strong character, the more you tried to control her, the more you would awaken her rebellious spirit.
Hence the wager.
"Mr. President, you just now looked like one of those TV drama villains trying to break up his sister and her true love," Victoria giggles from the side.
She had been holding in her comment, waiting for a moment alone to say it.
"How could it be the same?" Sebastian laughs and shakes his head, "Those TV drama tactics wouldn't work on me."
"Mr. President, you don't really think Abigail won't be able to find someone better than you, do you?" Victoria raises an eyebrow, a bit defiant.
"Prinpton University that she is going to attend after graduation is a prestigious institution, after all," she says, not willing to give in.
"Just a friendly reminder, I'm this year's third-place student at NYU Law School and the top of my class," Sebastian says with a smile, lifting his water glass and finishing it in one gulp.
Victoria is taken aback, her beautiful eyes fixating on Sebastian's confident, modestly smiling profile, slightly dazed.
Suddenly she remembers what Secretary Chelsea had told her, that K&G Studio was founded by Sebastian without any external assistance.
Top of the class... An entrepreneur by himself... Gentle, humble, mature, confident... Could all these labels really apply to one person at the same time?
She also suddenly realizes something else she had subconsciously ignored.
She had never looked down on him because of his age. Instead, she had always treated a man her own age with the same attitude she reserved for people like Alvin Garcia and Simon Lee, even at her angriest.