Chapter 736

Hellen stared at the property transaction certificate, her fists clenching tight.

Lawrence grabbed Melissa's certificate and shoved Hellen aside. "Marrying you was my father's biggest mistake. You and your affair with Ronnie."

"What the hell are you talking about, Lawrence?" Hellen snapped. Her engagement to Ronnie wasn't public yet.

Hellen and Ronnie weren't blood-related, but the gossip would be brutal.

Lawrence shook her off coldly. "My mom's loaded. Oscar was right; she's just a rich woman. Jealous? As the owner of Rodriguez Villa, you better not mess with her. Or wait until Ronnie buys you a place in Camellia Mount, then you can act all high and mighty. Security, check if Mrs. Peterson has an invitation. It's one per person, isn't it?"

After that, Lawrence shot a look at Melissa.

Melissa felt a pang of guilt. "Lawrence, don't be mad."

"I'll deal with you later!" Lawrence snapped.

"Lawrence, I don't know what's going on, but your mom did help us a lot. How about this: you go to the party, and I'll take Melissa back. It's not safe for her to be here alone with Oscar," Bob said, frowning.

Lawrence glanced at Oscar, wondering if he helped Melissa buy Rodriguez Villa.

But Oscar just turned and walked away.

Melissa looked uneasy, and Bob noticed. She wasn't accustomed to such opulent surroundings. Her actions moved him.

Bob didn't expect timid Melissa to be so brave behind the scenes.

"Melissa, let's not bother Lawrence. I'll take you back," Bob said awkwardly but gently, supporting Melissa as they left.

Bob didn't even look at Hellen, his face full of disgust.

Hellen was shocked to see Bob caring for Melissa as they left.

In that moment, jealousy consumed Hellen.

She knew it was her choice to leave Bob, even though he was amazing.

As she watched them leave with Oscar, a flicker of resentment crossed her mind.

Hellen turned to see Lawrence entering The King Manor and immediately called Ronnie.

The phone rang a few times before Ronnie answered, sounding lazy. "Hellen, what's up?"

Hellen's eyes darkened. She could tell something was off with Ronnie's voice.

Then she heard a woman's voice in the background. "Mr. Peterson, I'll be leaving now."

Hellen gripped her phone tightly. "Ronnie, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, just at the office, getting ready to come over with Mars. Anything weird at the party?" Ronnie lied smoothly.

Hellen knew Ronnie was probably with his secretary. When he needed the Rodriguez Group, he loved her. But once he took over and became number one in Veridiania, he started cheating.

Suppressing her anger, Hellen said, "Lawrence is at the party. He has an invitation. You and Mars better handle it."

"How did he get an invitation?" Ronnie's tone darkened. "I'll be right there. We can't let him get on Adam's good side."

The King Manor's party was in full swing.

Winnie and Rock handed over their invites. As soon as they entered the villa's banquet hall, Winnie saw many low-key yet prominent dignitaries.

These weren't the usual Trento City socialites.

Winnie guessed they were probably high-ranking officials from the Presidential House, some of the real power players in Veridiania.

But even in that crowd, Lawrence stood out. His tall frame made him hard to miss.

In a sharp black suit, Lawrence looked even more imposing. The black shirt and Windsor knot at his neck made him seem even more mysterious, mature, and elegant. His cold, stern brows and narrow eyes were unreadable.

And those chiseled features, like they were sculpted by God himself, cold and perfect.

No matter where he was, Lawrence always stole the spotlight.

Sure, a lot of guys were in black suits tonight, and Rock beside her was too.

Rock looked good, but compared to Lawrence's perfect long legs, Rock seemed to fall short.

Winnie couldn't help but think no one wore a suit with such cool sophistication as Lawrence did.

Just as she was lost in thought, Lawrence seemed to sense it and looked her way.

Caught off guard, Winnie quickly looked away, feeling a bit guilty as she glanced at Rock.

She thought Rock would be upset, but to her surprise, he wasn't even paying attention to her. He was seriously looking in another direction.

Winnie followed his gaze and saw a bunch of dignitaries standing there.

She was a bit surprised. Just then, Rock turned back and smiled. "Winnie, look, Mr. Jenkins is over there. Shall we go say hi?"

Bentley was standing among the dignitaries, chatting with a short, stout man, looking very familiar.

"Alright." Winnie nodded. They needed to greet him anyway.

"Mr. Jenkins." Bentley heard Winnie's voice, turned around, and smiled. "Winnie, nice to see you. Let me introduce you. This is the Secretary of the Treasury, Samuel Harper. He's the host of tonight's party and a good friend of Mr. King. Mr. Harper, this is my friend Winnie, and this is her husband, Rock."

"So, you're the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Harper. Nice to meet you!" Rock stepped forward before Winnie, respectfully extending his hand. "Mr. Harper. I'm Rock, the CEO of the Harrington Group."

Samuel nodded slightly, cold and distant. He glanced at Winnie and said, "Ms. Anderson, Bentley has spoken highly of you. He tells me you're quite accomplished."

Winnie blushed, surprised, and asked, "What's the relationship between Mr. Harper and Mr. Jenkins?"

"Mr. Harper is my mother's cousin," Bentley replied.

Rock's eyes darkened. He didn't expect Bentley to be related to the Secretary of the Treasury!

It seemed that Winnie being close to Bentley was very beneficial to Rock.

Rock smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Jenkins, given how close we are, there's no need to flatter Winnie. You should visit my home more often; my culinary skills are quite commendable."

Bentley furrowed his brow, feeling that his relationship with Rock wasn't quite that close. Politely, he replied, "Sure. By the way, Mr. Harper, all the guests have arrived. When will Mr. King make an appearance?"

"Mr. King is a very private and serious man. He might be observing you young people right now," Samuel said with a smile, showing respect for Adam. "NexaCore Group's cooperation this time, he wants to find the most promising company. Tonight is also a kind of assessment!"