SWNOVELS Chapter 975 Matter of Necessity
Amanda was a bit out of focus. She said huh when she heard his voice.
The fact that she was distracted made Joan feel even more certain that the man he just saw was her ex-husband.
‘Since she’s so disturbed, does it mean she still cares about him?’
Amanda calmed down and her lips curled into a faint smile, “What did you just say?”
Joan said, “Nothing.”
“Okay.” Amanda did not pay much attention. Her mind was still disturbed due to George’s appearance.
She was not fantasizing about Stanford but did not want her life to be disturbed again. George had found her here so she was
afraid that he would disturb her parents.
She pressed her brow and took a deep breath.
The originally good atmosphere was disrupted by George’s sudden appearance. The two of them did not utter a word along the
way.
The unique scenery of Thailand could be seen outside the car window. But, no one appreciated it.
After a while, the car stopped in front of an extremely luxurious palace.
The palace was resplendent and glorious with the continuation of the Buddhist kind of architecture. Its style and Joan’s mansion
had a similarity. Both were deeply historical.
The car stopped. The driver came down to open the door for Joan.
Joan bent his body and walked over to another side to open the door for Amanda.
She looked up at Joan, “What is this place?”
“The Grand Palace”.
The Grand Palace was a place where the royal family lived.
The banquet today was nominally the birthday party held by the King of Thailand for his beloved daughter. But in fact, it was
meant to find a suitable husband for the princess.
Among the men invited today, one-third of them were valued by the king and potentially to be chosen as his son-in-law.
Among them, the King was most interested in Joan Morton and Otto Prescott. These were the most popular aristocrats and most
importantly, they controlled military power.
The King of Thailand was the Head of State, the supreme commander of three armed forces and the patron of Buddhism and all
religions. The King exercised legislative, executive and judicial powers through the Parliament, the Cabinet and the Courts
respectively.
The members of the House of Senate of the Parliament were appointed directly by the King. Although the Prime Minister of
Thailand was democratically elected by the people, it had to be signed by the King. Whenever the Prime Minister saw the King or
the royal family, he had to kneel.
From a practical point of view, military power was the actual supreme power of a country. The King had the supreme military
power from a constitutional point of view. But in reality, the military power was mainly in the hands of the top brass of the military
forces.
The previous old King controlled the military by his seniority and prestige but even so, Thailand had had many military coups.
Now, the King was also trying to control the top brass who held military power. The best way was to turn these people into his
family.
“Joan.” Payne was in a red dress. She also looked charming and attractive after getting dolled up. She walked over quickly with
a smile on her face. When she saw the person who was about to go out of the car was Amanda, her smile slowly froze, “Why do
you bring her here?”
It was a questioning tone.
Joan did not bother her and reached out his hand to Amanda.
Amanda put her hand into Joan’s palm.
They looked at each other. Joan held her hand and helped her out.
At this moment, Payne’s eyes widened so much that her eyes nearly popped out. She said wilfully, “Joan, do you believe I’ll
commit suicide in front of you?”
Joan said coldly, “It’s your freedom to die or live.”
“You...” Payne stomped her foot in anger.
“Payne!” A scolding voice sounded behind her.
Otto walked over and pulled his younger sister, “How can you be wilful like this?”
As he spoke, he looked at Amanda and sized up her. He actually understood why his younger sister was in a foul mood. The
matter that Payne liked Joan was not a secret. All the family members knew it and hoped they would really get married. But,
Joan was not interested in his younger sister.
Joan was well-known for his stubbornness and obstinacy although he was a gentleman. No one could force him to do things that
he did not want to.
Payne’s family members all advised her to give up and find a suitable person to marry but she was not willing to.
“Who is this?” Otto looked at Joan and asked with a smile.
“Amanda Nelson, Ms. Nelson, my good friend.” After saying this, he introduced the two of them to Amanda.
“This is Otto Prescott.” Immediately after that, he introduced Payne, “Payne Prescott. Both of them are marquis’s children.”
Payne’s father was a marquis, the same title as Joan.
Hereditary titles were inheritable. Because Payne’s father was still alive, Otto had not yet inherited the title.
Nonetheless, he was also holding an important position in the military.
The King also believed he would do well.
However, the most preferred one was still Joan. He not only held the military power, was with the marquis title but also with high
prestige although there were not many people in his family.
His ancestors were all great talents who were deeply admired by people.
Amanda nodded slightly. Her lips curled into an elegant faint smile. She did not say a word.
She was not good at speaking the Thai language. She could understand as Joan spoke English when introducing them.
In order to avoid the inability to communicate, she chose to speak less.
Payne did not know the significance of the jewellery on Amanda’s body but Otto did. He sighed for his younger sister inwardly
and said to Joan, “I’m afraid your relationships aren’t as simple as friends, right?”
Joan did not explain anything and just smiled. Such a smile was like acknowledging Amanda’s identity.
Amanda did not quite understand. She thought they were just exchanging pleasantries. She was standing quietly at the side.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go in.” Both of them made a gentlemanly gesture which meant ‘after you’.
Payne was unhappy about it and was still glaring at Amanda. Otto pulled her and warned in a low voice, “Don’t be disobedient.”
“But...”
“It’s okay for you to be wilful in usual but what is the occasion today?” Otto chided.
Payne was very afraid of her elder brother. Although she was reluctant, she obediently shut her mouth and walked in arm in arm
with her elder brother.
“Let’s go in too,” Joan said softly.
Amanda said, “Alright.”
She locked Joan’s arm in hers. After being inspected at the entrance, they walked into the courtyard and underwent a second
inspection before they entered the banquet venue successfully.
Joan whispered, “You don’t need to do anything. Just lock my arm in yours tightly.”
He actually did not really wish to bring Amanda over for fear of causing her trouble. However, he knew the King’s mind. If he did
not have a woman, the King would definitely betroth the princess to him.
That was not what he wanted.
Although he was unwilling, he also could only bring her out. This was truly a matter of necessity.
But, Amanda did not know this. She just simply thought that Joan needed a female companion.
All the people who came today were powerful in high society, mostly young people. After all, it was meant for choosing a spouse
for the princess. Therefore, the elders did not come to attend.
When attending the royal banquet, regardless of men or women, everyone was dressed in an extremely formal manner. Women
were even dressed to kill. The Thai clothing was commonly made of shiny silk-cut clothes and the people loved lace. It looked
very cute but slightly lacked the sexiness that women should have.
Among all the women there, only Amanda was from a foreign nation. She looked calm and her demeanour was elegant. When
walking, her black thigh-high slit dress would occasionally reveal her pair of white slender legs, which made her sexier.
She was the most striking woman at the banquet today, not only because of her own charm but also because she was standing
beside Joan.