SWNOVELS Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The next afternoon, the three of them met up.
Joan strolled over, a forced smile on his face as he greeted, “Hey, Ashley, Caroline.”
Ashley took the initiative to apologize, saying, “Joan, I’m sorry about last night. Carlos might have misunderstood you, and I apologize on his behalf.”
Joan played it cool. “No worries. Why should I waste my time on
someone like him? It’s a pity that you have to share a roof with a guy you can’t stand.”
Ashley remained silent, her mind elsewhere.
Seeing that Ashley wasn’t in the best mood today, Caroline attempted to steer the conversation. “Speaking of which, Joan, how did it go with the Maredar Group?”
Finally, Joan had his chance to shine. He pulled out an elegant silver invitation from his pocket, looking rather pleased with himself. “Guess what this is?”
Ashley took the silver invitation, her eyes filled with surprise.
Caroline read aloud, “Tonight at 8 o’clock, the Nantes Hotel, a sincere invitation.
“Wow, Joan, you’re incredible! How did you swing this?”
Joan, still brimming with pride, acted as if his status was elevated further. “Oh, it’s no big deal.
“Do you know who’s on the guest list for this shindig? All the big shots in Nantes!
“A friend recommended me. I’m going as a special guest of the Luther Group. All I have to do is show up, and your Jones family’s problems will vanish into thin air!”
Caroline marveled at his accomplishment. “Joan, you’re unbelievably resourceful. What felt impossible to Ashley and me, you made happen effortlessly.”
Joan kept on boasting, “This is just the beginning. If I’m lucky, you might even get to rub shoulders with a true heavyweight!”
17.32
Surprised, Caroline asked, “Who is the heavyweight?”
Joan puffed out his chest as if saying the name was an honor. “Miss Hiller. You know the Hiller family from Colmar?”
Caroline’s face turned pale, and her l*ps lost color. “You mean the young female general who received an award on TV a few days ago?”
Joan nodded. “That’s right. The youngest female general in the country, a medical genius like no other. Apart from her, who else could qualify for security services from the Luther Group?
“My friend mentioned that the Maredar Group’s invitation has already been sent to Miss Hiller.
“But Jason is just the richest guy in Nantes; he’s not at the same level. We can’t be certain whether Miss Hiller will attend.”
Caroline exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, the chance to meet Miss Hiller? I never even dared to dream about it!
“Joan, you’re truly something. Without you, I’d never have a shot at attending such a high–end event.”
Caroline playfully nudged Ashley, saying, “Ashley, I’m so envious of you.
“With Joan’s special guest status at the Luther Group, his future is limitless.
“As for Carlos? Well, he’s not even fit to be Joan’s errand boy.
“I really don’t get what your parents were thinking, rejecting a perfect son–in–law like Joan and accepting a doormat for a son–in–law.”
Ashley pushed aside her internal turmoil and spoke from the heart. “Joan, thank you.”.
Joan replied earnestly, “Ashley, for you, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”
Suddenly, Caroline was amazed, as if she’d never seen the world before. “Hey, Joan, this invitation is so fancy. Is it actually made of silver?”
Joan had been waiting for this question. With a grin, he replied, “You bet! It’s a VIP invitation. Only those specially invited by the Luther Group get one.”
Caroline looked bewildered as she asked, “Invitations have different tiers?”
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Joan tried to play it up by saying, “You’d better believe it. Tonight’s event has an outer section and an inner VIP section. The regular folks get
1/5
the
ordinary invites, but it’s only these silver ones that can get you into the exclusive inner circle.
“The people with the ordinary invites? They wouldn’t stand a chance of meeting Miss Hiller. Only those with a silver invite get access to the inner circle!”
As Ashley kept her cool, Joan arrogantly raised his chin. “From what I know, there are probably no more than 300 of these silver invitations in all of Nantes.”
Caroline’s eyes widened in amazement. “Seriously, in a city of over 10 million people, there are only 300 invites? Whoever gets their hands on these must be pretty rare and extraordinary, right?”
Joan’s pride swelled even more when he heard that. “You got it. It’s a chance to dine with Miss Hiller, a thing regular folks would treasure for life.
“I heard that someone even offered a million bucks to buy one, but who in their right mind would sell among those who are invited?
“This is like a symbol of status and prestige, beyond value. People pass it down through generations.
“Caroline, be super careful, don’t smudge or crumple it.”
Caroline gingerly handled the invitation, afraid of damaging it. “Joan, you’re really something to have scored one of these invitations.
“Put it away. To be able to touch it today, my life has not been a waste!” Joan also treated it like a treasure, tucking the silver invite into his pocket carefully. After double–checking, he bragged, “Actually, this isn’t the most mind–blowing part. I heard about the golden invitations!”
Caroline was left speechless, “Golden invites?”
Joan said in a mysterious tone, “Yeah, gold–embossed. I heard that Jason Moore splurged on them and got top–tier craftsmen to handcraft just three of them!”
Caroline gasped. “Only three? Does that mean even the big shots in Nantes can’t get one?
“Geez, who are the lucky few who get those?”
Joan continued mysteriously, “I’ll tell you in private, but keep it hush–hush.
“One of them is Nantes Governor Finn Owen, and another is Eric Lawson, the chairman of the Luther Group.
“As for the last one, the rumors say that Miss Hiller might keep it for herself. No clue who she’s planning to invite.”
Caroline’s excitement was contagious, her look filled with unattainable longing. “Who should deserve that kind of treatment?
“Seriously, who is Miss Hiller inviting personally? They must be some top–tier folks, right?”
At this point, Caroline couldn’t resist praising Joan. “So, Ashley, now you see who the real ace among us is, right?
“You wanted to get in touch with the Maredar Group, and Joan swiftly secured you an inner–circle invite. That’s no small feat.
“And as for Carlos, he talks a big game, but why doesn’t he give it a shot?
“Forget about these silver invites; he might not even qualify for the basic entry–level ones. Maybe he’s not even sure which door the event’s behind.
“Why are you sticking with such a waste of space?”
Meanwhile, over at the Greenell Psychiatric Hospital, Carlos had just received a package.
When he opened it, a shimmer of gold greeted his eyes!