I lowered my head, dodging Jonathan’s question, and asked softly, “About the gift…”

“Why don’t you go ask him instead?” Jonathan immediately interrupted.

I looked up; his eyes were cold, devoid of warmth. He turned his back, no longer looking at me. “He’ll probably say yes to whatever you want.”

My hands clenched into fists as I stared at his back. What was I expecting? Of course, he wouldn’t help. I hadn’t even planned to give Alicia a gift. If not for the people present, I wouldn’t have stayed. But to facilitate future business, I had no choice but to play along. What I hadn’t expected was that even this was too much for him.

His voice was sharp and icy. “So, the only reason you came to find me was for this?”

I could already picture his cold look, the disdain and distance in his eyes. That was simply his nature. At that moment, I felt foolish for even approaching him. I shook my head, said nothing, and left. Back at my seat, Frederick glanced at me.

His expression was complicated. “Did you go look for him just now?”

I pressed my lips together and remained silent. He sighed quietly.

Nearby, Alicia, having basked in everyone’s attention, noticed Jonathan returning. Her expression changed. She hurried to his side. “Jonathan, where did you go just now?”

“I just went for a walk.”

“Oh…” She happily sat beside him again.

Just then, a staff member with a clipboard approached, glancing at the guests behind me. “Hello, could you please register your gift details?”

I looked at Frederick, surprised. “They actually do registration on the spot?”

“It’s always been like this.” Frederick gave me a thoughtful look. “You seem to have forgotten a lot of things.”

I quickly composed myself. The staff member had already moved to Frederick, who casually produced a gift and placed it on the display tray. “A pearl necklace,” he said, without much enthusiasm.

Chapter 134

I couldn’t help asking, “How much is this? I don’t have much cash, and it’s too late to buy anything…”

I wondered if I could somehow piggyback on his gift and repay him later. But after a moment, I abandoned the idea. We weren’t that close; asking him to add my name would be awkward.

Just as I felt stuck, I noticed the pink diamond ring on my hand. An idea struck me. I slipped it off and placed it on the tray.

“This is my gift,” I said.

The staff member looked surprised. His expression was complicated, as if he wanted to speak. Then, applause erupted from the stage, and he quickly gathered the gifts and left.

“Next up, a grand gift from the Guzman family to Ms. Alicia! A complete set of museum-grade antique pearl jewelry!”

The screen instantly displayed the Guzman family’s gift list, including Frederick, Aria, and their parents. Each seemed to have contributed a piece to complete the set.

“What do you think Mr. Ford is going to give her?”

“No idea, but it’ll probably be extravagant…”

People nearby speculated. “I remember Alicia always wanted a pink diamond ring, but never found one of sufficient quality. Who knows if Mr. Ford will give her a fortune this time?”

Chapter 135