Chapter 291: Trouble at the Banquet
“Hmph, I knew Henry was shady from the start. Acts all proper, but he’s the worst of the bunch,” Yunice said.
“His wife and kid showed up at my place the other day—crying, full-on begging me to save him. I mean, seriously? That clueless woman really thought I’d go head-to-head with the Cooper Group for her man?”
“And then what happened?”
“I told her to go make a scene at the construction site. Stir up public opinion, and someone’s bound to step in.”
The group laughed and pointed at her. “Man, that’s cold. You really told her that? But seriously, you think Wyatt gives a damn about public pressure? I was wondering why we hadn’t heard a word from that mother and son… Wyatt probably already shut them down.”
Yunice wasn’t the only one listening—Victor was too. His expression darkened as the conversation went on. He took a sip of juice. Sensing the shift in his mood, Yunice leaned in and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Victor hadn’t planned to say anything, but he couldn’t hold back. “Yunice, don’t you think Mr. Cooper went too far? Sure, the adults might’ve screwed up, but the kid didn’t do anything.”
Yunice paused, caught off guard. She managed a response. “Look… that’s on the parents. They dragged their kid into it. If you’re going to make a scene with a child in tow, you’ve gotta be ready for whatever comes with it. You can’t expect Wyatt to go easy on them just because there’s a kid involved.”
Victor stared at her, clearly shocked. He hadn’t expected Yunice to take Wyatt’s side.
“Judging people behind their backs—does that make you any better, Mr. Victor?” Wyatt’s voice came out of nowhere. He had walked up just in time to catch what they were saying.
Victor frowned but didn’t respond. Yunice was about to speak up and explain, but Wyatt didn’t linger. Victor stood there with a stiff expression, clearly bothered. Not long after, he made an excuse and slipped out of the ballroom.
Yunice noticed it right away—Victor wasn’t just upset with Wyatt. He probably thought she was messed up too. Victor had a lot of good qualities. That was the problem. He’d been too sheltered his whole life, too naive. But that kind of thing? A few hard knocks from life had a way of fixing it fast. Yunice wasn’t about to talk him out of it. Some lessons don’t come from words. Life teaches them the hard way. One hit, and he’ll figure it out.
Wyatt sat at the head table. Yunice was too far away to hear what he was saying, but he had a solid build and was easy on the eyes.
Just then, Jordan strolled over with a bottle of liquor in hand. He walked right past Yunice and headed to the table behind her. Coincidentally, that table was filled with people Yunice used to know. Jordan set the bottle down with a solid thud and announced, “This one’s from Mr. Cooper. He wants you all to drink up—don’t waste a drop.”
The group, caught off guard, stood up quickly in surprise. “Thank you, Mr. Jordan! Please thank Mr. Cooper for us!”
Jordan let out a short laugh and added, “Mr. Cooper says he’s got a lot of respect for this group. So if the rest of you don’t treat them right tonight, you’re basically disrespecting him.”
People exchanged uneasy glances. That didn’t sound like a compliment… Still, someone sharp enough to read between the lines caught on right away—this wasn’t a compliment. It was a setup. And just like that, the flattery started pouring in. People were lining up to toast that table, pushing drink after drink on them.
Those guys were totally clueless. They thought they were riding high, like they’d finally made it. Trying to impress Wyatt, they just kept downing drinks one after another. Yunice turned and watched them—faces red, slurring their words, gripping the table while hiccuping through drunken burps. A cold smirk tugged at her lips. She wasn’t sure if Wyatt had done it on purpose or not, but seeing those same people who used to push her around now suffering like that? It felt damn good.
After chatting for a bit, Wyatt left the event early. Moments later, Yunice received a message from him—a location pin. He wanted her to meet him there. As she stood up to leave, she glanced back at that table of men. Their faces had turned pale. A few of them had even thrown up blood. But Yunice didn’t think Wyatt was being cruel—not one bit. After all… what goes around comes around.
To everyone else, she was just another nobody in the company. Who would ever pay her any mind? Even those guys who drank themselves sick—some even threw up blood—would never have guessed, no matter how hard they racked their brains, that their misfortune had come from the most unassuming person in the room—Yunice.
She opened the car door and leaned in, spotting Wyatt seated in the shadowy back seat. The moment she climbed in, the driver pulled away. Watching the streets roll by, Yunice asked, “Are we heading back to Pavilion Hall?”
Wyatt pressed his fingers to his temple and gave a low, “Yeah.” The Northvale Project was just getting off the ground, and there was chaos at every turn. With the Powell Corporation constantly trying to throw a wrench in things, Wyatt had been running himself ragged for days.