At that mont Valentina gently grip Raymond’s wrist under the table and whisper, "Please, don’t do this. Just sit down. This is bigger than you think." Her voice trembles—not out of fear, but out of concern. "You don’t have to prove anything to them. This is a mistake."
Raymond, however, simply turns his head and smiles. That calm, unbothered kind of smile that always made her unsure of what he was really thinking.
His eyes lock onto hers for a second before he leans toward her and mutters softly, "It’s not a mistake. Sha got the contract. And actually... they’re already on their way here."
Before Valentina could even process what he just said, Avery let out a loud laugh—too loud.
"See? That’s right! Valentina, do us all a favor and tell your husband to sit down before he embarrasses both of you."
Again the room buzzed with amusent. Edward chuckled under his breath. "This guy’s clearly delusional. Who marries a man who doesn’t even know how GSK works?"
"He doesn’t even know what industry he belongs to," Darren added mockingly.
Avery wasn’t done. "I an, seriously. What does he even do? What company does he run? Did he mistake himself for one of us?"
The mocking rippled across the table like poison slowly spreading. Liam just sat back in his chair, arms folded, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. Everything was falling into place—exactly how he wanted it. The room’s atmosphere shifted more and more against Raymond, and Liam believed Valentina was beginning to see her biggest mistake.
with this kind of humiliation hanging in the air like smoke, Valentina could feel her chest tightening.
The way they were mocking Raymond—it should’ve made her angry.
At that mont she clenched her jaw, fingers curled slightly under the table. But then she breathed in, quietly, and reminded herself of every single ti Raymond had done the impossible. The first ti he got her out of trouble. The way he bought that dress without.
The calmness in his eyes when everyone doubted her. He had always delivered.
So now? Doubting him again would only make her look foolish.
If he pulls this off, she thought, if he’s really telling the truth... then she would need to ask him what all this is for. how he’sdoing everything. Because none of it feels ordinary.
At that mont, Sha leaned in and whispered, "Valentina... what’s going on? Is your husband... connected?"
However Valentina didn’t look at her. She kept her eyes on Raymond, who still looked completely relaxed—too relaxed for soone being mocked.
"I rember," Sha continued, "I couldn’t even submit a contract proposal to GSK because they never accept random submissions. That departnt is locked tight. So how is your husband saying I got the contract?"
Valentina finally turned her head and gave Sha a small, steady look.
"Just breathe, Sha," she said softly. "If Raymond says you got it, maybe... just maybe, you do. Maybe he knows sothing we don’t."
Hearing Valatina words Sha’s fingers were curled tightly in her lap, her brows furrowed. Nothing about this gathering felt right anymore. The tension in the room was like thick smoke—sharp, heavy, suffocating.
Then she turned slightly, her voice calm but steady, "You all didn’t co here to reconnect. You ca to humiliate us, you planned to corner and Valentina. You just wanted to flex your wealth, act like you’re better," she continued, rising slowly to her feet. Her voice didn’t shake, but her chest did. "But tell —if GSK pulls their backing from your companies, which of you will still stand like before?"
Imdiately a few shifted in their seats. Nobody answered.
Sha’s eyes moved across the faces—Avery, stiff with a forced smile. Edward, swallowing hard. Silence clung to all of them.
"You parade around like giants, but GSK is your shield. Without them, would you still brag?"
At that mont the silence deepened. Even the clink of a glass in the background felt too loud.
At that mont Raymond leaned back slightly in his seat, arms crossed. He didn’t speak, but his eyes t Valentina’s briefly. She could feel his silent encouragent.
"They said I ca begging for investnts," Sha added, her voice soft now, but every word sharp. "At least I begged with my dignity. I didn’t fake class or hide behind soone else’s power."
Then, without warning, one of the n at the far end muttered, "They are just talking trash."
Valentina turned sharply, her voice clipped. "Say that again?"
The man blinked, surprised.
"You think truth sounds like trash because it doesn’t favor you," she said. "But deep down, you know we’re right."
The murmurs around the table grew louder.
"He’s talking nonsense," Edward scoffed, his voice rising slightly. "Did Raymond really just sit there and lie to our faces?"
Liam leaned forward, arms on the table, his brows drawn low. "He insulted every single one of us. Does he think this is a joke?"
Then Avery crossed her arms tightly. "Claiming Sha of all people got a GSK contract? Be serious. Even our companies are still climbing their rankings—how could she have jumped past everyone?"
At that mont Valentina narrowed her eyes slightly, but Raymond? He didn’t flinch. He didn’t raise his voice either.
He simply said, "Who told you I’m lying?"
Again the table quieted.
"I’m not the type to talk just for effect," Raymond continued calmly. "Unlike so of you who raise your voices to cover your lack of substance."
At that mont a few eyes flicked toward Liam, who clenched his jaw.
Raymond added, "You think because sothing doesn’t make sense to you, it must be false. But that’s because you’ve lived in the sa circle your whole life. You only know what’s under your nose."
However before anyone could respond, the military guy shifted in his seat, about to speak—but then the restaurant door swung open.
Imdiately all heads turned, then a hush fell over the room, A group of sharply dressed n entered—three suited gentlen, followed by several of the restaurant’s most senior waiters. And in front, the manager himself walked with a purposeful stride.
At that mont Avery’s lips curled upward slowly, confidently.
She leaned slightly toward the group. "It seems the bill’s getting attention. Maybe the food and drinks have crossed Five million-dollar mark."
Avery leaned slightly toward Liam and whispered sothing that made him chuckle. Edward nudged his glass with the tip of his finger, eyes fixed on Raymond like a predator waiting for the kill.
They were sure it was only a matter of ti.
The manager stepped forward, bowed deeply to Raymond. Every waiter behind him followed imdiately — heads lowered, their posture showing more than just respect.
"We’re terribly sorry, sir," the manager said, his voice strong and sincere. "We didn’t realize earlier that our restaurant was being graced by Mr. Raymond himself. If we had known, we would have made preparations ahead of ti."
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