Chapter 9

Elijah stood under a light outside the banquet hall. His eyes lit up when he saw Selena approaching him from a distance. She was wearing a wine-red velvet dress that accentuated her curves. A pearl necklace decorated her neck, emphasizing the elegant line of her shoulders. Her hair was tied in a low bun, which added to the gentle yet tempting demeanor she carried. Elijah walked over to Selena and took her hand as if it was second nature. When his fingertips brushed across her wrist, he murmured, "You look wonderful tonight." Selena could feel the tips of her ears heating up. She was about to thank him for his compliment when she spotted Jordan coming out of the hall while balancing a wine glass between his fingers. Jordan couldn't mask the surprise in his eyes when his gaze landed on Selena. Ignoring Elijah's hostile looks, he strode over to her and said with a smile, "Selena, you look very—" "Mr. Shaw," Selena cut in, interrupting him before he could finish his sentence. "My husband and I have some business to attend to. We'll be leaving now," she said in a distant tone, nodding at him slightly. Selena then locked arms with Elijah and led him into the banquet hall, not bothering to spare a single glance back at Jordan. Jordan was left rooted to the spot, and his face was twisted into an upset expression. Meanwhile, Elijah turned his head to look at him, shooting him a warning look. Jordan gripped his wine glass tightly before heading back into the hall himself. The lights were blazing in the hall, reflecting brilliantly off the crystal chandelier. Elijah led Selena through the crowd until they were standing face-to-face with a middle-aged man. The man was dressed in an expensive tailored suit. His eyes were sharp, and he carried himself with an extraordinary air that set him above the rest. "Selena, let me introduce you to Mr. Tristan Quinn, the host of tonight's banquet," Elijah said as he shifted his body to the side, allowing Selena to step forward. Tristan's eyes glimmered when his gaze landed on Selena. "Mrs. Cole, I presume? As expected, the two of you make a stunning couple." Selena nodded with a smile. "You flatter me, Mr. Quinn. Elijah tells me about you all the time. He says that you're a rare genius in the business world. It's my honor to be able to attend your banquet tonight." Elijah was quite surprised by how elegantly she was conducting herself. She was poised and articulate, showing none of her usual clumsiness. Selena chatted with Tristan for a short while before she turned around to entertain herself. She knew that Elijah planned to talk business with Tristan, so she needed to make herself scarce before she got in the way of his plans. She didn't feel like networking, so she looked for a deserted corner to pass the time. She had just sat down when she heard the sound of water spilling from behind her. Seconds later, a chill ran down her spine. Someone had spilled an entire bottle of wine on her, leaving a huge stain on her dress. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" a young man dressed in a waiter's uniform exclaimed. He lowered his head as he apologized profusely. He was just about to make a quick escape when he was surrounded by the guests, who began to whisper among themselves. "You can tell with just a glance how expensive the dress must be. It's completely ruined now." "Do you think he did it on purpose? How can a waiter be so careless?" "Isn't that Elijah's wife? What's she doing here? I thought they were getting divorced?" Selena wasn't bothered by the guests' comments. Instead, she stepped forward to stop the waiter from leaving. Her eyes turned glacial when she got a good look at his face. "Sebastian Cole! What are you doing here?" Realizing that his cover had been blown, Sebastian dropped the act. He pursed his lips and asked, "Why can't I be here, huh? Am I getting in the way of your date with that Shaw bastard?" His voice was filled with disdain, and he didn't sound sorry at all for what he had done. "Oh my God! So the rumors were true? Elijah's wife is having an affair?" "Who's 'the Shaw bastard' supposed to be? Does anyone know?" "Elijah doesn't seem like the type of man who can accept his spouse being unfaithful to him. I have to say that she has some guts for cheating on him." Selena swept her gaze calmly across the crowd, who were gossiping with each other. "Everyone, this is my son, Sebastian Cole," she announced in a loud and clear voice. "It's my fault for not teaching him properly, which led to him dampening the mood of the banquet. However, I think it's also rather unbecoming of all of you to discuss my family affairs in public like this. "If you're curious about what goes on in my household, please feel free to ask me directly. Or you can also ask my husband, Elijah. Don't spread rumors and make baseless accusations." A dead silence descended upon the hall the moment the words left Selena's lips. The guests, who had been gossiping, looked rather awkward. Elijah was known as the "Ice King" in their circle. Those who were foolish enough to stir up trouble in front of him were basically signing their own death sentence. The commotion had caught Tristan's attention, prompting him and Elijah to check what was happening. Elijah's face darkened in an instant when he saw Sebastian and Selena's drenched dress, immediately putting two and two together and figuring out what had transpired. Tristan could also make an educated guess about what had occurred. He called for his wife, Luna Ashford, and asked her to bring Selena upstairs so that she could change out of her soiled dress. Selena thanked him before following Luna to the changing room. However, she didn't quite know how to react as she looked at the clothes hanging in Luna's closet. Luna was more than a decade older than her, so her clothes were more old-fashioned. Although the clothes were made of exquisite fabric and featured stellar workmanship, most of them didn't fit Selena. It took Selena some time to find a dress that suited her age, but it was too long and didn't show off her figure. She didn't give up and continued rummaging through the closet until she came upon a brooch. She removed the brooch from the shirt it had been pinned to and used it to secure one corner of the dress to her waist, immediately transforming the old-fashioned garment into a fitting, trendy dress that showed off her legs. Selena left the room after changing into her new dress. She spotted Sebastian skulking in a corner when she reached the staircase. He looked rather suspicious, as if he was planning to pull the same trick on her when the opportunity arose. "What else are you planning, Sebastian?" she asked, looking rather disgruntled. She then swiftly approached him and grabbed his wrist. Sebastian didn't expect Selena to notice him. He struggled to free himself and shouted, "Let go of me! What I'm planning to do has nothing to do with you!" "Nothing to do with me?" Selena scoffed. "Not only are you humiliating yourself by causing a commotion at the banquet, but you're also humiliating the entire Cole family. Do you know that your father is trying to secure a business deal with the host of the banquet? He's not going to let you off the hook if the discussions fall through. "I want you to go home right now and write a thousand-word apology letter. If you don't, I'm going to confiscate your motorcycle and all your digital gadgets." Selena dragged Sebastian out of the banquet hall. Ignoring his protests, she forcefully hauled him into the car. "You have no right to tell me what to do, Selena!" Sebastian screamed indignantly as he hammered his fists furiously against the car window. Selena's face turned a ruddy red as she watched the car disappear into the night. She didn't share Sebastian's sentiments. She had every right to give him orders because she was his mother. Although she wanted to go home and thoroughly discipline Sebastian, she knew she had to stay at the banquet and fulfill her promise to Elijah to be his perfect wife in public. She sighed helplessly before returning to the hall. The banquet only wrapped up much later. Selena felt like her face was going to fall off from how much she had been smiling. When she was on the way home with Elijah, his phone suddenly started ringing. His expression darkened significantly after he hung up. "Did something happen?" she asked carefully.