Chapter 789

Fanny nodded. "I know." As the hostess, Ariana couldn't linger with Fanny for long. After a brief exchange, she excused herself to attend to the other guests. Lucian, Kevin, and Carson remained by Gilbert's side, receiving compliments from the steady stream of well-wishers. Carson was practically floating with pride, and even Kevin seemed in high spirits. Only Lucian maintained his usual composure, his young face set in a serious, earnest expression that radiated maturity beyond his years. This demeanor particularly endeared him to some of the older guests who shared a genuine, long-standing friendship with Gilbert. "Though you only have one daughter, she's worth three sons," remarked one of them, a director on the White Corporation board and a close friend of Gilbert's. "And on top of that, you have three such fine grandsons. Old man, you've really hit the jackpot." While the boardroom was typically a place of surface-level harmony masking cutthroat competition, the bond between this