Called Off the Wedding, Left Him Bankrupt novel Chapter 68

Dominic was being toasted in turn by the other CEOs, raising his glass with a steady composure.

Meanwhile, Cynthia sat with Jenny off to the side, chatting quietly.

The moment Benedict pushed open the door, the air seemed to freeze for a split second.

Nearly every gaze in the room immediately shifted to Cynthia.

She glanced toward the entrance, her face calm and expression unreadable, betraying no particular emotion.

"Well, what brings Mr. Shepard here tonight?" Jenny's voice broke the silence, a playful smile on her lips.

Benedict paused at the sight of her, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes. He took in the rest of the table: nearly everyone present was a CEO with long-standing ties to VistaSphere Group. Among them sat Mr. Fletcher from Novalith Technologies.

Suppressing his questions, Benedict turned to Dominic, offering a smooth, easy smile. "My apologies—something came up at the last minute and I'm late. Mr. Holloway, I hope you'll forgive my poor manners tonight."

Dominic remained seated, still holding his fork. He didn't bother setting it down or even glancing Benedict's way. Instead, he calmly speared another bite from the serving dish and placed it in his bowl. "Mr. Shepard, you're a busy man. No one could blame you for missing a dinner."

The undertone of mockery in Dominic's voice wasn't lost on Benedict. He glanced at Cynthia, mystified. Dominic was clearly hostile toward him, but Benedict couldn't quite figure out why—until he recalled the unpleasant run-in they'd had at the recent auction. Those so-called friends of his: unreliable, troublesome, hardly the type to make a good impression. Dominic was probably still holding that against him.

But this was neither the time nor the place to dwell on personal grudges.

With an open, conciliatory air, Benedict announced, "It's my fault—I owe everyone. Allow me to make it up with three drinks as penance."

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify