Chapter 390 - Ordinary Friends
Lucas walked straight into the exhibition hall of the arts center.
Although the Coles from San Francisco seemed to have an extremely high status in the eyes of the general public, they were just an ordinary family to Lucas, and he didn't think it was necessary to try and get close to them.
After Lucas walked into the hall, Flynn gave it some thought and said to his secretary, James Denning, "Although Lucas wants to keep his identity a secret, I want you to go inside and keep an eye on the situation in case some ignorant fools offend him. If someone tries to make things hard for him, chase them out immediately!"
James had been working as Flynn's secretary for a long time, so he naturally knew that Lucas was the actual boss and chairman of the corporation. He immediately acknowledged and followed Lucas into the arts center.
The hall had been decorated by the professionals the Coles hired and was now largely different from how it usually looked during most art exhibitions.
The large hall was divided into several areas where a large plethora of antiques was put on display.
Examples included antique paintings that dated back centuries, porcelain ornaments, gold and silverware, antique embroidery, and many other precious items.
Major changes had been made to the decor style of the hall for the sake of the exhibition. Various adjustments had also been made to the wallpaper, ceiling, and lighting to allow the visitors of the exhibition to be immersed in history.
The design was certainly ingenious. But it was the first day of the antique exhibition, so it wasn't open to the public yet. The invited guests present today were all members of the prestigious families and enterprises in LA, whose purpose of visiting wasn't for the antiques.
In the hall, there were entrepreneurs gathered in small groups chatting with each other. Although they were standing in front of the antiques and were seemingly interested in them, they were actually discussing business and cooperations.
In particular, those of higher statuses were surrounded by more people. It was extremely lively.
After Cheyenne followed Kenneth, a direct descendant of the Parkers, into the hall, he was soon surrounded by many people vying to greet him and get closer to him.
Kenneth was extremely familiar with such functions and knew exactly how to behave.
But when he started chatting with these people, no one paid any attention to Cheyenne at the back.
Many of them simply glanced at Cheyenne in amazement. But since they had never seen her before and she didn't have a male companion of a significant status with her, no one really paid attention to her.
During such functions where fame and interests were involved, most guests were wise enough to socialize only with those who were prestigious and had high statuses. They wouldn't bother paying attention to some nobodies, as they felt that it would be a waste of time and effort.
Of course, many of them thought that they might have the time and chance to 'toy' with the beautiful Cheyenne after the exhibition ended.
While chatting with people skilfully, Kenneth took a few glances at Cheyenne without any intention of introducing her to the people he was talking to.
Although Nikki had brought it up at the entrance when persuading Cheyenne to attend the antique exhibition together with him, he knew exactly what she was here for and wouldn't fulfill her wishes that easily. At the very least, I must make Cheyenne Carter take the initiative to beg me for help. Only then will it be interesting.
Kenneth deliberately ignored Cheyenne's presence, and Nikki naturally understood what he meant, so she stood beside Cheyenne and said smilingly, "Cheyenne, didn't you say that you want to get to know some entrepreneurs of LA? I think you'd better ask Kenneth for help. He has a very wide network of connections in LA, and you'll get many contacts as long as he introduces you to them!"
Cheyenne glanced at Nikki and declined without hesitation, "That's unnecessary."
Kenneth had been harboring designs on Cheyenne in the first place. If she asked for his help, she wouldn't only owe him a favor again, but he might even take advantage and demand more from her.
She didn't want to get involved with someone like Kenneth.
Cheyenne remained standing quietly without taking the initiative to socialize with anyone. Instead, she looked at the entrance of the exhibition hall from time to time. Although Lucas had promised he would join her soon, she didn't know how those security guards would make things difficult for him and was unsure if he could come in.
After chatting with these people for a while, Kenneth realized that Cheyenne still hadn't lowered her pride to beg him for help, greatly displeasing him.
This woman really doesn't know any better!
Seems like I have to take the initiative to do something.
After chatting with the people around him for some time, Kenneth suddenly turned around and pretended like he had neglected Cheyenne. Feeling a great sense of superiority, he slowly walked toward her. "Ah, I saw many of my old friends just now, so I accidentally neglected you. Please don't take it to heart!"
Upon hearing what Kenneth said, all the people surrounding him just now glanced at Cheyenne curiously.
After saying this smilingly, Kenneth reached his hand out to put his arm around Cheyenne's shoulder.
In his opinion, Cheyenne wouldn't make him look bad by turning him down in front of so many people. As long as she still wanted him to introduce her to these people, she wouldn't dare to disobey him. So he thought that she could only obediently let him put his arm around her.
Hah, Lucas Gray is going to be infuriated if he dares to come in later!
Kenneth had a good plan in mind, but to his surprise, Cheyenne actually took a step back and avoided him!
Kenneth's outstretched hand froze in midair, and he immediately felt embarrassed and furious because everyone was watching him. How dare this damn woman put me to shame like that?!
There was a sudden silence in the air.
But someone soon laughed and tried to give him an out. "Mr. Parker, we've never met this beautiful lady before. Why don't you introduce her to us?"
Everyone looked at Cheyenne with amazement.
Such a stunning beauty like Cheyenne was rare, even to people like them from prestigious families!
Kenneth suppressed his anger and deliberately said ambiguously, "This is Miss Carter. She's my… ahem, a close friend of mine. She's rather shy, so please be accommodating."
His ambiguous words somewhat gave him an out, as it was an explanation as to why Cheyenne moved away from his arm away just now.
After hearing this, the large group of people around him even seemed to come to a sudden realization.
"Wow, so this beauty is your close friend, Mr. Parker!"
"Haha, she's indeed really pretty. Mr. Parker, is she the reason that you're still a bachelor now?"
"Even heroes can't resist a beautiful woman. Mr. Parker, you should be getting married soon, huh?"
...
Many people began to tease and flatter him.
Kenneth didn't deny it either. He merely smiled and chuckled along while glancing at Cheyenne provocatively.
Cheyenne's face turned slightly sulky, and when the commotion subsided, she suddenly said, "I'm sorry, everyone, please don't get the wrong idea. Mr. Parker and I are just ordinary friends."
Kenneth was stunned but not enraged. At the very least, Cheyenne admitted in public that they were friends, which was much better than treating him like a stranger like previously.
If they continued progressing, they might soon become an item. In Kenneth's opinion, it wasn't a tall order.
But before Kenneth could rejoice, Cheyenne added another sentence, which made his face turn sullen immediately.
Cheyenne said, "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Cheyenne Carter, the general manager of the Brilliance Corporation in Orange County. I came here today in hopes of befriending you. Please allow me the honor!"