章節 24: The Messed-Up Huangs

Once everything was set, Joshua joined the others downstairs, where the whole party had just begun.

His hair was slicked back, just like how Stellar preferred, and Hunter had lent him one of his luxurious watches.

As Joshua descended the stairs, he unknowingly captured everyone's attention on himself.

He faced the crowd with a serious expression as his eyes quietly scanned the room, searching for Lilian.

'Where the heck is she?'

Joshua walked past the food table and reached out to grab a glass of wine when a hand interrupted him.

He turned to look at the side only to see Lilian with a poker face.

"I know you are invited but, you've got to remember that you are still a butler. And I don't think butlers are allowed to drink."

Joshua stared at her for a moment before sighing and clearing his throat, making his voice seem as silly as possible.

"My lady! Of course, apologies for being dumb."

He then bowed to Lilian, which made her chuckle. She patted his head while Joshua secretly rolled his eyes.

'I never realized that this could be so tiring.'

Standing up again, Joshua followed Lilian like a loyal dog.

Ezekiel, who was also present at the party, watched the young man trailing behind his master with a bored expression.

"Hm, I think putting Joshua as the Chu's butler might have been a grave mistake, Mr. Lin."

Adriel Lin chuckled, sipping his wine as he glanced over at Joshua.

"Oh, let him have fun. It was his decision to go to the Chu when I gave him other options like the Mings or the Shins."

Ezekiel sighed, a bored expression plastered on his face. "Well, if the decision was his, then we should not interfere."

Adriel Lin nodded in response while the two continued sipping from their glasses, watching the party unfold.

Meanwhile, Stellar and Hunter both stood on the sidelines, quietly drinking their fill as they carefully observed the people around.

Stellar noticed Lilian flaunting her status, chatting with the women who were only interested in marrying the rich while being followed by her "trusted" butler Joshua in tow.

"Look at her, trying to be me."

Stellar chuckled as she finished her drink and set the glass back on the table.

Hunter, on the other hand, was watching a family that had kicked a certain someone out of their house on New Year's Eve.

"How can they smile like that after doing something so horrible?"

Stellar looked at the direction Hunter was looking and chuckled, "Well, I did hear a rumor that Lucas wasn't even their biological son."

Hunter whipped his head towards Stellar with a confused expression.

"What the fuck? Who said that shit? Clearly, he looks like his father and has some parts of his mother."

Stellar shrugged, her gaze returning back to the Huangs. "I mean, it's just a rumor. It doesn't make much sense anyway—Lucas is every bit as Huang as his siblings."

"Right, Raven, the business owner and Trixie, the chef. Yeah, I heard about their achievements."

Stellar raised an eyebrow, taking note of the sarcastic tone evident in Hunter's voice.

"Why do you sound like you despise them?"

Hunter finished his glass, placed it back on the table and chuckled as he looked straight at the Huangs.

"Raven might be an international superstar CEO in the world of gaming, but that is just a facade. In reality, he barely knows what is going on in his own company. He once tried to collaborate with Asher Shin for one of their new online games. Asher was also thrilled since the company was well-known…"

Hunter grimaced, remembering what was Wu Shao's face like when he learned the truth.

"So imagine his shock when Raven showed up there with no PowerPoint, no presentations—just holding a thick-pass contract and expected Asher to just agree with him."

Stellar scoffed, also looking at the Huangs. "And his sister?"

"Can't cook for shit. Any of the food she makes is tasteless. I went to her restaurant just once and left with a bad review. I heard from some other well-known chefs that she just fuck around bigger fishes in the culinary industry to get her certifications and credentials to become a world-renowned culinary expert."

Stellar's face twisted in disgust as she shivered at the thought of eating this chef's hellish food.

"Wow, so Lucas was the only one who actually had the potential to become a big star, and yet his family threw him away?"

Hunter shook his head. "Not exactly."

Stellar looked at the latter, confused. "What do you mean?"

Hunter finished the last sip of wine from his new glass and cleared his throat before responding.

"His father's business was the shadiest of them all. A booming business built out of just pawnshop stores with nothing to trade and sell? Shady as fuck."

"Wait, you mean…?"

"Uh-huh. Their business only stayed afloat due to the Lin Family's influence, especially Rex's granddad."

"Wow. What the hell?"

Hunter chuckled as he grabbed another glass of champagne from the tray being offered around the venue, while Stellar mulled over the idea of Lucas being an heir to such a corrupt business enterprise.

"So, maybe it was a good thing that they kicked Lucas out, huh?"

Hunter nodded in response, "It was bound to happen anyway. Lucas mentioned to Ezekiel that he knew something was wrong with the businesses and tried to argue it with his father, just a month before the shenanigans during New Year's Eve."

"And he got mad about it?"

Hunter only nodded in response, finishing his third glass for the night.

He placed the empty glass on the passing waiter's tray and put both of his hands in his pockets.

"Guess Mr. Huang never expected his youngest son to be so observant."

Stellar nodded in understanding, grabbing another glass for herself as she watched the interaction between Lilian and Trixie.

"Wow. I don't know who told Lilian that she looked good in bright pink, but my goodness, she looks ridiculous."

"It's probably part of her MO for tonight?"

"MO? Like what?"

Hunter shrugged, searching for the right words to put it.

"I don't know. Maybe dress up like a mistress?"

Stellar laughed, loud enough to catch Lilian and Trixie's attention, while Hunter glanced at them quietly as they made their way in his and Stellar's direction.

"Hi, Stellar. It's been a while. How's the celebrity life treating you?