Chapter 13 Self-Punishment with a Drink
In the next second, Noah felt her soft body in his arms. She smelled nice.
"Are you OK?" he steadied her and asked with concern.
"Let go of me! You can't afford to compensate if you get my clothes dirty!"
She shouted, agitated and furious, trying to break free from Noah's embrace.
"Fine. No need to get loud."
Noah frowned, pissed off at the fact that his kindness was unappreciated.
Therefore, he let go.
Caught off guard, the girl screamed and fell to the ground.
Luckily, she reacted in time and propped herself against the ground with both hands, or she would have fallen hard.
"You jerk! Are you a man or what? No gentleman would ever treat a girl like this!"
Exasperated, she shouted, "You're so rude!"
Then she continued, "Well, I get it. You're just a poor loser who can't even make ends meet. Of course, you don't mind being rude!
"You've never had a girlfriend, have you?"
As she was about to go on, she looked up only to see that Noah had already walked away without looking back at all.
***
While walking, Noah thought, 'She was so ungrateful. I should have never bothered helping her."
With a sullen face, he saw a waiter passing by and approached to ask the waiter where the Golden Frontier Room was.
The waiter took a slightly surprised look at Noah's outfit before finally telling him the room's location.
Meanwhile, a lot of people were sitting inside the Golden Frontier Room.
The food had already been served. There was a variety of dishes on the long table, including Caribbean lobster, Maine lobster, sashimi, and other kinds of precious seafood. The aroma filled the air, sharpening one's appetite.
Both sides of the long table were lined with people, all concentrating with tense expressions. Seemed they were waiting for some esteemed guest.
"Where's Mr. Anderson?"
John, the manager of the Family Financial Management Center, glanced at his watch anxiously.
He was 50 years old, but he had been running the center for years. Working day and night had turned his hair grey and made him look like he was in his sixties.
Even so, he still had an oppressive, suffocating air that was exclusive to those who had been at the top for a long time.
Suddenly, with a creaking sound, the door was opened, and a young man walked in casually.
"Mr. Anderson!"
John's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up, bending over respectfully.
"Mr. Anderson!"
"Mr. Anderson!"
"Mr. Anderson!"
Everyone in the room stood up and bowed to him as well.
"Sorry that I'm late."
Noah glanced over and smiled.
"It's quite alright. We're flattered that you're here. I wasn't sure I could invite you over in the first place."
John smiled, thinking, 'I like Mr. Anderson. As a big shot, he's actually so approachable.'
"Mr. Anderson, take a seat. Let's eat," he said respectfully.
Noah gladly sat down.
"Mr. Rusk, Ms. Rusk hasn't arrived yet," when they were eating, John's secretary whispered in his ear.
"Damned girl! Didn't I tell her to be here early to wait for Mr. Anderson? I'll teach her a great lesson if she annoys Mr. Anderson!"
John said ruthlessly while frowning.
Terrified, his secretary stood aside, not daring to say a word.
John would only smile at Noah and was always stern and authoritative when facing others. When he got furious, no one dared to come near him at all.
Another creaking sound suddenly rang out.
With that, the door was pushed open again, and a girl walked in.
She had wavy, long hair and was wearing a T-shirt, revealing her delicate belly button. Meanwhile, her pretty face and fair skin made her even more attractive, radiating an aura exclusive to youthful girls.
"Isabella, what took you so long?"
Upon seeing her, John immediately scolded her, "What did I say? I asked you to be here in advance to wait for Mr. Anderson. How could you show up later than him? What if he gets upset? You won't be able to bear the consequences!"
The girl was Isabella Rusk, John's daughter, only 20 years old, and she was indeed stunning and full of youth and charm.
"Dad, I didn't mean to be late! I bumped into a poor loser who tripped me! I was so pissed off! If not for him, I would have been waiting for Mr. Anderson here already!"
Isabella pouted, still annoyed by her earlier encounter with the shabby man.
"Where is he anyway?"
Her eyes lit up as she looked toward the main seat of the table.
The next moment, she was shocked.
"No way! Why is that poor loser here?"
She wondered if she was seeing things, as Noah was sitting right in front of her.
She thought, 'How come that man gets to be in the main seat?'
"Poor loser?" Hearing her words, John snapped.
"Isabella, how dare you! Apologize to Mr. Anderson! Now!"
"Mr. Anderson? Dad, are you for real? He's the one you invited over? He's the future leader of the Anderson family?" Isabella covered her mouth, still somewhat in disbelief.
"What do you mean? Are you questioning Mr. Anderson?" John was so pissed off and thought, 'What's Isabella thinking? She's always a smart girl. Is she out of her mind? She dares to question Mr. Anderson! If Xavier knows, I can kiss my job goodbye!'
"You're my daughter. It's the only reason stopping me from slapping you right now!" he roared furiously.
Seeing how mad he was, Isabella finally realized that he wasn't joking. The man was Noah indeed.
She had attended enough banquets with John to know certain social etiquette. Therefore, she swiftly grabbed a wine glass and walked over to Noah, looking apologetic.
"Mr. Anderson, forgive me for being rude. I'll drink."
With that, she gulped down the glass.
"It's fine," Noah smiled nonchalantly.
"How forgiving!" praised John.
Then the meal continued.
Everyone toasted Noah in turn respectfully, utterly afraid to upset him.
In their eyes, they were blessed to sit at the same table as Noah.
"Mr. Anderson, what do you think of Isabella?" John, with a glass of wine in hand, came over with a smile.
Noah was stunned for a second, then he glanced at Isabella and smiled, "She's stunningly pretty, polite, and calm."
He was telling the truth, as he saw how she behaved back at the table.
"Thank you, Mr. Anderson. Isabella is lucky!" John grinned heartily.
He then turned to Isabella and said, "Isabella, didn't you hear that? What are you waiting for? What did I teach you?"
Isabella blushed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Anderson."
"Don't mention it." Noah waved his hand.
After a moment of hesitation, John said, "Mr. Anderson, if you're interested in her, perhaps you can take her out on a date. What do you say?"
