Chapter 157
"Bella, I finally found you!" Bella turned around to see Jasmine, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, her surprise evident.
Jasmine looked different now, much more elegant and confident than before.
"Jasmine, aren't you supposed to be filming?"
Jasmine smiled and walked over to Bella, linking arms with her, saying, "I happened to be on break recently. I heard that The Clinton Family's event tonight, supposedly to welcome Thomas, is actually to choose a wife for him."
Bella frowned. "Where did you hear that from?"
"My mom told me. Haven't you noticed how all the socialites who came today are dressed up to impress? They all want to win Thomas's favor!"
Upon Jasmine's words, Bella noticed that everyone around was indeed dressed to the nines.
However, Bella had no interest in Thomas. If his parents hadn't died in that car accident, Felix might not have become the CEO of the Clinton Group.
"I'm not interested in these matters. Are you here hunting for a chance with Thomas?" asked Bella.
Jasmine shook her head, her disappointment clear.
"No." Jasmine realized she couldn't forget Uriah, so she came to this event hoping to catch a glimpse of him, only to find out he wasn't there.
Seeing Jasmine's gloom, Bella couldn't help but ask, "Do you still like Uriah?"
Jasmine dodged the question and whispered, "Let's not talk about that. How about you and Felix?"
Bella sighed, "Didn't you see him come in with my sister Gianna? I'm probably not important to him anymore."
"Why? Didn't he recently give you LR Design Studio under the Clinton Group? If he didn't care about you, would he casually give away a company?" said Jasmine.
Bella felt bitter. Felix giving her LR Design Studio was just a way to distance himself from her.
"Jasmine, a lot of things happened between Felix and me while you were gone. It is quite complex to explicate, primarily revolving around my sister Gianna."
Detecting Bella's insinuation, Jasmine lowered her gaze, a glint of cynicism flickering in her eyes.
Having encountered various individuals in the entertainment industry during this period, Jasmine was no longer as naive as before.
In the past, upon hearing such veiled hints, Jasmine would have certainly stood up for Bella, launching various criticisms toward Gianna.
However, at present, Jasmine had no desire to entangle herself in their affairs.
"Belle, things like this are unpredictable. Maybe one day, Mr. Clinton will turn back to you."
Bella nodded, forcing a smile. "Jasmine, thank you for comforting me."
After chatting for a while and not seeing Uriah, Jasmine made an excuse and left.
Bella watched Jasmine's retreating figure, a coldness in her eyes. It seemed Jasmine had grown in the entertainment industry during this time, making her intentionally ignore Bella's words.
However, as long as Jasmine still liked Uriah, Bella could continue to control her.
On the other side, as Gianna and Felix entered the banquet hall, Gianna let go of his hand, saying, "Mr. Clinton, I'm going to by Grandma Natalie's side. You go chat with the business partners."
Tonight, Natalie not only invited the socialites from Dawnridge but also many business elites.
Felix nodded. "Alright, but just ignore any guys trying to chat you up."
"Got it." Gianna walked toward Natalie without looking back, leaving Felix chuckling.
As Gianna approached Natalie, Ximena spoke up, "Gianna, I have something to attend to. Stay here and chat with Grandma Natalie."
"Okay." Gianna agreed, and Ximena hurriedly left.
Ximena couldn't sincerely help Thomas choose a wife, so she preferred finding a quiet place.
"Grandma Natalie, have you set your eyes on any socialites?" asked Gianna.
Natalie smiled. "My opinion doesn't matter. It's Thomas who needs to like them. However, he disappeared right at the beginning of the event, and I just sent the butler to find him."
Gianna thought about Thomas telling her in the morning that he didn't want a romantic relationship, hesitating whether to tell Natalie.
At that moment, the butler brought a somewhat helpless-looking Thomas over. "Mrs. Clinton, he was found in the music room."
As the butler spoke, a tinge of sorrow flashed in Natalie's slightly red eyes.
Thomas's mother, Maria, was a pianist, and she and Jesse first met in the music room, where Jesse fell in love with her at first sight.
Later, after they got married, Natalie specially set up a music room in Harmony Garden for Maria to spend time in when she visited.
Thomas quickly knelt in front of Natalie. "Grandmother Natalie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just missed them, so I wanted to spend some time in the music room."
Natalie patted Thomas's hand, her eyes red. "I know. You don't need to apologize."
Gianna stood nearby, looking at Thomas with a faint expression.
As Thomas was kneeling and looking down, Gianna couldn't see his facial expression clearly, but it seemed to be one of sadness.
Losing both parents at a young age must have been a significant blow to Thomas.
After a while, Natalie regained composure and said slowly, "Thomas, let's go on stage together. I want to introduce you to everyone and let them know you're back!"
Seeing Natalie's expression, Gianna felt a strange sensation in her heart. It was as if, in those few seconds just now, Natalie had made a decision.
Thomas helped Natalie onto the stage, and a servant quickly handed him a microphone.
"Thank you all for coming to this event today. You should know that on my birthday not long ago, Thomas, who had been away for several years, returned from abroad. Knowing that he intended to stay at Dawnridge, I thought it over and decided to throw him a party."
Natalie spoke at length, ending with a serious tone. "Thomas is my eldest grandson. If it weren't for his parents' tragic accident, he should be the one inheriting the Clinton Group."
As soon as she said this, the crowd below started buzzing with discussions.
"What does Natalie mean by this? Is she planning to hand over the Clinton Group to Thomas?"
"The success of the Clinton Group is largely due to Felix. If Thomas had taken over the group, the achievements might not have been the same. If she really wants Felix to step down, it's unfair to him!"
"Felix is also her grandson. She wouldn't favor Thomas over him, would she?"
Natalie heard the whispers but kept her composure as she continued, "I've seen how hard Felix has worked for the Clinton Group over the years, so there's no need to worry. I'm not planning to have Felix hand over the Clinton Group to Thomas. I plan to leave Harmony Garden to Thomas."
The announcement caused a stir.
Harmony Garden was personally built by Natalie and her husband, costing billions during construction, not including the antiques and furniture. With the skyrocketing land prices in Dawnridge, Harmony Garden was conservatively valued at hundreds of billions!
Harmony Garden was worth half of the Clinton Group!
At this moment, Gianna understood that Natalie had decided to leave Harmony Garden to Thomas after learning about his time in the music room.
Gianna looked at Thomas standing calmly on the stage, her eyes filled with curiosity.
'Was Thomas's visit to the music room intentional or unintentional? He doesn't seem as indifferent as he appears. It's highly likely that Thomas had returned with the intention of reclaiming the Clinton Group,' she thought.
As if sensing something, Thomas suddenly turned his head and looked toward Gianna.
