Chapter 316 Slap
Kieran totally missed what James was hinting at and thought he could actually win over Uriah. He had no clue how James was going to introduce him to the Perrys.; otherwise, no matter how gutsy he was, he wouldn't have stuck around.
To keep things low-key, James had slapped on some makeup to hide his gnarly scars and tweaked his look a bit. He looked more like a dude with bad acne than someone who'd been through the wringer.
With black-rimmed glasses to mask his intense stare, his whole vibe was toned down. At first glance, he seemed like a chill businessman, and no one would guess he had the power to flip tonight's engagement party on its head.
Kieran, on the other hand, was buzzing with excitement as soon as he walked in, his eyes darting around with envy. Almost everyone there was rolling in dough, with big-shot bosses everywhere. As a small-time thug, he had zero clout in this crowd.
Even though he was rocking a suit, he still looked out of place, giving off major awkward vibes. Everyone who saw him couldn't help but sneer and avoid him.
Kieran knew his own limits. Honestly, he was just a regular guy and felt super out of place, totally uncomfortable. He was probably the least educated and least powerful person in the room.
But to get in with the Perry family, he had no choice but to stick it out. He was banking on James. Someone as badass as James, even if not on the same level as the Perry family, could definitely chat them up. He didn't expect to be accepted by the Perry family right away; just being seen with them would be enough for him.
After all, the Perry family was a big deal in Lindwood City. As long as he had some connection with them, his future would be way smoother.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at James. Seeing James so chill in this setting, looking casual like he was at home. Even with all these big bosses around, James's vibe wasn't any less intense. This calmed Kieran down a lot.
"James, what gift did you bring for Uriah this time?" Kieran asked, trying to butter him up after they found a seat.
James ate leisurely and smiled. "I got a big surprise for Uriah. He’s gonna love it."
"What is it?" Kieran asked, grinning like a kid.
James shot him an annoyed look and said, "What, do I need your approval to give Uriah a gift?"
Kieran freaked out and apologized. "You got it wrong, I didn't mean it like that. I was just curious..."
"Slap yourself," James cut him off coldly.
Kieran got the message but felt stuck. There were so many people around; slapping himself would be super embarrassing. After all, he was a local big shot.
But James's face darkened. "Want me to do it?"
"No, of course not. I'll do it myself." Kieran was scared out of his mind and didn't dare disobey. He slapped himself hard, catching the attention of everyone around them.
Kieran was kicking himself. 'Man, James is so unpredictable; why did I have to go and poke the bear?'
James finally let up and said to Kieran, "Alright, I was just messing with you."
'Messing with me?' Kieran's mouth twitched, feeling the urge to punch something, but he kept it cool. He got even more respectful towards James.
James was just bored and decided to mess with Kieran for fun; it wasn't anything personal.
As time went on, more and more guests rolled in, and the place started buzzing. People were chatting, mostly about tonight's big event, showing mad respect for the Perry family and giving props to Uriah.
It was clear that after this marriage hookup with the Flores family, the Perry family's power would skyrocket, making them even more of a big deal in Lindwood City.
James had killer hearing and could catch a lot of the chatter around him.
"The Perry and Flores families getting hitched caught everyone off guard. No one saw it coming; their secrecy game is strong."
"Yeah, I hadn't heard a peep about the Perry and Flores families before. Now, boom, they're getting married."
"You don't know this, but I got the inside scoop. The Perry and Flores families barely interacted before. Uriah met Charlotte Flores at a party half a month ago, and they decided to tie the knot within two weeks."
"No way, they decided in just two weeks? Uriah's got some serious game."
"Of course, Uriah's always been a powerhouse. It's just that Asher favored Jared and threw most of the resources his way, making Uriah's talents less obvious."
"Speaking of Mr. Jared Perry, why haven't we seen him around lately? He used to be all over the place."
The conversation shifted to Jared.
In Lindwood City, Jared was more of a household name than Uriah. His recent vanishing act had everyone talking.
Someone chimed in, "I got some top-secret info that Mr. Jared Perry recently pissed off the wrong person and got himself crippled. He's been stuck in bed at home. That's why Uriah's in the spotlight now."
Others were like, "No way! Who'd have the guts to mess with Mr. Perry, given the Perry family's clout in Lindwood City? They must have a death wish!"
Many were shocked and couldn't believe it.
Someone questioned, "More inside info? Where do you get all this? Are you just making stuff up?"
The person shot back, "Why would I lie? It's legit. Think about it. Asher's favoritism towards Jared is no secret, and Jared's been MIA for a while, like he vanished. Especially today, at Uriah's engagement party, Jared's a no-show. If he wasn't crippled, what other reason could there be?"
Hearing this breakdown, everyone found it pretty convincing and were even more shocked. "Who'd dare mess with Mr. Jared Perry? The Perry family won't let them get away with it!"
"Could it be someone from the Brown family?" someone asked.
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