The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 101

On the day of Gardenia Sutton's birthday banquet, Natalie Thornton unapologetically showed up in the most stunning, eye-catching red velvet gown. The moment she stepped into the banquet hall, she drew every gaze in the room, instantly stealing the spotlight.

Natalie casually swept her eyes over the crowd, taking in the industry heavyweights in attendance, and let out a cold scoff in her mind.

Hassan Carlson had truly gone to great lengths to build a lavish ladder just to help Gardenia reach the top.

As she strolled in gracefully, Jacob Holt and his clique glared at her with cold, palpable disgust.

Surprisingly, Jacob restrained himself this time. He didn't charge over to berate her the second she walked in, though his eyes did all the talking.

Acting as if nothing was wrong, she took a glass of wine from a passing waiter and took a small sip.

In the center of the hall, Gardenia was dressed in an elegant, understated silk gown, holding her own as she conversed with various corporate titans.

Hassan stood right by her side. Looking at them, they seemed like the perfect power couple—a match made in heaven, looking every bit like husband and wife.

Marvin Ford walked in from outside, his gaze locking with Natalie's for a brief second.

Since they both knew how crowded the room was, and given the awkward state of their relationship, they decided against saying hello and remained silent.

When Jacob spotted Marvin, he raised a hand. "Marvin."

In the past, Jacob and Marvin had been the two who despised Natalie the most. Ever since Yale Easton had dropped that vague hint the other day, Jacob had been feeling uneasy. He had wanted to sit down and talk to Marvin about it for a while now, but his family's old man had recently shipped him off to the military base.

He and Hassan had grown up together in the elite Citadel Quarters, attending the same military schools. Both of their grandfathers were Generals of equal rank, possessing matching seniority and immense status. Nowadays, most of the younger Carlson generation had moved into business, while the Holt Family's core remained in military and politics. Still, that didn't stop him and Hassan from being incredibly close.

In the eyes of their prominent elders, Hassan had always been seen as a man of upright character, impeccably decent, and boasting a stellar reputation.

He took a gulp of his drink. "You know as well as I do, Hassan and I have never had a fight this bad in our entire lives."

Jacob felt deeply frustrated. He had never suffered this kind of grievance before. But when Hassan came over to the Holt family estate to apologize that day, Jacob had softened and agreed to pretend it never happened. Even so, he had been actively avoiding Hassan lately.

Marvin lowered his eyes. "Did Yale say anything else?"

"I asked him, but he wouldn't say. It's annoying as hell." Jacob instinctively reached for a cigarette before remembering this was Gardenia's birthday party, forcing himself to hold back.

Marvin looked up, his gaze landing heavily on Hassan in the center of the hall.

The man appeared to be happily chatting with Gardenia, but his eyes kept drifting toward another corner of the room.

Marvin followed Hassan's line of sight, and his entire body went rigid.