Today, after briefly reconnecting with Evelyn, William already noticed that during their short stay in Ravenwood, Evelyn’s thoughts, behavior, and demeanor had undergone radical changes.
He could, in fact, understand all this.
With a change in status and power, one’s mental state naturally alters too. Take Nicholas in the bar, for instance. After winning a few million dollars, didn’t his entire persona change?
Evelyn was merely adapting to her current status, and there wasn’t necessarily a right or wrong to it.
“William, let’s find a place to sit and chat,” said Evelyn. She glanced at Alice and smiled, “Alice, join us.”
William nodded without uttering a word and followed Evelyn to find a seat.
The New York Film Festival was essentially a gathering for the entertainment industry. Most of the attendees were good-looking men and women. The spot Evelyn chose was quite conspicuous. No sooner had the three of them settled down than people approached their table.
One after the other, they came seeking Evelyn. Having entered the New York business circle with significant capital and demonstrating aggressive strategies from various mergers and acquisitions, many wanted to align with this rising power.
“Hello, Evelyn. May I sit here?”
A young man with dyed blond hair and a pale face, holding two glasses of red wine, approached Evelyn’s table.
William, no longer surprised by such encounters, pretended not to notice. Alice, sitting there, didn’t say much.
In just this short time, Evelyn had already drawn in eight wealthy businessmen and successfully negotiated acquisitions with five companies, finalizing all her business deals with ease.
Moreover, none of the companies she intended to acquire had assets worth less than a hundred million dollars.
These wealthy businessmen held some clout in New York City. In other words, in such a short time, she likely closed deals worth billions, if not tens of billions, of dollars.
Ordinary people would be over the moon even with deals worth a hundred thousand dollars, let alone billions. 𝐨𝘃𝗹.
Evelyn had remained utterly composed until this charming and captivating young man appeared before her.
“Who are you?” Evelyn took a fleeting look at the young man. He had well-defined features but exuded a delicate aura overall.
“I am Mason. You probably haven’t seen me without makeup, so that’s why you can’t recognize me.” Mason is a currently popular young celebrity known for singing, dancing, rapping, and playing basketball. He often wears suspenders and is particularly popular among teenage girls and certain niche communities.
Evelyn slightly furrowed her brows, staring intently at Mason’s face, which was covered in foundation and adorned with eyeshadow.
Is this what he considers a ‘no makeup’ look? Had she misunderstood the definition of ‘no makeup’?
“Go away!” Evelyn clearly didn’t have a fondness for Mason, especially his heavily made-up face, which made her slightly uncomfortable.
While she could maintain basic civility with some business folks, she felt distinctly displeased with Mason’s kind. She was no longer considering William’s feelings.
“Evelyn, what do you mean by that?” Mason’s smile froze instantly, and the two glasses of wine he held were suspended mid-air. He had initially approached her under some bigwig’s instructions, trying to woo Evelyn, but hadn’t anticipated such a reception.
“Don’t you understand what ‘go away’ means?” Evelyn’s voice was icy. She was no longer that easily hurt young girl, and not just anyone could sit beside her.
Merely an artist who had gained popularity with a unique image—offending him didn’t matter to her.
“Evelyn, you’ll regret those words,” Mason retorted.
He had never met a woman who dared to be so rude to him. In his view, shouldn’t these women fall head over heels for his face?
After speaking, Mason sneered and turned away.
Not long after, he came over with a plump woman in her fifties.
“Are you Evelyn?” The lady, holding onto Mason’s arm, looked sternly and displeasedly at Evelyn.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow inquisitively and responded, “Who are you?”
“Me?” The woman laughed heartily, replying, “I’m Diane Campbell from Starline Media. Surely, you’ve heard of my name.”
“I haven’t,” Evelyn replied nonchalantly, “Can I help you?”
“Ha! I had Mason invite you here because I see potential in you,” Diane said coldly. “Do you want to make it in the entertainment industry? I can help. But first, you need to apologize to Mason for your behavior today.”
“Oh? Starline Media?” Evelyn calmly took out her phone and dialed a number, “Give you ten minutes, I want Starline Media to announce bankruptcy.”
Evelyn didn’t even bother to engage with her further. She glanced briefly at William, who looked around with a bored expression, offering no comment on the situation.
Diane, feeling snubbed by Evelyn’s indifference, felt a loss of face. In a fit of anger, she grabbed a glass of wine from the table, attempting to splash it on Evelyn’s face.
However, as the liquid flew out of the glass, it reversed in mid-air, splashing back onto Diane’s face instead.
After all, Evelyn was an intermediate Soulmancer. To think a regular woman could splash wine on her was quite naive.
The wine drenched Diane, causing her makeup to run, and she couldn’t help but let out a roar of anger.
Some nearby attendees looked over, but none stepped forward to intervene.
Many present knew both Evelyn and Diane. As the two women quarreled, no one wanted to get involved. Moreover, many were curious to see just how capable Evelyn really was.
Diane dashed to the restroom, presumably to fix her makeup, while Mason stood still, pointing at Evelyn and saying, “You’re finished! How dare you splash wine on Miss Campbell.”
Evelyn chuckled lightly, paying him no mind, and then turned to William, asking, “This kind of matter, the 13th Bureau wouldn’t intervene, right?”
The 13th Bureau is responsible for addressing crimes committed by Soulmancers. However, typically, as long as Soulmancers don’t go too far, the Bureau tends to turn a blind eye.
William countered, “What’s the matter?”
Though he wanted to be a law-abiding citizen and respected the work of the 13th Bureau, Evelyn’s current actions didn’t seem illegal, did they?
Evelyn just smiled.
In less than three minutes, Diane, like a reckless wild boar, rushed in front of Evelyn, crying out loudly, “Miss Taylor, I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
Mason tried to hold Diane back, asking, “Miss Campbell, what are you doing?”
“Get off me! It’s you who offended Miss Taylor.” Diane slapped Mason across the face without hesitation, then turned back to Evelyn, pleading, “Miss Taylor, it’s my fault. Whatever you want, just tell me. Just spare me.”
Needless to say, in less than the given ten minutes, Starline Media was already facing a major crisis. Diane realized she had crossed someone she shouldn’t have.
Evelyn’s luscious lips parted slightly, exuding an unparalleled cold beauty.
Pointing at Mason, she said, “I don’t want to see him anywhere ever again. Also, Starline Media — sell it to me for fifty million dollars.”
PS: The characters in the book are purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental.