Chapter 3 The Missing Wife
At six-thirty in the evening, Jennifer stood beside the windows of an executive suite in Jadeux Hotel. She pulled open the curtains, looking down on the bustling Orchid Ballroom.
The place was brimming with well-wishers, and she saw Montgomery standing in the middle of it all, dressed in a tuxedo and carrying his trusty cane.
“Old Mr. White, Mr. Mitchell is here,” one of his subordinates whispered into Montgomery's ear.
“Oh? Where is he? Ask him to enter with Jennifer!” came Montgomery's reply.
The subordinate added hesitantly, “Ahem, Mr. Mitchell is here, but he brought someone else with him.”
At that moment, a Bentley pulled up to the hotel driveway with little fanfare.
A passenger door opened to reveal Mitchell, looking dapper in a well-cut suit.
Meanwhile, a seductive woman exited from the other passenger door, her heels click-clacking on the floor. She immediately stuck to Mitchell's side as they entered the hotel under the guidance of an usher.
They instantly became the center of attention the minute they set foot in the Orchid Ballroom.
After witnessing all this from the safety of her suite, including the sullen expression on Montgomery's face, Jennifer closed the curtains.
Back in the ballroom, Montgomery sputtered angrily at his grandson, “What is the meaning of this? Where's Jennifer? You're going to be the death of me!”
Mitchell frowned at the mention of his wife. “I married her according to your wishes, but that doesn't mean you can decide my companions for every occasion.”
He wondered if Jennifer had somehow placed his grandfather under some spell.
The thought of her sticky, sugar-stained fingers grabbing his suit sent shudders through Mitchell's body.
“Y-You!” Montgomery rapped his cane on the floor several times to vent his anger. “Jennifer is the only woman I'll acknowledge as my granddaughter-in-law, so yes, I would take issue with any of your other female companions.”
He purposely raised his volume as a warning to Juliet.
The woman was no fool, and she caught on to the tension between Mitchell and his grandfather. In a bid to clear the air, she hastily handed over the present she had prepared for Montgomery's birthday. “Happy birthday, Mr. White.”
Montgomery said curtly, “Who said you are welcomed?” Taken aback at his words, Juliet remained silent for a good few minutes.
I know Mitchell is unhappy about this, but he only needs to spend more time with Jennifer, and I'm sure he'll fall in love with her.
At that thought, Montgomery turned to James and ordered, “Bring Jennifer here. Let's officially introduce her to our guests.”
“Yes, Old Mr. White. Right away.” James left immediately.
Juliet's grasp tightened on her gift as she saw red. Her gaze happened to sweep across Mitchell's profile then, and she noticed that he looked cold.
“Mitchell, your grandpa seems unhappy about my presence. W-Why don't I take my leave first?” she asked timidly.
She had posed the question as more of a conversation starter than an actual intention to leave the celebration. To her surprise, Mitchell remained silent, and his expression hardened.
Seeing that, Juliet remained frozen to the spot, unsure of what to say next.
Sometime later, James rushed into the ballroom anxiously and informed Montgomery, “Mrs. White is missing!”