"And what if he did?" Samuel Mitchell sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "He's still nothing but a guard dog!"

Elise Scott met his gaze coolly, her expression unreadable. She offered no response, maintaining her composure.

Just then, William Levine emerged from the lounge. Elise turned her attention toward him.

Samuel spotted William too, his smirk widening as he watched the other man approach.

Samuel's wealthy friends joined them then, noticing the man beside William making his way toward Samuel. Assuming he was delivering a message, they wanted to be part of the interaction while also trying to get closer to William.

"Who is that, Samuel?" one of the rich kids asked. The man carried an undeniable presence that made them uncertain about his true status.

Samuel glanced dismissively at the approaching figure. "One of William's bodyguards. Former firefighter."

"Really?" another exclaimed in surprise. "They're making them far too handsome these days."

"What good does that do?" Samuel snorted dismissively.

William simply shot Samuel a sharp look before approaching Elise. He leaned in slightly, his voice softening. "James will be here soon with my grandfather. He asked me to tell you to wait for him."

"Alright," Elise nodded.

"I have some hosting duties to attend to, so I need to go."

"Of course." Elise understood perfectly. As the host, he naturally had many guests to greet.

The wealthy kids watched William leave, clearly impressed. "Are you sure he's just a bodyguard?"

Even if he was, he definitely wasn't as ordinary as he appeared.

Suddenly, the banquet hall grew quiet again as the main event of the evening finally arrived.

All eyes turned toward the entrance where the commotion originated.

There, they saw Henry Levine in his wheelchair, surrounded by a large entourage as he was wheeled into the room.

Every guest in the hall immediately began moving toward him to offer greetings the moment they saw him. Elise started moving in that direction as well.

"Elise Scott!" Samuel grabbed her wrist, stopping her abruptly.

She frowned and pulled her hand away forcefully.

"Know your place! Don't embarrass yourself," Samuel snapped, having noticed her attempt to approach Henry. "Only our elders or their elders get to greet him directly. When did you become so presumptuous?!"

"Even if I am presumptuous, it's not your place to correct me."

With that, Elise left him standing there, his knuckles white with frustration.

She was growing more defiant by the day!

However, Elise wasn't actually planning to greet Henry directly.

She had spotted James, who was being closely watched by men in black suits and clearly looked uncomfortable.

The little boy's eyes lit up the instant he saw his mother. He quickly turned to Henry. "Great-Grandpa, I'm hungry. I'd like to get some cakes from over there."

Henry nodded, then signaled his bodyguard to keep a close watch on James.

Soon, James had maneuvered his way through the crowd and threw himself into Elise's arms.

"Mommy!"

Elise gently patted his small head. The bodyguard watching them seemed surprised by the scene, but didn't dare to intervene.

"Mommy, can we have some cake together?"

"Of course we can!"