6 6. The Gala

Inside a certain luxury car....

"Ugghhh! I hate you! I hate you! You shameless dumbass man! Aarghh! Damn you! Shameless!" Sana keep muttering a string of curses as she continuesly hit the wheel of her car causing it to beep from time to time startling passersby.

She doesn't know what went wrong, she only wanted to meet her sister-in-law, why did she have to meet such an infuriating man.

Just damn her luck! Now she was even seen as a woman throwing herself at random men by planning to bump into them. Such a good thing she was wearing a shade and scarf or else if she was recognized she will surely hit the headlines.

How she would love to slap away the condescending look of those people earlier.

Hmmph! She's a supermodel, she have lots of men of different classes falling in her feet! How dare they think that she is a lowly woman throwing herself at strangers! Sana harrumphed aggrievely, it was her first time to be on the receiving end of such belittling gazes and she can not easily get over it.

She did not attempt to get down on her car to meet her sister-in-law anymore lest she accidentally meet with that man again so she drove home after composing herself and decided to think of other ways to meet with her sister-in-law.

-*-*-*-*-*

"What are you being nervous about? Its not like its your first time accompanying me in an event?" David Kong told Tiara as they prepared to get down from their vehicle to enter the gala.

"Yes but it will be an uphill battle again in there with those women trying to vie for your attention." She snorted knowing how hard it is to face the brunt of shielding him from those peach blossoms. "I can't understand your logic for always using me to drive those beautiful flowers away."

"I know you can handle them, besides I only want to dance with you." David joked but in his heart, he meant it. Jokes really are fifty percent truth fifty percent false, how true.

Entering the gala, reporters flocked them side by side taking numerous pictures as if attempting to capture their every move.

"Just smile and walk." David leaned and whispered to her ear to ease her nervousness but to the onlookers it looks like a sweet exchange between a couple making them speculate the relationship between the two.

This spectacle was witnessed by a certain man whose expression immediately turned black. The man talking to him sensed the change in his aura and turned to look at the direction he is looking.

"Ah, young master Feng, that is my grandson David, he is currently the CEO of our Kong Enterprises and maintained our ranking as the top security provider in Country A. He is a very capable and talented young man. The woman beside him will be my future granddaughter-in-law, Tiara Xue, even if she is a phoenix whose wings are broken, i believe she will be able to soar in the future and will be able to stand side by side with our David. She is a rare gem." Old Master Kong praised his grandson and happily introduced his future 'granddaughter-in-law' as he saw CEO Feng looking at the entrance failing to notice the chill coming off the young man .

"Old Kong, I see that old age got you muddle headed, only your last sentence is on point." The sour smell of vinegar can be detected miles away but the old man was not perceptive enough and was puzzled by the CEO's words.

"Where should we talk business?" Riven asked the old man seemingly annoyed as his gaze continuesly followed the two people who just entered and are now socializing with the people inside.

"Now?" The old man asked since young people liked to socialize in events like this to widen their connections. Riven looked at him blankly before returning his gaze to the now seated pair in the distance.

"Fine, lets go up to the study." Old Master Kong said as he grumbled to himself how the younger generations become more and more unpredictable. He led the young man from the ballroom to the second floor at the east wing of the Kong family's mansion where his private study is situated.

"So what does young master Feng want to discuss personally with this old man?" Old master Kong started after inviting his guest to sit.

"My 'future wife'," Riven enunciated the three words as if to making a clear stand,

"And who might she be?" Old Master Kong asked curiously, wanting to know what kind of girl managed to snatch the heart of this aloof but successful young man.

"Tiara Xue."

The old man was shocked, didn't he just rambled about earlier how the young miss Xue will be her granddaughter-in-law who he hoped will be able to stand side by side with his beloved grandson in the near future? Did he hear him clearly? Ah no wonder his expression seem a bit off earlier. But how did he and Tiara knew each other when he just returned to the country?

"Is Tiara your fiancee?"

"Not yet."

"No? Then why did you claim that she is your future wife?" The old man questioned him and cannot help but feel glad on his non-affirmative reply, 'my grandson still has a chance' he happily thought.

"Is she and your grandson engaged?" Riven retorted, "No? Then why did you shamelessly claim that she is your future grand daughter-in-law?" He continued without waiting for his reply, shattering the old man's inner celebration.

Huh? Did this brat just played tennis with him? Batting the ball to return it to him after he tossed it to his court, and he even called him shameless! This brat, he sure knows how to infuriate someone.

Seeing the variety of emotions in the old man's face, Riven smirked.

"I want to dig out the complete details of what happened to the Xue Family years ago." Riven diverted to business as he thought that he made his point across. "I believe that only you can help me find out everything."

The old man frowned, "I treated Tiara as a family and i naturally conducted an investigation regarding the fall of her family, that's the reason why our Kong Family had nothing to do with the Li and Yang family."

"Old Kong, you served in the military all your life, i know that you knew that this is not as simple as it seems."

"I know, but my connections has deteriorated over the years and i feel that there is a powerful figure at play here who can manipulate everything like a player looking at his chess board. I am now old and even if i treat Tiara as family, i cannot possibly force myself to dig deeper as it will put my family at risk if that unknown figure detected my meddling. I have to protect my family too." Old Master Kong sighed as he explained.

"I understand." Riven said already expecting what the old man said. "But i cannot give up, how formidable do you think this unknown figure is?"

"He has the ability to instigate two big families and cause the destruction of the Xue family whose roots are well established, that means that he is of equal or greater power than the Xue family at their peak, i believe that he is as formidable as your Feng family having roots deeper than the Xue family. But since only the Feng and Yun family can rival the Xue family back then and if neither had a hand in it, then we may be dealing with a formidable underground force."

Riven nodded at the old man's analysis, "That's right, the Yun family even if they are powerful never really interacted outside a lot remaining neutral to all clan disputes and has no reason to go against the Xue family at all, the same can be said with our Feng family. That will only leave us with the last one, an underground force."

"If they are formidable back then, there is a possibility that they even grew more formidable today."

"Or probably the oppossite." Riven interjected, "Why? Are you afraid? Did your previous years away from the military turned your knees weak?" He taunted the old man.

The old man was vexed, 'Who said my knees are weak? it is you whose knees are weak, your father's knees are weak, your whole family's knees are weak! You bastard!' He internally chided him wanting so much to shout at his face but he calmed himself and asked the young man calmly, "So what's your plan?"

"Plan? You do the planning i'll back you up. So what's the plan?" He shamelessly asked back in a carefree attitude causing the old man's face to instantly turn black.

'Is this young man really intent on playing tennis with him?' he grumbled with resignation.