Chapter 05

*****

"Young master Bottoms, I wasn't expecting your magnificent self to attend my birthday banquet, it's a wonderful surprise." The Old Madamé Johnson suddenly expressed shamelessly.

But the thing is that, apart from Alan Bottoms and Rex Magnus, nobody in the huge hall found anything wrong with her sudden change of disposition at all.

Well… it wasn't their fault though.

The highest ranked family present were in the same rank as the Johnson family, third rated families, so to everybody standing before Alan Bottoms right at this moment, they were like mortals standing before an immortal.

'What's this lowly old woman talking about?' Alan Bottoms who had been startled by the Old Matriarch's unexpected words suddenly thought with flustered eyes.

'Aren't I only here for her granddaughter? What in the hell does she mean by saying she had never expected I would come to her birthday banquet? Is today her birthday? What a coincidence!'

Suddenly, an elegant and slight grin appeared on Alan Bottoms' face, instantly sending the hearts of all the maidens and married women present racing.

"Madamé Johnson, wouldn't it be a great sin if a youngling like me doesn't come to wish you a joyous birthday?"

Just as he uttered this, the old matriarch immediately became over-the-moon excited and started grinning from ear to ear whilst the people of the other families present directly became filled to the brim with envy.

'It looks like the position of the Johnson family would definitely rise soon.'

'What a lucky family! How were they able to pull something extraordinary like this off?'

'Wow!!!'

'I need to go rush the old man of my family to deepen the relationship between our family and the Johnson family now with this hidden and divine connection of theirs.'

'This is a one-time opportunity, I must find a way to also enter the good book of this young master.'

Whilst everybody was busy daydreaming, scheming, and planning within their minds, Alan Bottoms suddenly remember that he had gotten something earlier for one of his bitches who had been disturbing him for days now.

'Well… I will buy something else for you another day.'

Thinking of this unapologetically, Alan Bottoms suddenly insert his hand into his suit pocket before gently removing a small-sized box.

"Madamé Johnson, this is my gift for your birthday. Please do forgive me for how small it is, it was only prepared at the last moment."

Not knowing that Alan Bottoms literally meant the last thing he said, The old Matriarch thought he was only being ceremonious.

She suddenly grinned excitedly from the bottom of her heart before nervously receiving the box presented to her.

"Thank you very much, Young Master Bottoms. I truly appreciate your wonderful present from the bottom of my heart, thanks a lot."

Seeing this overtly grateful attitude, Alan Bottoms suddenly couldn't help but ridicule more in his mind.

'As expected from an ordinary third-rated family that had fallen from grace.'

Fortunately or unfortunately, he doesn't show this on his face.

Still smiling gently, he waved his hands dismissively before opening his mouth elegantly.

"Please madamé Johnson, you're thanking me too much. You should check if the gift is to your liking."

Hearing this, everybody's attention abruptly turned with hot gazes to the old Matriarch, hoping she would open the box in her hand so that they all would feed their deep curiosity by knowing the content inside.

Seeing this, the old Matriarch became even more excited.

With her aged hand trembling, she opened the box gently and the first thing that entered everybody's eyes was little glowing white lights.

"Wow!!!"

"What's that thing glowing with bright lights?!"

"Is that a divine item directly from heaven!?"

Everybody began to gasp.

They watched as the old granny gently picked up the object within the box with her hand shivering so much.

It's a beautiful necklace made with jade stones.

Noticing how everybody was acting, Alan Bottoms became filled with contempt as he mock in his mind.

'Fools,' he suddenly shook his head slightly before directly breathing out gently.

"This's a heart-hade necklace. It's one of the only 200 pieces ever and would ever be created." His voice suddenly boomed gently and dreamily, startling everybody again.

Hearing what he said, A few people's eyes within the crowd abruptly lighten up before instantly becoming huge and wide open in their sockets

The people near these few people instantly became serious after seeing the surprised reaction on their faces.

"Please, do you know what this necklace is?"

"Brother, please enlighten this ignorant me."

They started begging before some abruptly responded proudly

"Of cause, who doesn't know the heart-hade necklace, the necklace that cost a whooping amount of 2.5 million dollars."

The moment everybody heard the crazed and ridiculously huge amount, they became flabbergasted and unconsciously swallow hard.

This is especially so for the old Matriarch who's presently holding the neckless, hearing its price, she instantly became dumbfounded to her core to the extent that the necklace she was holding rapidly became heavy and almost fall off her hand.

"2… 2… 2.5 million dollars?"

She couldn't believe this price at all.

The Old Matriarch suddenly glanced at the necklace in her hand fearfully, then instantly, she doesn't know what to feel, think, or do anymore.

Honestly, 2.5 million dollars wasn't exactly an extremely huge amount of money for the Johnson family, but at the same time, it isn't small at all.

The highest liquid wealth they could move around right now is only a little above 4 million dollars, so holding a present that cost more than half of their liquid cash scares the old matriarch to death.

Seeing this, Alan Bottoms became dumbfounded.

He couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

'Is 2.5 million dollars a lot of money?'

He became confused.

'So this family is already so poor and broken to this extent?'

He couldn't help but shake his head helplessly. But thinking of that beautiful lady he hadn't been able to take off his mind since a week ago, Alan Bottoms decided not to bother with the thoughts in his mind anymore.

As for Rex Magnus who hadn't left yet. He could be seen currently witnessing everybody's reaction with a stupefied look on his face.

Like everybody else, he also currently has an extremely dumbfounded look covering his face. But it wasn't because of the same reasons as them, rather, it was directly the opposite.

'This money, isn't it a little too trivial to put everybody in this state?'

He couldn't help but suddenly glance at the medicine in his hand subconsciously before thinking in his heart. 'This should be more than 10 billion dollars, right?'

He directly shakes his head slightly before deciding not to think anymore about the unnecessary things.

'It's her lost anyways.'

Just as Rex Magnus thought like this and decided to excuse himself, something else immediately stopped him.

"I'm glad that Madamé Johnson loves my present. But actually, this wasn't the only reason I'm here."

The moment she heard this, the old Matriarch who still wasn't able to take her mind off the necklace in her hand returned to her senses.

Smiling extraordinarily happily, she glanced at Alan Bottoms.

"Please young master Bottoms, go ahead, I will definitely happily offer my help if it's something I could do."

Hearing this, Alan Bottoms smiled slightly, then for the first time since he entered, he raised his head and searched around the hall.

The instant he saw her, his heart shook widely.

"Actually, I'm here to propose a marriage between myself and the Jonson family."

Everybody, "Hun?!"

Their eyes abruptly widen for the umpteenth time today after hearing Alan Bottoms' shocking words.

But for the first time, their minds stopped working completely.

'Mar… marriage proposal?!!!'

Their hearts began to thunder with so much force in their chest.