Ch 233 - Rumors, Apologies, and Decisions

Darryl stood up. "Your Majesty," he said to the sultan. "You should know that this young man snuck into this banquet without an invitation, and he is of questionable moral character."

Alex is a loser, Darryl thought. So the sultan won't be angry with me for speaking out.

People from the other families backed Darryl's statement.

"He claimed that you invited him here!"

"He's a car thief!"

"Alex has a terrible reputation."

"He's cheated people out of their money, and he's probably here to do it again!"

Darryl nudged Myriam, who understood what he wanted. She stood up and said to the sultan, "Your Majesty, I went to school with Alex, and he cost me a place at a good university. And then, a while ago, he humiliated me at a restaurant."

Nelly interpreted everything for the sultan and told him that none of it was true.

The sultan had known Nelly for over ten years, so he trusted her opinion.

He looked at these people from important families and was disgusted by their behaviour. He spoke through Nelly. "Who told you he snuck in? He's telling the truth. I invited him."

Everyone had expected the sultan to have Alex driven out, and now they looked at each other in shock.

The sultan continued to speak, with Nelly interpreting. "I invited Alex because he was my deceased wife's student. I know he's a good man, so I don't want to hear any more rumors about him."

Everyone was stunned. How had Alex known the queen? It was clear the sultan had loved his wife very much, so no wonder the king had invited Alex to the banquet.

They began to fidget as they realized they had slandered Alex and angered the sultan, possibly costing their city a lot of money.

Myriam glanced at Darryl. "Does that mean I shouldn't insult Alex now?" she asked.

Darryl was upset. Myriam's question reminded him of his own stupid mistake. He glared at her, and she looked away.

Through Nelly, the sultan asked, "Are there any more objections to Alex receiving the medal?"

Everyone shook their heads. They didn't dare interfere with the sultan's choice.

The sultan pinned the Medal of Honor on Alex's chest and said in Malay, "I present you with the Brunei National Medal of Honor. This medal will ensure you will always be warmly welcomed in my country. It also commands respect throughout the world, so any insult to you is also an insult to Brunei."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Alex said, touching the medal and bowing to the sultan.

The sultan patted Alex's shoulder. "My queen was very fond of you," he said, with Nelly interpreting. "And that means that you are practically family."

He saw the governor standing to the side, and he knew everyone was waiting for him to announce where he would invest his five billion dollars.

He had planned to visit both cities. But he had stayed in Washington, D.C., for over ten days, and he had not yet visited New York. He would be returning home the next day, so he had decided to simply invest the money in Washington, D.C.

But after the way these people had treated Alex, he wasn't so sure.

He looked at Alex. "You've spent time in both New York and Washington, D.C.," he said in Malay. "Where do you think I should invest?"

"Your Majesty, that's your decision," Alex said, shaking his head. He wasn't comfortable making decisions with other people's money.

The sultan smiled. "My decision is that you should decide!" Nelly said, interpreting for him. "I'll invest wherever you say."

Everyone panicked. They couldn't believe that the sultan would let Alex choose. Was this a joke? After the way they had treated Alex, he was bound to find in favour of New York.

Nelly looked around. She pulled Alex aside and whispered, "Advise the sultan to invest in New York. These people don't deserve any of the money."

Alex sighed. They were talking about five billion dollars, so he couldn't let the sultan make a poor investment simply because of Alex's resentment.

He turned to the sultan and asked if he had any preferences for what sorts of businesses he wanted the money to be invested in.

The sultan said he hoped the investment could be concentrated in real estate, the service industry, and tourism. These were all important within Brunei, so he had a particular interest in them.

Alex nodded and gave it some thought.

No one dared to blink or look away. They stared at Alex, waiting for his decision.

The city leaders watched him with worried expressions.

Alex stroked his chin as he considered the matter. As the son of an important family, he had learned about business dealings from a young age.

He had bought several properties, and he had a good understanding of the business environment of New York.

Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., was more focused on technology. If the sultan had expressed an interest in industries such as telecommunications or artificial intelligence, then Washington, D.C., would be more suitable. But the sultan had said he wanted to invest in real estate, the service industry, and tourism.

Both cities had a strong tourism industry, but New York had the edge in the other two industries.

New York was also the economic centre of the United States, and it had a much larger population than Washington, D.C.

Alex raised his eyes. When he noticed everyone staring at him, he got a little nervous.

People from the big families smiled at him, silently urging him to choose Washington, D.C.

Alex snorted and turned back to the sultan.

"Have you made your decision?" the sultan asked through Nelly.

Alex nodded. He had just opened his mouth when someone called out, "Alex, I apologize for our behavior. Please forgive me."

Others joined in.

"I'm sorry too. You were invited by his Majesty, and we were wrong to suggest otherwise."

"Those people slandered you, and I joined in because I was confused."

"We should never have listened to those idiots. Please don't be angry with us."

If the sultan invested in New York, then no one here would benefit from it. Everyone looked at Darryl, Colin, and Jason. They were the ones who had insulted Alex the most, so if the city missed out on the money, it would be all their fault. The city leaders began to call them out.

"Colin, Darryl, Jason, please apologize to Alex."

"Yes. Apologize now. If you hadn't spread those rumors, we would never have slandered Alex. You should beg for his forgiveness."

Colin, Darryl, and Jason were humiliated at being singled out in front of everyone.

Yes, they had insulted Alex, but they hadn't forced anyone to join in! Why should they take all the blame? That wasn't fair!

But despite their anger, they knew how important it was to secure the five billion dollars for the city. If Washington, D.C., lost the money now, then they could never show their faces in public again.

They walked over to Alex, bowed their heads, and apologized.

"Alex, we were wrong before. We shouldn't have spread those rumors about you."

"We're sorry for our mistake."

"Please don't let our behavior affect the sultan's investment. The city has worked so hard for this."

Finally, they all said, "Please forgive us."

"Okay," Alex said, nodding at them. "I forgive you."

All the members of the big families breathed a sigh of relief, and Darryl, Colin, and Jason felt their tension melt away.

Myriam went over to Darryl. "Don't worry," she said, keeping her voice low. "I know Alex. If he's forgiven you, then he won't cause any more trouble."

Darryl looked at Alex. At least we've saved the investment, he thought. We'll deal with Alex another time.

Nelly elbowed Alex and glared at him. "Idiot," she muttered.

Alex ignored everyone and turned to the sultan. "Your Majesty," he said. "I've thought it over, and I think you should invest the money in New York."