Chapter 655 - Very Cold

“That dress was produced by Young Mistress Gloria’s clothing store? It’s called Blue Suede, right?”

“Hurry up and record this important piece of information! We have to go to the shop and order one tomorrow!”

“Looks like Cyril’s beginning to lose his edge over Gloria in the contest to inherit Moreton Family heirloom.”

“Indeed. Young Mistress has displayed an exemplary business mind; I wonder if the president will choose her just like how Master Ian chose Young Mistress Scheer.”

Many of the women who weren’t yet aware of this news instantly became extremely interested, while the businessmen present were beginning to carefully contemplate the situation. They had to analyze everything with utmost caution and pick the right person to support between Cyril and Gloria.

Herty’s and Herny’s expression had already darkened considerably. It would’ve been more acceptable to them had Gloria hurled insults back at them. However, the fact that she was ignoring them told them that they were no longer even on the same level as her.

“Jeffree, are you planning to emulate Ian and hand over the Moreton Family to her? I think she’ll be a worthy adversary for that little girl from the Buffett Family,” Michael asked as he turned to Jeffree. As he did so, he wore a smile on his face, but the expression in his eyes was extremely sharp.

“I gave her a chance, but it’s up to her to prove herself. If she wants to inherit the family, she’ll have to work harder than her male counterpart.” Jeffree looked at Gloria, and shook his head as he said, “She’s still very far off compared to that little girl from the Buffett Family.”

“You should be happy with what you have. Not everyone grew up in a bank like Scheer did.” Michael chuckled.

Jeffree didn’t offer a reply, but he was looking at Gloria with an expression of contemplation and gratification.

“Big Sister is so awesome today! I feel like she changed into a completely different person.” Mickey looked on at Gloria with his mouth gaping wide open. The concern in his heart had been entirely replaced by shock and pride.

“Gloria really has grown up. She’s far more exceptional than I was at her age.” Lance’s expression was caught somewhere between gratification and heartache.

“Indeed, she’s all grown up now. She’s become a confident and beautiful young woman.” Debra held onto Lance’s hand with a smile as tears shimmered in her eyes.

Cyril composed himself and took a deep breath to calm down. He took his hand off the knight’s shoulder and looked at Gloria with a cold sneer as he said, “Even if you and he are willing to donate, that’s only something that idiots like you would be willing to do. Will you be able to find others as stupid as you here? Let me see how you’re going to fill this bottomless pit!”

“The Buffett Family will take care of providing education for these homeless children.” Scheer stepped forward and looked up at Luna as she said, “Ms. Luna, please give me a proposed plan and a quote for the costs involved. Regardless of whether you plan on building a separate school or to enroll these children into Chaos School, Buffett Banks will provide all of the funds necessary.”

“A-alright.” Luna’s eyes immediately lit up as she stared at Scheer with an astonished expression.

“President Jeffree, only several decades have passed since the founding of our Chamber of Commerce, but everyone here seems to have already forgotten that your fathers and forefathers were merely ordinary people as well. Now that we’ve risen to prosperity, why can’t we donate some of our money to help these children?” Scheer turned her attention to Jeffree with a smile, and asked, “President Jeffree, would you be willing to act like an idiot just this once and donate for the sake of the children?”

Cyril’s face immediately turned deathly pale. Never had he thought that Scheer would suddenly step forward. Not only was she promising what was surely going to be a massive donation to Luna’s proposed fund, she was kicking the ball into Jeffree’s court as well. Regardless of whether Jeffree agreed to her proposal or not, Cyril knew that he had been well and truly beaten. His dignity had been swept to the ground, and Jeffree’s impression of him had deteriorated even further.

A wide array of expressions also appeared on the faces of the guests present. The businessmen that were affiliated with the Buffett Family were contemplating how much they should donate, while the businessmen affiliated with the Moreton Family all turned to Jeffree.

Jeffree and Scheer’s battle for the presidency had clearly already begun. Scheer was trying to knock the final nail into Cyril’s coffin while exerting an immense amount of pressure on Jeffree. If Jeffree wanted to protect Cyril, then he definitely wouldn’t agree to donate, and all of the businessmen that were affiliated with the Moreton Family would also refrain from doing so.

Michael turned his gaze toward Jeffree, but didn’t say anything.

Meanwhile, Mag was appraising Scheer with a hint of amazement on his face.

As expected of the woman who was able to take over a major family at just the tender age of 18; she truly possessed a brilliant mind.

If Jeffree refused to donate in order to protect Cyril, then Michael’s impression of him would definitely sour, and here in Chaos City, no one wanted to get on the city lord’s bad side.

However, if he were to agree to donate, he would please Michael, but he would also be completely leaving Cyril out in the cold. That would undoubtedly prove to be a heavy blow in his plight to inherit the family heirloom, and his decision would definitely sway many of the businessmen affiliated with the Moreton Family toward Gloria.

Jeffree looked at Cyril before turning to Gloria, upon which he nodded, and said, “I concur with Gloria’s suggestion. In addition to the 10% of earnings that she’ll be donating from her Blue Sude clothing store, the Moreton Family is going to take care of the housing issue for these children so all of them will have a roof over their heads.”

“I’m sure the children will be very grateful to you, President Jeffree,” Scheer said with a smile. There was a hint of elation in her eyes, suggesting that her ploy had resulted in a resounding success.

“Thank you, President Jeffree.” Luna bowed deeply toward the VIP area as tears began to well up in her eyes.

In the beginning, she had only been hoping to secure sufficient donations to buy food for the children over the winter. However, she had gotten far more than she could ever hope for. With these massive donations rolling in, these children would be able to enjoy a much more wonderful childhood.

Cyril stumbled back a couple of steps, and only managed to stay upright after a knight had lent him a supporting hand. However, his face was deathly pale, and there was cold sweat running down his face.

The cold glance that Jeffree had just cast toward him made him feel as if he had been plunged into a glacial pit, and his decision clearly indicated that he had chosen Gloria over him on this occasion.

“The president is donating, and he chose to support Young Mistress Gloria!”

“Could it be that Young Mistress Gloria is going to become the second Young Mistress Scheer?”

“That’s too difficult to predict for now, but one thing’s for sure: we have to play the idiot and donate as well!”

All of the guests present began to discuss urgently among themselves, wondering what drastic changes this mid-year banquet was going to bring to the Chamber of Commerce.

“Ms. Luna’s proposal has touched me greatly, and I’m also very pleased and grateful that all of you are willing are donate to these underprivileged children.” Michael stood up from his seat, and his powerful voice rang out across the entire banquet hall as he said, “At the same time, I hope that everyone can learn a lesson from this. Here in Chaos City, the societal hierarchy isn’t set in stone. We’re going to strive to educate the entire population so that even the lower-class citizens will have a chance to prove their worth.”

Cyril leaned his body heavily against the knight beside him for support, and suddenly felt very cold.