Insta Empire

Lily was very worried that this whole argument with Jason about Phoebe's seat at the banquet would blow up and get her in trouble with the family. As the eldest daughter of the Anderson family, Phoebe was in the spotlight wherever she went. Dorothy Jones knew very well what kind of influence someone like her would have on Grandma Jones. And if Kevin offended Phoebe in any way, that would definitely have a negative impact on Lily. However, Kevin only cared about Lily and didn't even notice the look that Dorothy was giving him. Actually, he noticed but didn't want to do anything about it. Finally, Jason exploded, "Don't you understand English? I've already told you ten times to give up your seat. What's wrong with you? Just move so Ms. Anderson can have a seat." Phoebe scowled and looked impatiently at Jason. Then, her cool gaze fell on Kevin. Seeing Grandma Jones also look over at them, Lily was worried about the impression that all this would make on the family matriarch. This would definitely tarnish Lily's image. She turned her head to look at Kevin, who was completely ignoring Jason, and asked him quietly, "Kevin, why don't you change seats?" When Kevin heard his wife speak, he immediately smiled and nodded. "Alright, Lily. As you wish." Then he stood up and walked to a different seat and sat down. But he didn't look at Jason and Phoebe Anderson again. Jason was livid, but after all, he had to protect his image in front of Phoebe, so he naturally couldn't act too impetuously. Phoebe had just sat down when she unconsciously looked at Lily with a gaze that pierced right through her. In fact, Phoebe was actually looking at the 'Dream Lover' necklace on Lily's neck. The Dream Lover necklace was something Phoebe had desired for a long time. But up until now, even though her family was in the jewelry business, there was no way for her to actually get one herself. She couldn't have imagined that she would see the long-cherished 'Dream Lover' necklace hanging gracefully on Lily's neck. With her professional and trained eye, she could tell right away that Lily's necklace was real. Lily felt weird to be stared at so intently and felt slightly self-conscious. "Ms. Anderson, I can't help but notice that you're staring at me. Is there something wrong?" Phoebe smiled apologetically, "Sorry Mrs. Williams. Actually I wanted to ask, where did you buy your 'Dream Lover Necklace?" Sensing the envy in Phoebe's gaze, Lily's ego got a little boost. She never expected that a rich young lady like Phoebe Anderson would envy a piece of jewelry that she owned. Lily found this feeling to be very satisfying. Lily cleared her throat softly. "This was given to me by a friend." Phoebe nodded in understanding as her gaze stayed glued to the Dream Lover, "I'd like to ask you a favor. Could you perhaps ask your friend to help me buy a Dream Lover necklace?" After saying this, she seemed worried that Lily might turn down her request and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not asking for a gift. How much did he pay for this beautiful necklace? I will pay him double." Double the price? Everyone around the table who heard the conversation between Phoebe and Lily was shocked. A 'Dream Lover' necklace was worth almost 3 million dollars. Double the price was close to 6 million! She was indeed the most prominent member of the Anderson family! Such wealth! As Lily and Phoebe were sitting together, the contrast between them was obvious. One was gentle and graceful and the other was detached and elegant. The men in the room were infatuated with them and the women were envious of them. Dorothy saw that her daughter hadn't responded yet and kicked her leg gently under the table. "What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and answer her question." Lily looked at her mother and only then did she realize that everyone was staring at her. She had no choice but to take her phone out of her bag. It took her a few seconds to find Bradley Smith's phone number in her contact list. She placed the call and waited anxiously. Kevin watched Lily's actions with an amused smile. He was pretty sure he knew who she was calling. Anyway, he was sure it wouldn't be him. If his guess was right, it was probably Bradley Smith. The call was answered pretty quickly. Lily saw Phoebe staring at her very intently and decided to put it on speaker. Dorothy was close enough to see Bradley Smith's name on the screen and couldn't hide her displeasure. She glanced in Kevin's direction. So it was Bradley Smith who gave Lily the necklace. Dorothy couldn't imagine what would happen if Kevin found out about this. She hoped that he and Lily wouldn't argue over it. Especially here at the banquet. It would definitely be awkward for everyone!

Bradley Smith was sitting alone at a roadside cafe drinking a beer when his phone rang. Someone from the Williams family had recently told him to keep his distance from them because he had offended one of them. Smith's finances were suddenly in jeopardy, and then the company's tax problem was discovered. He'd lost everything, practically overnight! Up until now, Smith still hadn't figured out who it was he had offended. He didn't even look at the caller ID. He put down his beer and answered the phone with a gloomy voice. "Hello? Who is it?" Lily's face stiffened and she felt a little uncomfortable. After all, Bradley Smith had always been gentle and considerate to her. Why did he sound so down today? "Bradley, it's me, Lily. I have something to ask you. Would it be possible for you to buy another Dream Lover necklace?" When he realized that it was Lily calling, Bradley Smith immediately brightened up. He quickly cleared his throat and adjusted his tone of voice. "Lily, I'm really sorry. I was just having a rough day, so I'm sorry if my tone was so negative. Did you just ask me about the fake Dream Lover necklace?" "Fake?" Lily immediately frowned and looked at Phoebe, who also had the same surprised expression. This was impossible. They couldn't both be mistaken about this. The necklace Lily was wearing was definitely genuine! Bradley Smith sighed on the other end of the phone." Yes, it's a copy. Unfortunately, your husband threw it on the ground, but luckily it wasn't broken. I took it home with me. If you want it, I'll send it over to you right now." Lily was incredibly confused. If the real necklace wasn't given to her by Bradley Smith, then who would have given it to her? She just couldn't figure out who would be willing to spend two point eight million dollars to give her a Dream Lover necklace. After hanging up the phone, Lily saw how disappointed Phoebe looked. Embarrassed and confused, she murmured "I am really sorry Ms. Anderson. I really don't know who gave me this necklace." Phoebe let out a sigh and shrugged it off, "That's fine, Mrs. Williams. I have to say that I've just had no luck finding my own Dream Lover." So, Phoebe was disappointed and Lily was extremely perplexed. Because the banquet had already begun, they just picked up their forks and ate, lost in thought. While Lily was absent-mindedly eating her meal, she unconsciously looked over at Kevin, who was digging into his own plate of food. She remembered very clearly that Kevin had said that he would give her the real 'Dream Lover' necklace. Could it really be him? After all, he could easily find four million to help her company, couldn't he? But then she thought about it again. The Dream Lover was worth almost three million dollars. No matter how cleverly Kevin could borrow money, it would be very difficult to get another three million after already giving her all that money to help her company. On top of that, he'd also have to figure out a way to find and purchase an authentic Dream Lover. How could he possibly do all that? Lily was still thinking too much. Whoever had given her the Dream Lover was definitely not Kevin! By now, Kevin was almost full. He put down his knife and fork and picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth. His eyes fell on Phoebe, who was sitting next to Lily. He suddenly remembered why she seemed so familiar. The Anderson family controlled one of the companies that wanted to cooperate with Williams Media. In the file that Ms. Wilson had prepared about the Anderson family, there was a publicity photo of Phoebe Anderson. This Ms. Anderson was definitely an interesting woman. As Kevin understood it, she was raised by her father to be the company's deputy president at a young age. She was already a reliable executive with a lot of experience. Although the dress she wore to the event wasn't very conspicuous, the simple ring on her finger was worth more than enough to buy a villa in the south of Italy. Others might not notice it at all, but Kevin could tell at a glance. The ring Phoebe was wearing was a valuable antique. Kevin knew this because of all the time that he spent with his grandfather when he was young. Even in his childhood, he had come into contact with numerous professional figures in various industries. Starting when he was about ten years old, he got to spend nearly three years with Claude Fields, an internationally renowned appraiser, to learn how to identify and appraise antiques. The ring Phoebe was wearing had a unique design. It was made of pure gold and it had a ruby of nearly perfect color set in a golden flower. He was certain that it was from the Middle Ages and had to have been worn by royalty. Based on the ruby alone, it was worth a fortune, but with the history likely attached to it Kevin estimated that the ring was worth about 3 million dollars. Just as Kevin was thinking about giving Lily a beautiful ring one of these days, Grandma Jones stood up and walked to the stage. With a great, big smile, she spoke to the guests, "Quiet please. Lily, please tell everyone about the secret of your successful negotiation with Williams Media. How did you do it? We would all love to know." Grandma Jones couldn't stop smiling. She gestured for Lily to go up on the stage and then went back to take her seat. Lily stood up nervously and hesitated for a few seconds. She didn't go on the stage but instead remained standing by her seat, slightly embarrassed. "Actually, it was nothing at all. When I went over that day, I didn't get to see the president of Williams Media. It was his secretary who brought me the contract and asked me to sign it." Everyone was astonished to hear this. "What? They signed the contract right away?" Someone said, "So, just like Jason, she didn't get to see the new CEO of Williams Media either." Another added, "I thought she was very capable. It seems like she was just lucky that she went there when the new president of Williams Media was in a good mood. That's why she got the contract." Jason, who was sitting beside Grandma Jones, couldn't help but sneer when he heard the comments coming from the crowd. He turned his head to see Grandma Jones's reaction. But he was already coming up with an idea to get even with Lily for making him look bad. Jason spoke up loudly so that everyone in the room could hear, "Grandma, I think this is really unfair. When I went to Williams Media, maybe the new CEO was just in a bad mood. That's why he had his assistant chase me out. This time, when Lily went there, he must have realized how sincere our family was about working with them. That's why he gave us the contract." Jason glanced at Lily dismissively and raised his voice a little. "I think that the second person to go to Williams Media would have gotten the contract anyway, no matter who they were!" Lily clenched her fists as she glared at Jason, but she couldn't find the words to answer him. Grandma Jones, who had always loved Jason, listened intently to what her grandson said. She nodded in agreement, "Jayjay is right. Lily, you earned the contract with Williams Media pretty easily. But it's not all because of you. Jayjay also put in a lot of work and he suffered a lot. Obviously, half of the credit goes to him." Lily was extremely annoyed by Grandma Jones's speech, but she didn't dare to argue with her. How could she? Jason was clearly stealing the credit for her accomplishment! Of course, Jason was very happy with the outcome. This definitely wasn't going well for Lily.