Chapter 358


    “You can only protect yourself by being heartless…” Mackenzie repeatedly


    muttered that line to herself as a cold smirk slowly spread across her face.


    She had always been an opinionated little girl, and while she never listened


    to what her mother said, she never forgot that line. She never thought the


    day woulde when she grasped its meaning.


    Nevertheless, she could still picture udette and Emmanuel smiling at each


    other as they walked side by side into the restaurant earlier. However, the


    feeling of having a dagger thrust into her heart was still present, and agony


    resonated throughout her entire body.


    “It’s over. It’s all over…” As she muttered, she gradually reverted to her cold


    and callous mindset, her face turning icy and emotionless.


    Meanwhile, at the Serenity Resort, everything was as usual.


    Eleanor Franks was the head captain of Serenity Resort’s front–of–house


    team. As one of Yeringham’s most upscale restaurants, the cost of


    everything in this restaurant was especially high, so everyone who dined there was either wealthy or


    influential. The managers of the restaurants were


    well–paid, but they were held to high standards. As the head captain, she


    needed to maintain friendly rtions with every client so they would be


    willing to splurge on the restaurant. She excelled in her role, and despite


    having been a kindergarten teacher like her sister, she was promoted from


    receptionist to head captain within three years of working at Serenity Resort.


    On this particr day, a distinguished client was expected at the restaurant,


    so Eleanor waited by the doors with two beautiful servers standing next to


    her. Soon after, a few luxury cars drove up the slope before stopping at the


    restaurant’s entrance. As soon as she saw them, her face lit up, and she


    hurried over to the group’s leading vehicle and opened the back door. Then,


    she kept her eyes lowered and her body in a half bow as she opened the


    door, making it look so natural that no one would have guessed it was an act.


    “You’re finally here, Mr. Verkade! I’ve been waiting by the doors from the


    moment you called,” she greeted.


    Jonathan was the first to exit the vehicle, but he did not immediately wrap his


    arm around her or grope her butt as he normally would have. Instead, he


    reminded her in hushed tones, “I have two other powerful men dining with


    me today. Take good care of them. Do not overlook them in any way! Also, do


    not call me Mr. Verkade tonight. Call me Mr. Jonathan or just Jonathan.”


    “Huh?” After a moment of disbelief, Eleanor caught on to what was happening


    and nodded hastily. He’s the least capable of the group! She was innately


    aware of his identity as well as his background. He was, after all, a member of


    the Verkade family, a powerful n that had amassed billions. Whenever he


    dined at Serenity Resort, he never failed to make his presence known by


    throwing his weight around. Even so, she could tell that Jonathan felt


    vulnerable and even afraid from how he looked at her and spoke.


    On the other hand, her heart pounded nervously as she quickly turned to


    observe the vehicles trailing the group. With a nce, she recognized the


    young man who had exited the car in the middle of the crowd of vehicles. It


    was Hubert Verkade, the second son of the Verkade family.


    While there were no officially known “Big Four” among the families in


    Yeringham, the people, especially those who worked in the entertainment


    sector, like to call the wealthiest families in the city the Big Four. Hubert


    Verkade was the son of the main branch of the Verkade family,-which was


    considered one of the Big Four. Although he was known as a


    good–for–nothing, he was a much more powerful figure than everyone else


    in the family. On the contrary, he came across as merely averagepared


    to his talented older brother, Gautier Verkade. Hubert was a prince of the city


    to ordinary citizens, so wherever he went, he was always greeted with great


    enthusiasm.


    Eleanor, being the head captain of a fine dining establishment, naturally kept


    tabs on the city’s rich young men, so there was no way she wouldn’t have


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    recognized him. She was also a wise woman who would never do something


    as uncouth as belittling someone else to please a client, nor would she


    abandon Jonathan just to curry Hubert’s favor. Also, she knew that if she


    offended Jonathan, she would earn Hubert’s contempt and lose everything.


    While trying to figure out how to bnce her feelings for both men, she was


    confronted with an even more shocking sight.