Chapter 273: Long Time No See, Harvey!

If it weren’t for her mother, Victoria Windsor, being so busy lately, Arabella probably wouldn’t have wanted to represent the Windsor family at Jack’s engagement banquet.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of seeing Vincent, she was simply tired of his constant attempts to get her attention.

Fortunately, Luca was by her side. Facing Vincent alone would have been far more irritating. At the thought, Arabella unconsciously tightened her grip around Luca’s arm.

Her words struck Vincent like a poisoned blade.

For a moment, it felt as though something had been ripped straight out of his chest.

Yet no matter how angry or humiliated he felt, Vincent would never allow himself to lose his composure in front of others.

He had spent more than twenty years cultivating his image in Capital City’s upper circles. One careless display of emotion could ruin everything he had built.

After several subtle changes in expression, he forced himself to smile and nodded.

"Miss Windsor."

His gaze then shifted toward Luca.

To be honest, Vincent had once admired Luca considerably.

If Luca weren’t Arabella’s boyfriend, he would have been more than willing to become friends with him.

The Hale-Viv Conglomerate wielded considerable influence in New Orleans, and Vincent had always wanted Maison Premier to establish a stronger foothold there, eventually expanding into the wider San Fierro region.

There would inevitably be opportunities for the two sides to work together.

Unfortunately, Luca had made one mistake Vincent couldn’t overlook.

He had gotten involved with Arabella.

"Mr. Hale, I’ve heard a great deal about you."

Luca glanced at him and gave a polite nod.

"Heir Denim’s reputation is pretty legendary too."

He knew this man wasn’t exactly well-intentioned, but he knew better than to strike someone who came with a smile.

For now, there was no reason to make things unpleasant.

"Hey, Mr. Hale." Jack suddenly looked past Luca and glanced around. "Why didn’t you bring your two little sisters today?"

He sounded casual, but his eyes betrayed his disappointment.

Jack knew Arabella was the woman his older brother wanted, so he didn’t dare make any inappropriate comments about her.

Trish and Rachel, however, were another matter.

Ever since meeting them at The Elysian Club, he hadn’t been able to forget them.

He knew Luca’s women weren’t people he could casually provoke, but surely there was nothing wrong with simply getting acquainted with them.

At least, that’s what Jack thought.

Luca had no intention of entertaining the question.

He merely lifted his eyes and stared at Jack for a second before looking away.

’So this guy still hadn’t given up on Trish and Rachel.’

What surprised Luca was that Jack actually had the nerve to bring them up right in front of him.

And at his own engagement party, no less.

’If he acts this recklessly here, I really wonder what he does when nobody is watching.’

"Luca..."

Jack had never been treated with such blatant indifference before.

A nameless anger rose inside him.

He was just about to say something when Luca turned his eyes toward him. The look was cold enough to make Jack’s words catch in his throat.

"I’m only giving you face because you’re the groom today," Luca said calmly. "Don’t push your luck."

Jack immediately remembered what had happened to the Luiz family in New Orleans. Especially Gordon Luiz.

Back when Jack had visited New Orleans in search of women, Gordon had often treated him to meals.

The man had even treated him like a brother.

Now, Gordon Luiz was sitting in prison, waiting to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Jack’s throat tightened. He swallowed quietly. Then he turned toward Michael and the others, pretending nothing had happened as he tried to change the subject.

Unfortunately, the mocking expressions on their faces only made him feel more humiliated.

There was nothing he could do except swallow his resentment and blame Luca in silence.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Hale." Vincent immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "My brother is still immature and doesn’t always think before he speaks. I hope you won’t take offense."

Vincent knew better than most what kind of person Luca was. He wasn’t someone who merely issued threats.

If Jack continued provoking him and ended up getting beaten in front of everyone, today’s engagement banquet would become the biggest joke in Capital City.

Vincent wasn’t going to let that happen.

After exchanging a few more polite words with Michael and the others, he grabbed Jack by the arm and pulled him away to greet the other guests.

Not long after the Denim brothers left, Luca noticed another man hurrying through the entrance.

He wore a well-tailored suit, his hair slicked neatly backward, and a smile was almost permanently fixed on his face.

The moment he caught Luca’s gaze, his eyes lit up.

He immediately walked over with a laugh.

"Haha, Luca! What a coincidence, meeting you here in Capital City."

"Harvey, Maison Premier really went all out. They actually managed to bring you all the way here from New Orleans."

The man was Harvey Adams, a major shareholder of Twist Streaming Platform.

After parting ways in New Orleans, the two had kept in touch through their phones, but they hadn’t seen each other in quite some time.

Seeing each other again naturally put both men in a good mood.

"Luca, you’re doing pretty well for yourself."

Harvey looked him over with a teasing smile.

"Compared to you, I really have to admit I’m ashamed of myself."

Harvey had only recently returned to Capital City, so he hadn’t seen the photos from Arabella’s birthday party.

He had no idea that Luca had already managed to win over the Windsor family’s daughter.

Even someone as experienced with women as Harvey had to admit that Luca’s taste was exceptional.

Vivienne, a female CEO. Naomi Monroe, a popular streamer under Twist Streaming Platform.

And now Arabella Windsor.

Any one of those women would have been enough to make countless men envious.

Luca had somehow managed to have all three.

’Does this guy even plan on leaving any beautiful women for the rest of us?’

Luca naturally understood what Harvey was implying.

He waved his hand modestly.

"Not at all. You’re far more capable than me. Last time, you managed to win over Miss Croft with just a little effort."

Harvey immediately laughed.

The two continued chatting casually, completely unaware that several guests nearby had begun paying attention to them.

In particular, some of the guests from military and political circles were quietly observing Harvey.

Arabella was also surprised. She hadn’t expected Luca to know Harvey, much less have such a close relationship with him.

The two spoke so casually that they genuinely seemed like best friends.

Michael leaned closer to Christine and lowered his voice.

"Christine, is the man talking to Luca from the Adams family?"

Christine nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Michael’s eyes widened. "My God..."

"What are you two whispering about?" Elizabeth pouted as she leaned closer.

The others also gathered around, straining to hear what they were saying.

It wasn’t surprising that Elizabeth and the others didn’t recognize Harvey.

Their families simply hadn’t reached that level of society yet.

Many of the CEOs attending today’s banquet might have seemed incredibly influential from their perspective, but compared with the truly powerful families, there was still a considerable gap.

"Christine, is that man really powerful?" Tony asked.

He had noticed that Michael and Christine kept glancing toward Luca, Arabella, and Harvey.

Luca and Arabella were already familiar with them, so there was no reason for them to keep looking over.

That meant the man in the suit had to be the reason.

"He’s not particularly impressive himself," Christine said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "It’s his ancestors who were."

She paused. "Just like me, I suppose. We probably owe most of our status to people who came before us."

"And what about his family?"

"Federal and State level..."

"Hiss!" The vague answer was enough to make everyone suck in a breath. What shocked them even more was that Luca could speak with someone of that background so casually.

The fact that the two appeared genuinely close was even more surprising.

Meanwhile, Luca was still chatting with Harvey. "Harvey, are you very familiar with Maison Premier?"

"Familiar my foot!" Harvey snorted. "If there weren’t so many beautiful women here, I wouldn’t have bothered coming."

Luca coughed lightly. "Speaking of which, long time no see, Harvey. You’re still as dashing as ever!"