Chapter 275: You Just Had to Open Your Mouth, Jack

Luca wasn’t the only one who found the situation ridiculous.

Sitting at the same table, Harvey also found himself struggling not to laugh.

The adults in his family were always scolding him for being a spoiled brat, and his parents were often embarrassed whenever his name came up in front of outsiders.

Harvey was genuinely talented. The problem was that instead of putting his intelligence toward politics, he had chosen business. There were plenty of people in the family compound who believed he wasn’t doing what he should be doing.

Still, Harvey had received a strong patriotic education from childhood and had been deeply influenced by the people around him.

Watching Jack behave as though the people from Hernandez Finances were royalty made him feel both embarrassed and angry.

’So this is the famous second-generation rich kid of Capital City?’

In front of their own people, they acted as though they were untouchable. Put a few foreigners in front of them, and suddenly they became timid and submissive.

Harvey understood that Maison Premier needed external support. He understood the importance of securing a powerful partner.

But that didn’t make the sight any less unpleasant. Maison Premier had only been recognized as a national enterprise two years ago. Seeing its heir behave like this now was almost ironic.

"Maison Premier has really gone off the rails."

Harvey took a sip of tea and muttered under his breath.

After Maison Premier introduced the newcomers, the guests quickly learned who the foreigners were and why they had received such an extravagant welcome.

Hernandez Finances.

The name alone was enough to make the atmosphere in the hall change.

The people attending were all experienced businesspeople. The moment they heard the name, their eyes began darting around as they calculated the possibilities.

’If I could establish a partnership with Hernandez Finances...’

That thought appeared in more than one person’s mind.

Before long, several business leaders began moving toward Phil.

Even some of the celebrities were eager to seize the opportunity.

A few women dressed in particularly revealing outfits had already gathered around him, deliberately drawing attention to themselves as they introduced themselves.

One woman swayed her hips as she approached, her dress leaving little to the imagination.

She smiled sweetly and tried to display her best assets, hoping to catch Phil’s attention.

Unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed.

Phil’s gaze merely swept across them before moving away.

He wasn’t interested.

Instead, he lowered his head slightly and turned toward the woman beside him.

"Emily, haven’t you received Luca’s reply yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

Emily Fox shook her head.

Emily was one of the many secretaries working within Phil’s large personal secretariat. For the past several years, most of her work had involved assisting the senior secretaries with their daily responsibilities.

She had never expected Phil to specifically request that she accompany him on this business trip.

Just before they boarded the plane, he had instructed her to send an email to someone named Luca Hale.

That was when Emily discovered something astonishing.

The renowned Hernandez Finances, a major British conglomerate, was actually controlled by an American.

And that wasn’t even the most surprising part.

Whenever Phil mentioned Luca’s name, there was genuine admiration in his eyes.

There was no flattery or pretense.

It was sincere.

That alone had made Emily extremely curious about the mysterious person behind the company, someone she had never even met.

But curiosity was one thing.

Emily was also perceptive enough to understand the warning hidden beneath Phil’s attitude.

Luca Hale was a taboo subject within the Hernandez family.

He was someone nobody should provoke.

"Really?"

A trace of disappointment crossed Phil’s face, but he quickly recovered.

"It’s fine. Once we’ve finished things here, we’ll go to New Orleans."

They had already spoken with Luca over the phone and knew he was currently in New Orleans.

"Yes, sir. I’ll wait a little longer..."

Emily suddenly stopped talking.

Her eyes had landed on someone across the hall.

A young man was standing among the guests.

He looked exceptionally handsome, but it wasn’t just his appearance that caught her attention. There was a calmness about him that made him stand out even in a room filled with influential people.

He chatted casually with those around him.

Then, almost by chance, his eyes passed over Emily.

There was no excitement. No greed. No curiosity.

Nothing.

The contrast was striking.

Everyone else seemed eager to get close to them, yet this man hadn’t even bothered to look twice.

Then Emily froze. She had seen that face before. Phil had shown her a photograph of Luca before they left. The man in front of her wasn’t merely similar. He was exactly the same person.

The mysterious boss behind Hernandez Finances was standing right there.

"Emily, what’s wrong?"

Phil noticed her sudden change in expression and frowned.

"Sir... that gentleman..."

Emily’s lips trembled slightly.

She struggled to get the words out.

Meanwhile, Jack had also noticed Emily pointing toward Luca.

Although he was arrogant and hardly the most educated person in the room, Jack had grown up in the international metropolis of Capital City. He knew enough to understand a basic conversation.

Why was Emily suddenly pointing toward Luca?

Jack thought about it for a moment.

Then he looked around.

Almost everyone in the hall was trying to get close to the Hernandez delegation.

Everyone except Luca’s table.

Jack’s eyes suddenly lit up.

’Could it be that Phil Hernandez is the kind of person who cares deeply about respect and appearances?’

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that he’d figured out what was happening.

With a flattering smile, Jack stepped forward.

"Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Emily, those are some of the guests who came today."

He pointed toward Luca’s table.

"Some of them don’t understand proper etiquette. I’ll have them come over and apologize to you right now."

To Jack’s surprise, Emily’s expression changed drastically.

She stared at him as though he’d just said something unbelievable.

"Are you an idiot?"

Her voice rose sharply.

"How dare you speak about Mr. Hale like that!"

"What?"

Jack stared at her in confusion.

"Enough!"

Phil immediately cut him off.

His expression had turned cold.

He fixed Jack with a dark, intimidating stare.

"Denim, is this idiot your brother?"

He turned toward Vincent.

Even Vincent, who had remained calm throughout the evening, could tell that the situation had gone terribly wrong.

More importantly, he knew exactly who Phil was.

This wasn’t someone he could afford to offend.

"Mr. Hernandez, is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Vincent came forward, attempting to defuse the situation.

The arrival of Hernandez Finances’ heir meant that the other party was clearly interested in cooperating with Maison Premier.

Vincent absolutely did not want a promising partnership to collapse because of a minor misunderstanding.

Phil sneered. "Forget it. You don’t need to explain."

His tone was enough.

Emily, who had worked with Phil for years, immediately understood what he meant.

The cooperation with Maison Premier was over.

In Phil’s mind, Maison Premier had already been crossed off the list.

Vincent’s expression turned grim. He slowly looked toward Jack.

Jack’s face had already gone pale.

"Idiot!" Vincent’s voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"Apologize to Mr. Hernandez. Right now."

Vincent had always tolerated Jack’s recklessness.

As long as his younger brother didn’t cause trouble with the sons of powerful officials or provoke other major families, Vincent could usually turn a blind eye.

But this time, Jack had gone too far.

The situation had already spiraled beyond his control.

If an apology could salvage even the slightest possibility of cooperation, then Jack had to apologize.

"I... I..."

Jack’s lips trembled.

He knew exactly how severe the consequences would be if his stupidity caused Maison Premier to lose Hernandez Finances as a partner.

But Phil wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

He had already turned away.

Taking several quick steps, he headed straight toward Luca.

When he was still several steps away, Phil extended his hand with an excited smile.

"Luca!"

His voice carried across the hall.

"It’s truly God’s guidance that we happened to meet here!"