Chapter 276: Seeing Luca In a New Light

Phil spoke respectfully, and his voice was loud enough for many people in the hall to hear him clearly.

Most of the guests were stunned by the scene.

As president of Hale-Viv Conglomerate, it wasn’t particularly surprising that Luca had connections with Hernandez Finances.

But did that really explain why Phil Hernandez, the heir to Hernandez Finances, would approach him so eagerly and greet him with such obvious respect?

Hale-Viv Conglomerate might have developed rapidly in New Orleans, but it was still a company that had existed for only a little over twenty years.

Hernandez Finances, on the other hand, was approaching a century of history.

The Hernandez family itself went back even further. Before the First World War, they had already established considerable influence within the British Empire.

So why was such a powerful family treating Luca with such enthusiasm?

’Could Hernandez Finances be interested in investing in New Orleans or the San Fierro region?’

’If so, do they need something from Hale-Viv Conglomerate, the local powerhouse?’

Different guesses immediately began circulating through the guests’ minds.

But there was one conclusion they all seemed to reach.

Luca was far more important than they had initially assumed.

The way people looked at him changed almost instantly. Nobody dared to underestimate the young man in his twenties anymore.

Some celebrities who had previously been eyeing Luca as a potential target secretly regretted their earlier thoughts.

They had originally come to the banquet hoping to get close to Maison Premier.

Yet the contrast between Hernandez Finances’ attitude toward Maison Premier and its attitude toward Luca was impossible to ignore.

If even the heirs of a century-old British conglomerate treated Luca with such respect, then clearly he was someone they couldn’t afford to underestimate.

Of course, many of the women quickly turned their attention to Arabella standing beside him.

One look at her was enough to make most of them give up. Arabella’s beauty was simply too overwhelming. They knew when they had no chance.

A few particularly attractive women, however, didn’t retreat.

Instead, their eyes burned with even greater ambition.

A man like Luca, young, handsome, wealthy, and powerful, obviously wouldn’t remain with only one woman.

’They’re all beautiful, and their figures and temperaments aren’t bad either. With a little effort, getting close to him shouldn’t be difficult.’

None of them were naive enough to dream about marrying into the Hale family.

That wasn’t necessary.

If they could become one of Luca’s women and receive his support, their careers in the entertainment industry could advance by leaps and bounds.

As long as they obtained enough resources, their goal would already be accomplished.

While everyone else was still processing what they had just witnessed, the members of Maison Premier were experiencing a completely different kind of shock.

Mr. and Mrs. Denim had already stepped back from the day-to-day management of the company.

But that didn’t mean they were unaware of what was happening within the family.

Vincent had apparently lost control of himself at home when news of Arabella’s relationship had first spread.

Jack, meanwhile, was completely stunned by what he was seeing.

He had initially been somewhat afraid of Luca.

However, with the enormous Maison Premier standing behind him, that fear had never been particularly strong.

If anything, Jack had been more afraid of Vincent.

In his mind, Luca was simply another young heir who had taken control of a large conglomerate at an unusually young age, much like his older brother.

Jack had grown up under Vincent’s shadow.

He naturally felt a certain awe toward anyone who possessed the same kind of authority and capability as his brother.

But now, everything was different.

Even the heir of Hernandez Finances was treating Luca with such respect.

’This guy is even more terrifying than my brother.’

Jack’s face turned pale.

Compared with Jack’s fear, however, Vincent’s emotions were far more complicated.

Vincent had been gifted and confident from a young age. He had always believed that with enough ability and ambition, he could build Maison Premier into an empire that stood at the very top of Capital City’s business world.

His desperate search for outside funding wasn’t merely about expanding the company.

He had even been prepared to surrender a portion of Maison Premier’s shares to Hernandez Finances.

Part of him wanted to prove something to Arabella. He wanted to show her that she had chosen the wrong man.

More importantly, Vincent had an enormous ambition of his own. He wanted to reach the summit of Capital City’s business world and eventually crush even the established families that stood above Maison Premier, including the Windsor family.

Yet at this moment, it suddenly felt as though his business empire had collapsed before it had even properly taken shape. He had never imagined suffering such a devastating blow on his own turf.

Not far away, Phil and Luca were chatting happily. Vincent watched them from a distance. His feet felt as though they had been filled with a thousand pounds of cement.

He wanted to move. He couldn’t.

Around him, the occasional glances from other guests only made the humiliation worse.

Meanwhile, Luca seemed completely unaffected. Ignoring the curious looks from the surrounding tables, he smiled at Phil.

"Phil, why didn’t you let us know you were coming to our country? I could’ve arranged for someone to welcome you. At the very least, I should’ve had the chance to play host."

Although this was their first time meeting in person, they weren’t strangers.

They had spoken over the phone a month or two earlier.

After Emily passed Luca’s words, Phil looked slightly confused.

"Luca, I sent you an email."

"I did mention that I was looking forward to meeting you. I also apologized for coming to Capital City without informing you beforehand and explained the reason for the trip."

"An email?"

A hint of embarrassment crossed Luca’s face.

His email inbox was hardly what anyone would call organized.

Most of the messages sitting there were advertisements from casinos, promotional offers, and invitations from young models and club promoters.

He rarely checked the account anymore.

’So that’s what happened.’

’How else would the heir of Hernandez Finances fly all the way here without telling me?’

Luca quickly opened his email and searched through the mountain of unread messages.

Sure enough, he found an email from the United Kingdom.

After skimming through it, he looked back at Phil.

"Why didn’t you mention Maison Premier in the email?"

Phil had only said that he would be visiting Capital City on business.

There had been no mention of Hernandez Finances working with Maison Premier.

"Is a small family really worth that much attention?"

Phil answered matter-of-factly.

"Originally, I was only planning to stay in Capital City for half a day before heading to New Orleans to meet you."

The words landed heavily at the table.

Everyone fell silent.

’A small family?’

Was the prestigious Maison Premier really just a small family in the eyes of Hernandez Finances?

Several members of the Adams families were present at the table, along with representatives of other prominent families.

Most of them were involved in business.

Aside from Luca, the Windsor and Halloway families were generally regarded as the most influential families in Capital City.

But even then, if the Windsor and Halloway families hadn’t joined forces, neither would have been able to rival Maison Premier’s current position.

And yet, in Phil’s eyes, Maison Premier was apparently nothing more than a minor family.

Even the cooperation between them was merely a secondary matter.

He had planned to spend half a day signing the contract before heading to New Orleans to meet Luca.

That was all.

Even Harvey found himself staring at Luca with a complicated expression.

He realized that he still didn’t truly understand this man.

When they had first met, Harvey had simply thought Luca was extraordinarily wealthy.

Anyone capable of spending tens of millions promoting a female streamer had to come from a wealthy second-generation family.

Then Luca had swiftly brought down Gordon Luiz and transformed the former Luiz Conglomerate into the current Hale-Viv Conglomerate.

That alone had been enough to make Harvey take him seriously.

But now...

Even the heir of Hernandez Finances was treating Luca with extraordinary warmth.

And "warmth" wasn’t quite the right word.

They were practically fawning over him.

There was only one reasonable explanation.

Luca’s influence wasn’t limited to New Orleans.

It had already extended overseas, reaching both Europe and North America.

To the point that the heir of a century-old conglomerate was treating him with the kind of respect usually reserved for someone far above him.

Harvey stared at Luca for a long moment.

For the first time, he wondered just how deep this man’s true background actually went.