Thea strode forward, taking Jamie's hand. "I'm sorry for what I said last night," she said apologetically. "I might have been too harsh. Where did you go?"

"I was at Henry's," Jamie replied.

Tommy approached, nose in the air, regarding Jamie with contempt. "How dare you show up, you worthless bastard?" he sneered, then glanced at the unlicensed multi-purpose vehicle with its unfamiliar logo. "You're not thinking of driving that to the military region, are you? It's so embarrassing." He pointed at David. "And look at your car! You're an embarrassment to us!"

Howard approached, studying both David's and Jamie's cars. "How mortifying," he said coldly. "You'd better not take those cars at all. Try to hitch a ride. If Grandfather hadn't insisted all family members be present, I wouldn't want you there. You'd only be an embarrassment."

"All the cars are full," someone said.

"Yeah, if you ask me, Benjamin and his family should stay behind," several family members chimed in.

Lex, leaning on his cane, surveyed Benjamin's family, David's $200,000 car, and Jamie's car, which resembled a Lunar Peace. He frowned. "I think you'd better stay behind. All the attendees are VIPs. You'll only embarrass us with those cars."

Thea began to say, "Grandfather", but Jamie stopped her. Smiling, he said, "We'll stay behind then, Grandfather."

Thea looked resentful. "Jamie, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, we'll stay behind and avoid being an embarrassment," Gladys said happily. They knew they would only be mocked if they went; staying home was better.

"Let's go," Lex said, entering the Bentley.

The Callahans had hired a team of drummers for the occasion. As the cars departed with much fanfare, attracting considerable attention, the public began to comment.

"This is so cool! How did the Callahans get an invitation to the Blithe King's succession ceremony?"

"I heard Megan Callahan's boyfriend, Colson Oswald, helped them get it."

"Isn't that Benjamin Callahan? Why isn't he going?"

"He's Lex Callahan's son! Even some of Lex's more distant relatives are invited. Why aren't Benjamin and his family going?"

"Let's not talk about it. Everyone knows he's useless."

"Good-for-nothing," Gladys glared viciously at Benjamin. She'd been looked down upon ever since marrying him.

James looked at Thea. "Thea, do you want to go to the Blithe King's succession ceremony?"

Thea shook her head. "There'll be a live stream on the internet. Let's just watch it at home."

James took her hand. "If you'd like to go in person, I'll take you. I could even get us VIP seats in the front row." He pointed to his car. "See this? It's not an average vehicle. It's a special car from the Southern Plains, and only one person is authorized to use it. I begged my superior to let me borrow it. Not even the Western Border Patrol would stop this car."

Thea looked disbelieving. "Really?"

David looked at James disdainfully. "Do you trust him? This is just a Lunar Shine. What's so special about it?"

Gladys insulted the family. "Trash. The entire family is trash. My husband is trash, my son is unambitious, and my son-in-law is useless."

Losing patience, James guided Thea into the car. Once inside, he lowered the window. Seeing Gladys about to leave, he said, "Mom, why don't you come with us? You've got nothing else to do. I've heard all the rich and powerful families will be there. You've always wanted Thea to marry rich, haven't you? This is a golden opportunity!"

Gladys nodded, glaring at James. "You're right. Guess you're smart enough to know Thea's out of your league."

Thea fumed in the passenger seat. "What was that, James?"

James smiled. "If I hadn't said that, would Mom have agreed to come? Don't worry."

(The final promotional line has been removed as it's not part of the story itself.)