Chapter 282

The birthday banquet began in full swing. Guests lined up to offer their congratulations. Noelle stood beside the Andersons, politely greeting each guest. She wasn’t great with social etiquette, but Kimberly and Vincent stayed by her side, guiding her on how to interact with others. With her sweet smile and endearing charm, Noelle quickly won the hearts of many.

Meanwhile, her fiancé Nicolas quietly slipped away from the crowd and beckoned Stanley to join him outside.

“Mr. Sawyer?” Stanley looked wary. “Why’d you call me out? You’re not planning something shady again, are you?”

Nicolas’s gaze was unreadable as he cut straight to the point. “What do you think of the man Noelle brought with her?”

Stanley froze. His eyes widened in alarm as he stared at Nicolas, his voice tight. “What are you planning?”

“If things go south,” Nicolas said calmly, “I want you to take him down. Can you do that?”

Stanley instantly broke into a cold sweat. “You want me to take down Brandon?!”

“That’s right. Can you handle it?” Nicolas knew by now that Stanley was a transformer – a product of the Serpaton–Mocrta Alliance Laboratory. And that lab was, in theory, a direct rival to Brandon’s Atoraka–Nowedon Laboratory. Which meant, technically, Stanley had the right to attack Brandon.

But Stanley shook his head furiously. “No way, no way, no way. I’m not even in the same league as that guy.”

He had never fought Brandon before, but it was common knowledge Brandon was at least a 55–tier transformer – a level not even worth dreaming about tangling with.

Nicolas clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Useless.”

Stanley was speechless.

Before meeting this group of people, he used to think of himself as a prodigy, a born elite. Now? He felt more like the comic relief.

Still, he crossed his arms and said, “No matter what you say, I’m not going to fight Brandon. Besides, he’s Noelle’s friend. Why would you want to hurt him?”

“You really don’t know?” Nicolas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Know what?” Stanley blinked.

Nicolas didn’t elaborate. The truth was, the lab had released many transformers into the world not just for training – but to build emotional bonds with others, only to later destroy them in cold–blooded “emotional severance tests.” From Stanley’s reaction, it was clear he didn’t know that.

So Nicolas simply said, “I just don’t like his face.”

“Really?” Stanley didn’t buy it.

“You can guess the rest,” Nicolas said vaguely.

Just as they were about to head back inside, a voice spoke behind them. Brandon was standing there, smiling faintly, as if he’d been watching for a while.

Stanley jumped. “Brandon!”

Oh crap. Did he hear everything? Of course he did. An SS–tier’s hearing was better than a trained hound. There was no way Brandon...

But Brandon didn’t spare Stanley a glance. His emerald eyes locked straight onto Nicolas as he slowly strolled forward, hands in his pockets.

“So you do know fear after all,” he said with a soft, mocking tone.

Nicolas didn’t flinch. “And where exactly did you see fear on my face?”

Brandon leaned in close, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry – I won’t make a move on you here. Besides, it won’t be me who does it.”

Nicolas met his gaze, calm and unfazed. “So confident your plan will work?”

“Absolutely,” Brandon replied with ease.

Nicolas smirked. “Overconfidence usually leads to disaster.”

“Thanks for the concern,” Brandon said casually. “But it won’t happen.”

“Let’s wait and see.”

“Sure,” Brandon agreed.

The two men stood face to face, eye to eye, locked in a quiet but intense standoff. The tension between them could suffocate an entire room.

Meanwhile, Stanley stood awkwardly nearby, caught in the crossfire and deeply regretting every life decision that had brought him to this moment. I heard every word, but understood nothing. But one thing’s for sure–Brandon is 100% here to stir up trouble.

The banquet carried on well into the evening, past nine o’clock. On the other side of the hall, Noelle had been helping her parents greet guests for hours, and her face was nearly frozen from smiling.

As another wave of guests finally left, Kimberly turned to her and asked, “Tired, sweetheart?”

“Absolutely,” Noelle said without hesitation.

Kimberly chuckled. “It’s your first time hosting something like this. It’s understandable.”

Vincent added, “This is just the beginning. Once you marry Nicolas, you’ll be attending plenty more events like this. Consider this good practice.”

“Of course,” Vincent said with total seriousness.

Noelle muttered, “Ugh… being upper–class sounds exhausting.”

Vincent nodded, taking the chance to lecture. “You think it’s easy? Keeping a family name respectable takes effort. Social networks are vital, and learning to manage those relationships is part of your future. Once you become Mrs. Sawyer, you’ll need to hold your own in high society.”

“Oh.” Noelle’s response was half–defeated.

Kimberly wrapped an arm around her daughter and gently scolded Vincent. “Don’t scare her, Vincent. Do you think Nicolas will actually let her suffer through all this?”

She then turned to Noelle and said with a giggle, “Don’t worry, sweetie. Socializing is all about status; Nicolas’s position is already so high, no one will dare make things difficult for you. Just relax and enjoy yourself. People will flock to praise you no matter what.”

“Really?” Noelle’s eyes lit up, only to dim again a second later. “But Dad just said…”

Kimberly laughed. “Your dad was teasing you.”

Noelle glanced at Vincent, who – despite his usual stoic face – had a subtle smile on his lips.

Realizing she’d been tricked, Noelle pouted. “Dad! You were messing with me?”

Vincent chuckled. “Your mother says I’m too stiff and distant, so I’m trying to be more humorous.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow. “You think you’re funny?”

“Aren’t I just now?!” he asked.

She answered with mock seriousness. “Not even close.”

Vincent let out a dry “Really?”

“Really,” she confirmed.

As father and daughter stared each other down in awkward silence, Kimberly quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, enough with the standoff. Noelle, your friends are still here. You’ve been glued to us all evening. Go spend some time with Nicolas and the others.”

“You’re right!” Noelle perked up. She hadn’t seen much of Nicolas tonight. He’d been busy all day, and she had no idea what he was up to.

But as she glanced around the hall, she didn’t see him anywhere.

That’s odd… Where did Nicolas go?