After the interview, I got into Kaeden's car, feeling quite satisfied with myself.
Kaeden looked at me and asked with a smile, "What's so funny?"
I explained what had just happened, and Kaeden laughed along. "You really know how to keep a low profile, don't you?"
I shrugged, feeling proud. "I like to play the fool until the moment comes to reveal my true self."
He taught me that successful entrepreneurs never show all their cards.
Suddenly, Kaeden seemed to have a puzzled expression. "Why aren't you pretending anymore?"
I squinted, enjoying the freedom of the wind outside the car window, my lips curling up. "Because today's the day I'm showing my cards."
Last night, I had overheard Evelyn at the dinner table talking about how she would be looking for Keshawn at the banquet today, so it was inevitable that she would run into me. The game was finally coming to an end.
Watching them all prance around like clowns had become tiresome.
The most important reason, though, was that with the stock prices soaring, my net worth had skyrocketed. I had now reached the top of the domestic business pyramid, a position where I stood shoulder to shoulder with Kaeden.
At first, I thought it would take at least three years to get here.
The banquet was grand, and the hall was packed, with over a thousand guests.
At the entrance, invitations were checked—if you didn't hold a certain status, you simply couldn't enter.
I still remember the first time Kaeden took me to this kind of event, ten years ago. He told me the food was incredible, all imported from overseas—just a bit better than your average BBQ.
From that moment, I was hooked on the food here, and every year during winter and summer breaks, he'd come to pick me up from the countryside and would solemnly introduce me to all of his friends.
"This is my good friend, Genesis."
Back then, people treated me kindly, but there was still an air of condescension in their eyes—they thought I wasn't good enough for him.
As time passed, those same people who once looked down on me now respectfully referred to me as "Ms. Genesis."
Many of them whispered behind my back that I had risen thanks to Kaeden, and without him, I'd still be a country girl. They were right, which is why I worked hard to learn how to survive in the big city and became better than them.
"Mr. Ritter, Ms. Genesis, congratulations! Your partnership is making quite an impact in the industry."
Typically, powerful partnerships like this happen between middle management or between high-level executives and middle management, but a high-level-to-high-level collaboration like this was rare.
It meant that both parties were tying themselves together. While the short-term benefits were huge, in the long run, someone would inevitably end up with the upper hand, leading to a potential fallout.
Unless it was a partnership built on extreme trust or a strategic marriage.
Kaeden smiled and nodded, his eyes soft with affection as he looked at me. "Yes, this is just the beginning."
I returned the smile, my voice calm but eager. "Yes, looking forward to the future collaborations."
We all clinked glasses, understanding that after the banquet, they would likely buy even more of our company's stock.
After standing for a while, I took a break and sat on the sofa, snacking on some fruit. Kaeden sat next to me, resting his chin on his hand, gazing at me with eyes full of love.
I blushed under his gaze, so I quickly changed the subject. "Aren't you worried about our collaboration?"
Kaeden leaned in, wiping a dab of sauce from the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief.
His voice dropped low and seductive: "Genesis, are you doubting my love for you?"
He had never confessed so plainly before. Usually, he was ambiguous and gentle, always standing just outside my comfort zone, polite and reserved.
But his gaze was intense, like I was the prey he'd been chasing for years. With all the love and care he'd given me over the past thirteen years, it was like a trap, and I couldn't help but walk right into it.
