After giving it some thought, Carla instructed, "Rogan, take Jewel with you to find the children. However, don't take them away by force. Just tell them that I want to see them. I'll take Freda with me to negotiate with Zayn. It would be best if he is willing to let me see the children. If not, I would still need to see them no matter what."
She continued, "By then, I'll respect the children's decision. If they are willing to come with me, I will definitely take them. I don't care if I have to fight Zayn for them."
"That should work." Freda nodded. "But, Ms. Lierger, we should still negotiate first and try to resolve it amicably. After all, we need to take the children's feelings into consideration."
"Exactly." Realizing that she had overreacted earlier, Rogan softened her stance and advised, "Let's discuss it with him first. It would be great if we can come to an agreement. If we are left with no other choice-"
"Enough. Let's go with that." Carla had made her decision. "You're right. If Zayn doesn't allow me to see the children, there's nothing much I can do about it. Therefore, I must seize the initiative no matter what."
"In that case, shall I head to the villa to see the children?" Rogan clarified.
"Go, " Carla replied decisively. "Find them but don't do anything rash until you hear from me."
"Understood." Rogan nodded before leaving hurriedly with another two female bodyguards.
With that, only Freda remained by Carla's side. Helping Carla braid her hair, Freda comforted her, "The ball is about to start. Let's go down earlier."
"Mmm-hmm. I'll do it myself. You should go get yourself ready."
"All right."
After both of them were done dressing up, they put on their masks and headed for the banquet hall.
The moment they pushed open the antique bronze door, they were greeted by an air of festivities.
With the glittering chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a group of stunningly dressed socialites sauntered into the hall. All of them were wearing period gowns and decked out in luxurious jewelry. It was obvious from how they carried themselves that they were from illustrious backgrounds.
Unexpectedly, all of them entered alone instead of having a rich businessman as their plus one. Once inside, some of them seemed to be discreetly looking for something, while the others were flaunting their charm in an attempt to attract someone.
Meanwhile, at the rest area, more than ten businessmen dressed in suits were sitting there sipping their wine elegantly. Ogling at the ladies, they whispered amongst themselves while smiling salaciously.
Scrutinizing the situation, Carla understood immediately that this wasn't a business networking banquet. Instead, it was an event for some rich businessmen to choose a female companion.
"Ms. Lierger, are we in the wrong event?" Freda whispered as she leaned toward Carla. "This is obviously a pageant where the men choose their escorts."
"No." Carla swept her gaze at all the businessmen who were seated. "Those are Mr. Naytr and Zayn's business partners. It's one thing for them to have fun privately, but to do so in public so blatantly… they really are shameless!"
"I don't understand. Those girls look like they are from prominent families. Why would they allow themselves to be paraded and chosen like that?" Freda was puzzled.
"Usually, those from less prominent families always look to climb the social ladder further." Carla smiled plainly. "After all, it's normal for one to be ambitious."
"I understand. Since Mr. Giblo isn't here, perhaps he's not coming?" Freda murmured, "He doesn't seem like someone who enjoys such events."
Just as she spoke, one of the girls exclaimed, "Mr. Giblo is here!"
At that moment, the antique bronze doors opened. With Theo by his side, Zayn strode into the hall.
Dressed in a black suit, his awe-inspiring charisma mesmerized everyone in the extravagantly decorated hall.
Although he had lost a lot of weight, the domineering aura he exuded did not diminish at all. In fact, his chiseled face had a predatory look to it now.
Only his eyes seemed icier than before.
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