Chapter 4

The whole room rose to its feet, applause thundering through the hall.

Renata stood along with everyone else, but she kept her head down, tucking herself behind the people in front to stay as hidden as she could.

Through the gaps in the crowd, she saw the old man being ushered in, everyone clustered around him.

Keith Delgado.

Twenty years, and he had aged so much.

The hair that had once been jet black was fully white now, his face lined with wrinkles, yet those hawk-sharp eyes still carried an authority that brooked no challenge. He leaned on a dragon-headed cane, and though his steps had slowed, every one of them landed steady.

Behind him came the company's executive team and a few bodyguards.

The sheer presence of it pressed down on everyone until they could barely breathe.

Renata's palms began to sweat, and without thinking she gripped Jackson's sleeve.

"Mom, what's wrong? Your hand's so cold," Jackson asked, concerned.

"It's nothing. My blood sugar's a little low," Renata lied. "Just sit down, don't keep looking."

Keith walked up onto the stage and took the microphone. His voice was low and strong, echoing through the entire hall.

"Employees of Delgado Group, and your families, good evening to you all."

"This past year, Delgado weathered its storms and saw its share of glory. None of it would have been possible without the hard work of every person in this room..."

It was only a routine opening, but to Renata every word struck like a blow against her heart.

She didn't dare look up, staring hard at the plate in front of her, wishing she could turn herself into air.

Keith's speech wasn't long. At the end, his tone shifted, and there was a faint, hard-to-catch weariness in it.

"I'm sixty-eight now. A lot of people keep asking me who Delgado's successor will be. As you all know, I have no children..."

At that, the room fell silent.

Keith had lived a colorful life, and a hard one. He lost his wife early and never remarried. There were rumors of a few romances in his youth, but none had left him an heir. Where this vast business empire would eventually land had long been the subject of outside speculation.

"But I've never given up the search." Keith's clouded eyes swept the room, as if looking for something. "I believe that somewhere out there, fate has its own plan. Tonight I'm glad to see so many young people, so much fresh blood. You are the future of Delgado."

"Enough of the heavy talk. Tonight everyone eat freely, drink freely! I, Keith Delgado, will drink first, in your honor!"

With that, he raised his glass and drained it.

The applause broke out again, warmer than before.

The dinner had officially begun.

Course after exquisite course was brought to the tables, and the mood slowly heated up.

Renata, though, couldn't taste a thing. She only wanted it to be over, wanted to leave.

"Mom, have some shrimp. I peeled it for you." Jackson set a glistening piece of shrimp into Renata's bowl.

"Thank you, son." Renata forced out a smile.

At the next table over, Kate was making trouble again. Glass in hand, dragging along that grease-mouthed little chubby boy of hers, she headed off to toast the executives.

"Paul, I hope you'll keep looking out for our Kate." Kate's husband had come too, a man with a big belly, clearly a seasoned operator on the business circuit.

Paul deflected with a few polite words.

Kate's eyes darted over to Renata. "Renata, honey, didn't you hear Mr. Delgado say everyone should drink freely? You're being so antisocial. You've got that big handsome son with you and you won't even take him to toast the executives? Once he graduates, if he wants a spot at Delgado, won't he need Paul here to give him a hand up?"

Before Renata could speak, Paul quickly waved it off. "Come now, take it easy, take it easy. Jackson's still in school, he shouldn't be drinking."

"Juice works fine too!" Kate wouldn't let it go. "Young people need to know the rules. An opportunity this good, plenty of folks would give anything to get it and never can."

Jackson set down his chopsticks, picked up the juice in front of him, and stood.

His movements were neither timid nor arrogant, his eyes clear. "Mrs. Lambert is right. I'm the younger one here, and I should toast all of you elders. Paul, thank you for looking after my mom the way you do. She's a quiet person, not good with words, so if there's anything she falls short on at work, I hope you'll be patient with her. Let me toast you with juice in place of wine."

With that, he drained the glass.

Every word was airtight, protecting his mother while giving the executives their full due.

Paul nodded in approval. "Good! Good boy! Renata, you're blessed, raising a son as thoughtful as this!"

The colleagues around them turned envious looks their way.

Renata looked at her son, tears welling in her eyes.

Just then, the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, and a spotlight swung toward the head table.

It was time for Keith to make his round of toasts, table by table.