Harrison led Everly and Sonny into the house and went straight to Arndt.
Arndt was a little younger than Kaden and still in excellent health. Dressed in a suit, he looked no older than his early sixties.
Several of Clearfield's big names in the business world were gathered around him. They were all considerably younger than Arndt and treated him with the utmost respect. The Lang family's standing in Clearfield was on par with the Flemmings.
The Lang family was much larger too. Arndt had three sons and two daughters, and his children had given him more than a dozen grandchildren.
Kaden had always been envious of this old friend of his. He envied Arndt's large family. In the Flemming family, he only had one child, and Everly was his only grandchild.
Arndt's grandsons were far too young to be a match for Everly. Otherwise, the two families might have become in-laws. Kaden had even joked that the Langs would bring liveliness to the Flemming family as well.
After visiting the Yorks in Wiltspoon, Kaden found himself envying them as well. The York family was even larger than the Lang family. During the two days he spent as their guest, his envy had practically radiated from head to toe.
Only a handful of the younger generation of the York family had reached adulthood, but every one of them was outstanding. The younger members of the Lang family had yet to distinguish themselves, so by comparison, they fell somewhat short.
"Sir, Ms. Flemming and Mr. Brown have arrived."
Harrison respectfully informed Arndt.
Arndt turned toward Everly, and his smile immediately widened. As he watched Everly and Sonny approach, he thought to himself that his friend's judgment was truly excellent. The two young people looked exceptionally well matched.
Everly was also beautiful tonight. She normally favored androgynous clothing, which tended to conceal her feminine beauty.
The people gathered around Arndt also turned to look at Everly. They were already familiar with her, but Sonny was a complete stranger.
"Grandpa Arndt, am I late?"
Everly walked over and greeted Arndt with a smile, then turned to greet the various business leaders around him.
"No, not at all. You're right on time," Arndt laughed.
Everly introduced Sonny. The moment they heard that he was the head of Lewis & Co. in Wiltspoon, their eyes lit up. They took turns shaking his hand and exchanging business cards with him.
Arndt gave Sonny a once-over before smiling approvingly. "Kaden already told me. Thanks for coming, Mr. Brown."
Sonny responded modestly, "I'm honored to be here. Old Mr. Flemming gave me an opportunity to meet everyone here.”
A waiter approached with a tray of drinks. Everly took a glass of wine and said to Arndt, “Grandpa Arndt, let me toast to you as my way of apology."
Arndt laughed. "It's rare to see you initiate a toast."
Everly raised her glass and finished it in a single drink. Everyone immediately praised her drinking capacity.
Normally, Everly rarely drank so
freely at social events and usually took a few sips if she did. Given her status, no one dared to pressure into drinking, so she could do
whatever she pleased.
her
Everyone simply assumed she could not hold her liquor, but tonight, they learned
the truth. It was not that she could not drink. She simply did not want to.
Drinking too much could easily lead
to trouble. Everly was young,
unmarried, and did not even have boyfriend. Plenty of people had
designs on her If she ever got drunk, no ave
there was no guarantee that
someone would not try to take
advantage of her.
"Wow, Ms. Flemming," one of the businessmen said with a laugh. “You look beautiful tonight too."
"Thank you," Everly said politely.
After the usual pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned toward business. Many of the guests were extremely interested in Sonny and wanted to work with Lewis & Co.
Sonny had come to the banquet as Everly's companion, yet he unexpectedly became the center of attention.
Whenever someone offered him a
drink, he always declined. "I'm
Everly's companion tonight, and her
designated driver. My job is to make
sure she gets home safely,
shouldn't be drinking."
The moment he said that, the guests' eyes shifted between him and Everly with a
hint of amusement and curiosity.