Ch. 541..550

Chapter 541

He was such an idiot!

The memories between the two of them flashed across his eyes. Everything seemed just like yesterday. Nevertheless, memories were merely memories. They could only stay in his mind.

Likewise, Emily Quest was down in the dumps as she noticed the melancholiness in Tom Sullivan's eyes.

Following his gaze, Emily found herself glaring at Xyla Quest, who looked exceptionally radiant over the other side. Rage surged up within Emily as if she would swallow Xyla and suck the life out of her in the very next second.

They shared the same father. They shared the same family. Why was Xyla always the one who had a radiant glow around her, while Emily could only be a supporting character? Why was god so unfair?

Why couldn't he let Xyla stay fat and ugly for the rest of her life? Why did he allow Xyla to regain her beauty?

If Xyla had not become this pretty, the center of attention at the charity dinner right now would definitely be her, Emily Quest.

Nevermind.

Xyla would get herself into big trouble very soon.

Once her mother-in-law, Bailey Ronson, decided to take her revenge on Xyla, Xyla's reputation as well as her life would be terribly ruined very soon!!!

There were many dignitaries and respectable people of Atlantis showing up at today's grand occasion. It would be a great humiliation to Xyla if her secret was exposed today.

As Emily reminded herself of that, her mood was lifted instantaneously.

On the other side, Bailey Ronson was bent out of shape over Xyla's overwhelming appearance as well.

As she looked at Xyla, her hands gradually balling into fists under the table.

Soon, all the guests had arrived at the hotel.

The charity dinner had officially begun too.

The annual charity dinner held by Quest Property Group was more or less similar to the banquets held by other companies and charitable organizations. They would typically invite various stars to perform at the opening of their banquets.

The performance would then be followed by fundraising.

After Jeremy Quest and May Conner went on stage together and gave their opening speech, Jeremy invited the first performer, who was also a newcomer in the entertainment industry, Ava Carter, to sing on the stage...

Ava sang a song called 'From Now On'.

The familiar tune and lyrics had reminded Xyla of the last time Stanley sang this song for her.

Though Ava's voice was beautiful, Xyla thought her performance was not as good as Stanley Batton's.

Immediately, she leaned slightly toward Stanley and said, "I think that you sing it much better than her."

Upon hearing her compliment, the man who was originally focused on the performance began to grin and shifted his gaze to her face right away. "Really?"

As soon as May heard their conversation, she followed suit and interjected, "Xyla, do you mean that Stan sings even better than Ava Carter? Although Ava is an actress, she went to singing lessons before, and her teacher was rather famous..."

"Personally, I think my husband sings better," Xyla said calmly.

"If that's the case, Stan must be really good at singing, am I right? Why don't we have Stan go on stage later and sing a song for us? It will definitely liven up the charity dinner." As she spoke, she gave Jeremy, who was sitting next to her, a nudge with her elbow, and added, "Honey, Xyla said that Stan is a good singer. Let Stan sing a song for us later. I'm sure everyone here will be delighted."

Xyla's heart went cold instantly the moment she heard the words from her mouth.

How could she fail to realize May's intention for doing this?

Undoubtedly, she was planning to make a fool out of Stanley on the stage because she was certain that an amateur like Stanley was no match for a professional singer.

"Stop fooling around. Today's performance has been scheduled beforehand. If you want Stan to sing, I'll take you guys to karaoke next time, and you can have him singing for you the entire day. Isn't that better?" Jeremy declined May's suggestion.

"Well, I'm just saying. Forget it if you all disagree with me. I just think that it's a great opportunity for Stan to encourage people to give to charity by making an appearance on the stage. Besides, he can bring honor to our family!" May looked at Jeremy tenderly and continued to persuade him.

Chapter 542

Chapter 542

Coincidentally, Bailey Ronson walked past the few of them with a glass of wine in her hand in the middle of their conversation. When she heard Jeremy Quest's words, she approached May Conner from behind without hesitation. She held onto the wine glass, which she was still drinking from, while her other was placed on May's shoulder as she smiled at Jeremy. "What's going on? Is Stan going to sing on the stage later? Can Stan sing?"

May immediately picked up the conversation and turned to Bailey. "Of course. Xyla has said that our Stan can sing really well."

However, Bailey shook her head in disdain. "I don't believe it..."

May insisted, "Don't you believe Xyla too? Xyla has said that our Stan sings much better than professional singers."

Bailey japed, "Well, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Stan is her husband, no doubt she'll think that he's a good singer. Professional singers are trained for years. Ordinary people are no match for professional singers anyway."

"How would you know?"

"What's the point of arguing here? We'll find out if Stan comes on stage and sings for us later."

"Unfortunately, it's not a great idea to interrupt today's performances. I'll make sure Stan sings for you next time."

"No no no... It's such a good opportunity today. Why don't we just make it today? Doesn't Stan want to contribute to the charity works? Or does Stan not have the guts to perform on the stage as he's afraid of embarrassing himself because he can't sing?"

Following that statement, Bailey's gaze slowly landed on Stanley Batton's face.

She was curious how much better he, an amateur, would sing than a professional singer.

If he made a fool out of himself on the stage today, it would be a great humiliation to Xyla Quest as well...

In addition to her secret that was yet to be exposed, she would definitely suffer a fall from grace today.

Though Stanley had already seen through May's and Bailey's intentions, he remained silent as he watched the two echo each other. All he did was gently swirling his red wine from time to time. The same went for Xyla.

On the other hand, Jeremy was extremely irritated by Bailey's provocation. He frowned and hissed in response, "That's enough. Go back to your seat and enjoy the performance." Bailey's annoying grin did not falter despite his apparent disinterest. "Look at you, President Quest. Why are you getting mad now? I'm just curious about Stan's voice, am I not?" Xyla tilted her body toward Stanley and whispered, "Just ignore the two of them if you don't want to sing at all.”

Slowly putting down the wine glass, Stanley glimpsed at the Chinese zither placed at the corner of the stage and asked, "Do you want me to sing?"

Xyla answered truthfully, "Of course. It's a real slap in the face if your performance is splendid. But I know you won't like it, so just don't give a damn about her."

Who was he?

The young master of Dragon Group.

Asking him to sing for this bunch of people? Was that not ridiculous?

Stanley beamed at Xyla. "Anything you want me to do, I would love to do it."

His one short sentence had already blown her away.

At this moment in time, she could feel her heart melting away with his words.

Never in his life had he done anything crazy like this due to his identity. Yet, he was willing to take the first step for her.

"Do you play the Chinese zither?" Stanley asked.

"I only know a little of it," replied Xyla.

"What do you want me to sing?"

"Unrestrained', do you know that song?" Xyla continued to stare at him, a glint of anticipation in her eyes. This was her favorite song since last summer. "Hmm, yes." He added, "We'll sing and play the zither together."

"Play the zither together?" Xyla's utter dismay was reflected in her eyes. "That requires a lot of practices. If we're going to do it without any preparation, I guess we'll..."

"I'll play the part you sing and you'll play the part I sing. As for the chorus, we'll play and sing together. Would you like to give it a try?"

Much to their surprise, Xyla nodded her head even though she had no idea what drove her to do so or what gave her the confidence. Perhaps, it was all out of trust in him.

Chapter 543

Chapter 543

It was because Xyla knew that Stanley Batton had never messed up anything in his life. Everything he did was flawless. "Xyla, Stan, what are you two talking about? Are you guys discussing your performance?" Bailey Ronson said again.

Xyla simply smiled before she turned to meet her eyes. "You're right. We're going to sing."

Disbelief and confusion were swimming in Jeremy Quest's eyes. "Are you serious?"

However, Xyla responded to him with a confident nod. "Yes, Daddy. I'll tell the host that my husband and I are going to sing after Ava Carter's 'From Now On'." Having no other choices, Jeremy nodded.

Getting up from her seat, Xyla strode toward the stage and whispered her request to the beautiful host standing aside.

The host nodded her head without hesitation.

With that out of the way, Xyla grinned at the host before returning to Stanley's side.

Soon, Ava Carter's performance ended in a big round of applause.

The beautiful host walked to the center of the stage with a stunning smile on her face and announced, "Next, I would like to introduce Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton, who will be singing 'Unrestrained' for us this evening. Please join me to welcome them to the stage!"

As soon as the host had just finished her sentence, two workers quickly carried the Chinese zither to the center of the stage.

Immediately, all eyes fell on Xyla as well as Stanley.

Everyone's eyes were filled with curiosity.

"What's going on? Is Xyla going to perform with her husband?"

"The Chinese zither? Is one of them going to play it?"

"I've never seen the two of them singing in public. Can they sing?"

All the guests in the hall had begun a wave of discussion.

When Bailey heard the crowd's comments, she took a sip of the red wine in her right hand, while her other hand remained on May Conner's shoulder. She looked at the crowd and said, "Who says that they can't sing? Xyla reckons that her husband sings even better than professional singers even though he hasn't undergone any training before."

"How can an ordinary person sing better than a professional singer?"

"That's clearly a lie, isn't it?"

"I don't believe it. Ordinary people can't beat professional singers after all."

Without paying any heed to Bailey, the guests started to whisper among themselves once again.

"We're not bragging about him, alright. Our Xyla will never lie to us..." May added.

Xyla was extremely irritated at Bailey's and May's provocation, and the guests' discussions were equally offensive to her as well.

She was aware that Bailey had achieved her goal right down.

By proclaiming that Stanley could sing better than a professional singer in front of the crowd, Bailey had already placed the two of them in a position where they could neither back down nor mess up their performance.

Once the two of them sing badly on the stage, the crowd would have a reason to mock them for the rest of their lives.

"Xyla has never once told a lie since she was young." May glared at the jabbering guests and rebuked.

Subsequently, she deliberately held Jeremy's hand and whispered, "Honey, Xyla and Stan will definitely prove them wrong."

Though May was trying to reassure her husband on the surface, she could hardly stop herself from laughing aloud inwardly. Prove them wrong? That was obviously impossible. On the contrary, both of them would only make a monkey out of themselves on the stage.

Standing behind May, Bailey was smirking as she stared at Xyla and Stanley's back, hoping that the two of them would be ridiculed by everyone soon.

Emily Quest was as happy as her mother. She could not help but grin evilly, waiting for Xyla and Stanley to mess up their performance.

Tom Sullivan was sitting next to her. Likewise, he looked forward to seeing the crowd make fun of Stanley. Stanley sang better than the professionals? Pfft! How was that even possible?

"Stanley Batton... I'll see how much longer you can stay proud of yourself!" As Tom mumbled to himself, he glared at Stanley's back. Hatred and resentment filling his eyes.

Chapter 544

Chapter 544

In the crowd's attention, Stanley Batton had Xyla Quest on his arm as they walked onto the stage.

Then, the two of them sat side by side in front of the Chinese zither.

After Xyla had done adjusting the microphone in front of her, the two of them began to sing and play the zither together, according to what they had discussed earlier. Stanley started the song. "Listen to the lonely disconsolate flute, in the endless night deep in the clouds."

Xyla continued, "Right and wrong are all in the past. They're merely dreams when I wake up."

Stanley followed, "How can we measure the praises, blames, gains, and losses..."

Together, they sang in unison. "Fiery blood is rustling from the cold blade."

Though this was the first time the two of them sang together, they made a perfect combination on the stage.

Whether it was the Chinese zither, or the singing, they were all pretty outstanding.

The audience was truly amazed by the chemistry between them.

Those who were originally skeptical of their performance began to nod their heads as well.

On the other hand, May Conner, Bailey Ronson, Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan were all dumbfounded.

None of them had ever imagined that the two of them would be able to work together so well.

On top of that, they had no idea how beautiful their voices were. They could not deny that their rendition of some parts of the song was better than the original soundtrack.

As Bailey and May looked at how excited the crowd was, they were both under the weather, as if needles pricked their hearts.

Who knew that their plan not only failed to embarrass Xyla and Stanley, but it attracted even more attention to the two of them?

However, the lovebirds on the stage were totally unaffected by anyone or anything off stage. They were deeply immersed in their own performance.

They were the perfect definition of love.

When they had each other, they had everything.

As soon as the song ended, the audience burst into wild applause...

"Awesome... Xyla Quest, Stanley Batton, you guys are awesome..."

"Exactly, both of you can make a debut together! You guys will definitely be the cream of the crop!"

"Fantastic... I apologize for being skeptical of you earlier..."

Suddenly, the crowd started shouting at the two of them on the stage, expressing their love for their performance as loud as they could...

Upon hearing the compliments from everyone, Xyla and Stanley happily smiled at each other.

Xyla was extremely satisfied with their performance.

To be frank, their performance was completely out of her expectation as she thought their first time working together would be more or less flawed. Surprisingly, they nailed the performance.

Moreover, Xyla had never imagined that Stanley was so talented in playing Chinese zither.

Looking at the glint of admiration in everyone's eyes, the unpleasantness in Bailey's, May's, Emily's, and Tom's hearts increased by seconds.

This was especially true to Bailey and May.

Amidst the applause of the crowd, Xyla held Stanley's hand and got up from the chair slowly. They bowed politely to the audience under the stage before leaving the stage hand in hand and returning to their

seats.

The crowd's discussion accompanied the two of them from the stage to their seats.

"That's unbelievable! Oh my God! They look nothing like amateurs. I would say they're even better than those professional singers out there!"

"What kind of perfect couple are they? They're definitely made for each other."

"The voices of the two of them are too good to be true, aren't they? I'm drowning in their voices."

The more praises they received from the crowd, the worse Bailey and the rest felt...

Chapter 545

Chapter 545

Xyla Quest smiled and nodded at the guests before shifting her gaze to Bailey Ronson and May Conner without turning a hair. When Xyla met their eyes, they still had not gotten over the failure of their plan, exposing their sour and sulky faces to her. Satisfaction set in as she managed to catch sight of their sullen expressions.

"Xyla, Stan, you guys are incredible! Did the two of you practice this together before?" Jeremy Quest looked at Xyla and Stanley as he asked, his eyes filled with joy. Xyla shook her head in response. "Nope, this is our first time singing and playing Chinese zither together. To be honest, I didn't expect us to work so well together." Fondness for the couple was written all over Jeremy's face. "Both of you are gifted, indeed."

Turning around delightedly, Jeremy looked at Bailey standing behind him and asked, "How was it? Do you still think that Xyla is lying to you?"

Bailey laughed awkwardly. "Hey, I never think that Xyla is lying. I suggested Stan to sing on the stage because I believe in her."

Jeremy's response was to simply snort. Without saying anything else, he turned away from her and focused his attention on Xyla and Stanley again.

His attitude had triggered Bailey.

Though anger welled up in her chest, she forced herself to hide it due to the presence of so many guests. Trying to maintain her calm facade, she walked over to Jeremy and placed her right hand on the table to support herself. "Well, you're really lucky to have such an excellent son-in-law."

"Oh, you flatter me," replied Jeremy indifferently.

"By the way, I invited a brilliant philanthropist to your charity dinner today. He loves charity. He said that he'll donate one hundred fifty thousand today to support your effort in doing charity..." Bailey said again. Jeremy was skeptical for a few seconds. "Are you serious?"

Bailey nodded. "Of course. I met this guy overseas some time ago. You'll find out whether I'm serious once he's here."

"If you're not joking, I would like to thank you for helping me." Jeremy showed his gratitude.

"Thank me for what? We're all part of the Sullivan family, and we should always help each other. Besides, I really hope that I can do something for the children with congenital disorder."

Following that statement, Bailey shifted her gaze to Xyla and Stanley. "Speaking of which, I think Stan should know this person."

Stanley glared at her, his eyes filled with confusion.

However, Bailey did not continue her sentence after that. She stared deep at Stanley's face for a second or two before she turned away from them, returning to her seat.

Her words had left Xyla in bewilderment.

The look she gave her just now... Confusion started to flood her mind, drowning her in doubts and questions.

Immediately, Xyla leaned closer to Stanley and whispered in his ears, "Who do you think she's talking about?"

"No idea," Stanley said.

Xyla glanced at Bailey once more and did not say anything else.

Meanwhile, a male singer walked onto the stage and sang 'Lady by the Bridge'.

His angelic voice had successfully drawn the attention of the audience to him.

Suddenly, an old foreigner entered the hall from the entrance. His hair was snow-white, and he was dressed in a pricey Armani suit with a ruby gilded cane in his hand, looking exceptionally classy and elegant. Bailey was the first to notice his appearance.

Without hesitation, she rose to her feet and approached the old man, all the time smiling.

"Isn't that man the famous philanthropist from Country Y, Mr. Henry?"

"I think so..."

"Mr. Henry? Coming to this charity dinner?"

A few people had also noticed the old man at the entrance and began to talk about him.

Upon hearing the discussion of the crowd, Xyla and Stanley slowly turned to peek at the door.

As Xyla saw Bailey eagerly walking toward the old man, she asked Stanley, "This is the person she was talking about, right? Do you know him?"

Chapter 546

Chapter 546

"No." Stanley Batton averted his gaze back to the red wine glass on his hand.

He slowly swirled the wine glass a couple of times before taking a sip of the red wine from the glass.

Walking up to the old man, Bailey Ronson greeted him with a bright smile on her face. "Welcome, Mr. Henry. Please come in with me. I'll introduce the organizer of the charity dinner, Mr. Jeremy Quest, to you." The old man nodded in agreement.

Without wasting any time, Bailey led Mr. Henry to Jeremy Quest's seat.

She patted Jeremy's shoulder lightly and said, "President Quest, let me introduce you to my friend whom I've mentioned earlier, Mr. Henry. Mr. Henry has been doing charity for many years."

Henry... Jeremy had read about him in the newspaper before. He was the owner of the largest wine estate in Country Y. Also, he was a very well-known philanthropist.

Realizing the man's impressive background, Jeremy stood up instantly and politely reached out for a handshake. "Hello, Mr. Henry. I'm Jeremy Quest. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Henry gripped his hand firmly and smiled at him. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Quest."

"By the way, Mr. Henry is a good friend of Stan's grandfather, Dr. Batton. They meet up for a drink now and then," Bailey said.

Following that statement, Bailey glared at Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton, excitement growing in her heart. 'Heh, you two are dead!'

Upon hearing that, Stanley's gaze had returned to Henry again.

Grandpa's friend?

How come he did not know about it?

"Mr. Henry, I believe you know Stan, right? He's Dr. Batton's grandson..." Bailey pointed at Stanley and asked, the smile on her face was as fake as usual.

Very soon, Henry caught sight of Stanley. After sizing him up for a few seconds, he turned to Bailey and hissed, "Are you joking with me? I've seen Dr. Batton's grandson before. The two of them look nothing alike..."

The smile on Jeremy's face froze as soon as he heard that.

Likewise, all the guests sitting around their table were dumbstruck by Henry's sudden affirmation.

None of them had ever imagined Henry would make such a comment.

Exasperation set in as Xyla finally managed to grasp the situation in front of her. Bailey's intention of inviting the philanthropist to their charity dinner out of nowhere was clear as day. She was waiting to embarrass her, after all.

Though Stanley was aware of what Bailey was trying to do, he decided not to defend himself and continued to watch the few of them in silence.

The man's eyes were calm, and his face was as steady as a rock.

Bailey's eyes were able to capture the indifference in his expression perfectly. However, she was convinced that Stanley was faking it to avoid revealing himself.

"But our Stan is Dr. Batton's grandson..." Bailey added.

"Dr. Batton's grandson is extremely hideous. How can a handsome boy like him be Stanley Batton? You must be joking with me!" Henry insisted.

Upon hearing that, Jeremy's face darkened instantaneously...

Was Dr. Batton's grandson extremely hideous?

The one in front of him, the one sitting next to Xyla, was not Dr. Batton's grandson?

What did that mean?

What was the real identity of the man in front of him?

Chapter 547

Chapter 547

Why did Xyla Quest say that he was Dr. Batton's grandson?

Bailey Ronson immediately put on a surprised face and looked at Stanley Batton. "What? Are you not Dr. Batton's grandson? Who are you then? Why do you share the same name as Dr. Batton's grandson?" Subsequently, she turned to face Xyla. "Xyla, didn't you say that your husband is the grandson of Dr. Batton? Mr. Henry says that his grandson is very ugly, not at all a face like Stan's.

"Mr. Henry, please take a look at Stan carefully again. Are you sure he's not Dr. Batton's grandson?" As Bailey spoke, she pointed at Stanley once more.

Nevertheless, Stanley's eyes were as calm as usual, totally unaffected by her accusation. Without saying a word, he casually placed his hand at the base of the wine glass, sliding the glass back and forth. The red wine in the glass swayed back and forth as the glass moved, its dazzling luster shining brightly under the light.

He looked very much like a king standing at the peak of the mountain, devising strategies to defeat his enemies. There was a strong aura surrounding him.

Xyla was as calm as Stanley. She was so disgusted at Bailey that there were no other emotions within her.

"I do know this young lady. She's Dr. Batton's granddaughter-in-law..." Henry pointed at Xyla.

Upon hearing that, Bailey pretended to be dumbfounded by the plot twist again. "Ahh... What? So, what you're saying is that Xyla is Dr. Batton's granddaughter-in-law, but the man standing beside her is not Dr Batton's grandson?"

Henry nodded in response. "You're right..."

When Jeremy Quest heard Bailey's question, he finally understood what this was all about.

Was Emily Quest's previous speculation correct? That Xyla did not tell her family about her marriage because she found a husband who would embarrass her, so she was too afraid to tell the truth?

As for the Stanley Batton standing in front of him right now, was he just a stand-in for Xyla to protect her reputation?

Likewise, the onlookers surrounding them were getting more and more confused about the situation. Questions were swimming inside their hearts, and their eyes were all overflowed with shock.

Tom Sullivan had stopped dead in his tracks too. He could not take his eyes off Stanley's face.

Looking at the mess in front of them, Emily Quest and May Conner exchanged looks of glee, and the smiles on their faces grew increasingly wider.

The two of them knew that Xyla was truly dead this time!

Though Jeremy Quest clearly knew that Xyla had brought great humiliation to his family, he continued to smile at Henry as there were too many people looking at them. "Mr. Henry, you're really humorous. Let's not talk about that anymore. Please have a seat. I would love to talk about doing charity with you..."

Then, Jeremy beckoned to a waiter and ordered, "Bring a chair and put it next to me."

The waiter returned to them with a chair in his hands in no time. Without hesitation, Jeremy pulled Henry to his side and sat down together with him.

"Allow me to take a wild guess. Well, Xyla, you're not ashamed of your actual husband, who is Dr. Batton's hideous grandson, are you? Did you randomly find a handsome man to pretend to be your husband to maintain your reputation?

"I'm sorry for my bold guess but Xyla... Tell me if I'm right. The man standing beside you is not even Stanley Batton, is he?" Bailey continued to make a fuss of the matter, deliberately raising her voice. "That's too bold, isn't it? How did the Quest family give birth to such a daughter?"

"Exactly... I think Ms. Ronson is right. What else can it be?"

"If I'm President Quest, I'll definitely give Xyla a slap on the spot right now."

The onlookers around them were starting to attack Xyla.

Everyone's attention was gathered on the conflict between the Quest family. None of them was interested in the performances on stage.

Hearing the crowd's discussion, the corner of Bailey's lips gradually curved upward into a smug smirk.

"Xyla... Explain yourself. Is that the truth?" Bailey added.

Chapter 548

Chapter 548

Excitement surged within Tom Sullivan as he heard the crowd's malicious comments.

If Xyla Quest's husband were really an ugly duckling who would bring shame to her, there would be great leaps in his hope to get Xyla back to his side.

Instead of introducing her real husband to the public, Xyla had found a handsome guy to keep up appearances and act as a lovely couple with her. What did that mean?

It meant that her actual husband was nothing to her.

Xyla glared at Bailey Ronson coldly. "No. I said no."

All eyes in the entire hall were upon Xyla.

The music had been turned off, though the culprit was unknown.

Now, the whole world was able to listen to their conversation.

Bailey laughed as soon as she heard Xyla's answer. "No? If that's not the case, how are you going to explain the whole incident? Are you trying to say that Mr. Henry is lying?"

Staring deep at Stanley Batton's face once more, Henry shook his head confidently. "Seriously, I'm not lying... I've seen that kid before. He doesn't look like that. "Furthermore, that kid is not as gentlemanly as this guy over here. He's a domestic abuser. He's on the outs with his wife too," added Henry.

Henry's revelation caused an uproar in the hall instantaneously.

Once again, Jeremy Quest's face darkened. Rage pulsed through his veins and anger overpowered him.

That kid was hideous, fine. Yet he frequently abused her daughter? Bastard... Who did he think he was?

"Oh dear... Xyla's life is too miserable! Let's not talk about how ugly her husband is. The main point is that he's constantly abusing her!"

"Then why doesn't she get a divorce? What's the point of staying with a rascal?"

"Guess Xyla isn't as glamorous as she seems. Her life is darker than most of us."

"Why would she marry a fugly like that? What the hell was she thinking?"

Stanley remained silent the entire time. He continued to watch Bailey indulged in her drama, his eyes as cold as ice.

Listening to the discussion of the crowd, Bailey could not stop smirking as she accused Xyla again. "Xyla... Mr. Henry even told me that you agreed to marry your current husband because you wanted Dr. Batton to heal you and regain your beauty. Aye, look at yourself, kid. You sacrifice your whole life for the sake of beauty. Do you think it's worth it?"

Bailey's assertion had successfully set off another wave of discussion among the crowd. All the eyes fixed upon Xyla were filled with contempt...

"Marry to a bastard for the sake of becoming good-looking? Even if she has to put up with domestic violence?"

"Xyla is pretty brainless indeed. What's the point of having a beautiful face when her life is not even beautiful?"

"She's way too sloppy. President Quest is so unlucky to have a daughter like her."

Xyla listened to their nasty comments quietly. She scanned the people around her cold-heartedly before picking up the cup of tea beside her. Swirling the lid elegantly a few times, she lifted the cup and took a sip of the tea.

On the other hand, Jeremy could hardly hold back the anger within him anymore.

Trying his best to maintain his dignity, he rose to his feet and snapped at Bailey, "Shut up! How dare you insult my daughter? No matter how my daughter is doing, it has nothing to do with you!" Hearing that her father defended her warmed Xyla's heart. Although her father was extremely mad, he was still trying to speak up for her.

This was the definition of fatherly love.

Shocked with Jeremy's reaction, Bailey laughed awkwardly before explaining, "I'm just helping you to teach your daughter a lesson. We're all related, aren't we? And I'm an elder to Xyla, am I not?"

Chapter 549

Chapter 549

"You have no right to educate my daughter. I'm not dead yet." Jeremy Quest rebuked coldly.

Another awkward laugh burst out of Bailey Ronson. Jeremy's clear enmity had put her on the spot in front of the crowd.

"Well... Aunt Bailey... Are you done with your story?" Xyla put down the teacup slowly and glowered at Bailey.

Though Xyla seemed gentle and soft, her aura was way beyond compelling.

Silence filled the hall all of a sudden. Everyone held their breath, staring at Xyla.

"What? Xyla, do you want to explain to your father the reason you lied to him now? Fine. I'll keep quiet. Go on," Bailey prompted.

She wondered how Xyla had managed to stay calm at a critical moment like this.

"Indeed, I lied to my father..." Xyla looked at Bailey.

Bailey's spirits soared when she heard Xyla's confession. Immediately, she glanced at Jeremy and the rest in the hall proudly. "Look... Our Xyla is brave enough to admit it." Then, Xyla turned to the stunning man beside her and whispered in his ear, "Can I reveal your identity?"

Stanley Batton nodded in response. "Up to you."

Beaming a bright smile at him, Xyla returned her gaze to Bailey again.

The surrounding people rolled their eyes in disdain as they looked at Xyla's bold and confident attitude after lying to her father.

"Her goddess image has completely collapsed in my heart."

"Same here. She's fake and pretentious."

"President Quest must be so disappointed with her right now. After tonight, Xyla will have to leave her position as the heir of Quest Property Group."

Upon hearing these malicious comments, Emily Quest, May Conner, and Bailey were delighted to a fault.

In particular, Emily could hardly hold her laughter as she heard the sentence regarding the great crisis of Xyla's position as an heir.

If Xyla were to be kicked out of the company, everything would fall into her hand.

Reminding herself that she was now a major depressive patient, Emily pinched her inner thighs as hard as she could to avoid herself from laughing aloud.

No matter how happy she felt, she had to conceal her feelings and put on a depressed face all the time.

On the other hand, Jeremy Quest did not expect that Xyla would admit her mistake in front of so many people.

His eyes were filled with shock.

"I think it's impossible to hide my husband's identity anymore." The smile on Xyla's face only widened with each word she spoke. "I never think of being high-profile, but... I'm afraid that all of you will be misled by some made-up stories if I don't tell the truth."

Following that statement, she fixed her eyes upon Bailey's face and continued, "Yes. I did lie to my father. Let me introduce you to my husband. He's the young master of Dragon Group, Stanley Batton. He's Dr. Batton's actual grandson."

Bailey could not help but laugh, hearing her absurd explanation.

Henry, who was standing at the side, followed suit and laughed. "My dear, stop joking around. Dr. Batton is just a doctor. He's from an ordinary family. None of his children run a business." "Hahaha, I think Xyla Quest has lost her mind. How dare she use the young master of Dragon Group to shield herself? She craves death, doesn't she?"

"The young master of Dragon Group must be really mad if he finds out what's going on today. Although I admit that her husband is really handsome, isn't it too much to claim that he's the young master of Dragon Group?"

"Crazy. Xyla Quest's crazy. She disgusts me. Is she a paranoiac?"

Chapter 550

Chapter 550

Everyone watching them began to laugh at Xyla.

The same went for Emily Quest, May Conner, and Tom Sullivan. They could not hold back their laughter anymore.

Noticing the changes in Jeremy Quest's expression and his gaze, Xyla reassured her father with a smile. Then, her gaze landed on Stanley Batton as she asked, "Hubby, they're still skeptical of your identity. What should I do?"

Bailey Ronson folded her arms disdainfully and glared at Xyla and Stanley. "What? Are you trying to ask that impostor standing next to you to pretend to be the president of Dragon Group again?"

Stanley unhurriedly stood up from the chair without saying a single word and pulled out his phone, making a phone call. "Inform Sullivan Food Group that all the major banks are not going to lend them a dime from now on. Pass on the message to them right away."

Upon hearing that, Bailey Ronson rolled her eyes instantaneously and mumbled to herself, "What the hell was that? What a fraud."

The crowd started booing at him as well.

Toot toot toot... As soon as Stanley hung up the call, Julian Sullivan's phone rang.

It was the president of a bank who called him. Therefore, he picked up the call immediately.

"Mr. Julian, I'm sorry to tell you that we'll stop providing a loan to your company after your current loan from our bank is due."

"What? President Ruckman, you can't do that to me. Sullivan Food Group always pays the loans on time. Why are you going to stop providing us loans after that?"

Tom Sullivan's face was as dark as night.

Likewise, everyone in the hall was dumbfounded by his words.

The smile on Bailey's face had disappeared as well...

The man on the other end of the phone hung up on Tom without giving him further explanation.

On top of that, Julian's phone did not stop ringing after his first call ended. One after another, different banks contacted Julian and told him the exact same thing.

All the major banks where the Sullivan family obtained their loans from had declared that they would stop working with him from now on.

In the future, they would not give the Sullivan family a single penny.

While all these were happening, Bailey was already dumbstruck by the terrible news. Drowning in shock, she sank to her seat, unable to speak a word. What was going on?

Was Xyla serious about everything she had said earlier? Was the person next to her really the president of Dragon Group?

Besides Bailey, everyone else in the hall was also stunned.

Those people who looked down on Xyla and Stanley just now had all zipped their mouths.

This was especially true for those who had insulted them in front of the crowd. They were all trembling in fear.

They were afraid that the young master of Dragon Group would hold a grudge against them and ruin their business in return.

All the faces in the hall turned sour in no time, except Xyla's and Stanley's. The two of them were as calm as ever.

After scanning the expressions of the people around him, Stanley fixed his eyes upon Jeremy Quest's face-which was full of confusion-and took his identification card out of his pocket, handing it to Jeremy solemnly. "Dad, let me introduce myself formally. I'm Stanley Batton. I'm not a medical student but the heir of Dragon Group."

Jeremy took the identification card from his palm. His name was clearly printed on the card. 'Stanley Batton' two huge words hit Jeremy in the eyes when he looked at the card.

Suddenly, everything seemed so unreal to him. It was as if someone had just told him that the sun had risen in the west this morning.

The man his daughter married was one of the top people in the social class?

Was he from Dragon Group?

No wonder Dragon Group was injecting funds into Quest Property Group when they faced trouble last time. Moreover, they did not ask for any benefits except for the interest.