Chapter 263 - A Business Pitch

The dilemma before the members of the St. Claire's family was simple.

Raylene and Rutherford had similar looks of panic appearing on their faces.

Everyone already seated at the table could discern what was going through the couple's mind which brought great amusement to them.

Marquess Samed could not conceal the cheeky smile which had appeared on his lips.

'Looks like I can have some entertainment at my nephew's expense.' He asserted as he turned his attention to the show up ahead of him.

The three children standing before the table were looking at the three empty seats placed for them.

'That one is mine.' Yvonne fixed her gaze at the seat next to her mother, where she usually sat during their daily meal.

This left two places that would belong to Howard and Taylor.

This was the source of panic for the parents.

Howard knew that he had to take his seat next to his father which meant that the only other remaining seat would go to his friend, Taylor.

'He will sit next to her!?' The elder brother narrowed his eyes and was thinking of ways to interrupt this from happening.

Before he could think of a proper plan, he found Taylor smirking at him which gave him a bad premonition.

"Vonny, let me help you." The Tanner boy offered and pulled the chair for her.

Yvonne could not disregard the kind gesture as he was a guest from a higher noble family so she accepted his offer with a nod and a smile.

The Earl narrowed his dark midnight blue eyes at the boy who was being courteous to his Vonna but could do nothing to stop it.

With Yvonne now seated next to her mother, Taylor hurried to take his seat on her other side.

"Hurry up, Howard! We cannot let Vonny stay hungry for long!" He urged his friend to move as well.

'I will deal with you when we return to the Academy after the weekend!' Howard gritted his teeth and glowered at his friend who was shooting him a victorious glance.

Taylor did not bother looking at his friend any longer as he turned his attention to the cute little girl sitting beside him.

'This was an unexpected blessing but who am I to be ungrateful for the gift bestowed by the ones up above?' He accepted the good graces he had received from the gods for this chance to sit beside her.

Yvonne glanced up and starting from her father then her family, she scanned the people sitting around the table.

Her tutors and the other boys sat opposite her while her family and Taylor sat on one side.

Rutherford smiled at his two children who were finally at the same table as him after an entire month.

"Let the banquet begin." He announced with vigor in his tone which elicited excited faces from everyone.

'That assessment has made me feel hungrier than usual.' The little girl nodded profusely and her eyes glittered when she saw people coming their way.

The excess physical activity had caused her appetite to increase which was clear for the father to notice.

Thus he did not delay the banquet any further and called for the servants to bring out the dishes.

A long line of servants with a tray in each's hands walked towards the table.

The aroma that wafted into the guests' noses whetted their appetite as they waited to see what they would be served.

'I can name each dish even with the cloche covering them.' The little girl gulped her saliva in hunger.

Raylene smiled and felt satisfied when she saw the eager faces at the table.

'Looks like mine and the chef's efforts have not gone in vain.' She rejoiced that they were excited to eat the food prepared for them.

Once the dishes were all arranged on the table, the maids poured drinks for each one of them.

While the adults were given the best wine in their cellar, the children were offered a variety of drinks.

"Vonny?" Raylene poked her daughter's bulging cheeks which prompted her to speak up.

'Oh yes! How could I forget about this?' The girl stopped drooling over the table filled with food and looked up.

Her mother had given her the responsibility to introduce the drinks that would be served to the younger guests.

'They dropped by unannounced so the chef had to prepare extra for them.' She grumbled as they would now get a taste of something that belonged solely to her.

But she could turn this around in her favor soon enough.

Turning her eyes to the four boys who had been absent for a month, she smiled though begrudgingly as she introduced them to the three drinks placed on the table.

"This is iced tea, strawberry milkshake, and chocolate gusher." She announced which brought confused frowns to their faces.

'Of course, you look at me like I am an idiot…' She rolled her eyes at the gazes on her.

How could the boys know about these drinks when they were "created" by her?

These were the most common beverages in her old world but none of them were created here in her current world.

This realization brought her much joy as this was another business idea she could introduce into the society once she was ready.

Thus, during her afternoon leisure time, she would often pester the chef to prepare new concoctions according to her instructions.

'There are many such ideas from that world which I can exploit here to earn boatloads of money!' Her eyes sparkled with greed which was caught by everyone present.

However, none of them thought anything weird of it as it only appeared as though she was a little too excited to taste the drinks.

"These were created by Vonny, Howie. You and your friends should give it a try." The Countess added when she saw her daughter lost in her thoughts.

This information widened the childrens' eyes as they stared at her with astonishment.

'I thought all she knew what to do was eat… Apparently, she can make something as well…' Damien smirked at the greed-filled face of the child.

His eyes then turned to the three pitchers of the different drinks placed before him and he could predict that they would taste great just by taking a whiff of their appetizing aroma.

"You can taste each of them and decide which one you would like." Yvonne spoke up once again with a business smile.

She was treating this banquet as a business pitch and the sparkle in her eye proved that she was optimistic about her "creations".

'These are my future investors!' She believed that they could be of use in her future endeavors.

One was a Marquess, another a Captain and the boys were also from higher backgrounds who would only grow up to gain more power.

She needed to increase her association with these powerful people if she needed to secure her future in the business world.

'I can see the knobs in her brain whirring right from here… She surely has some plans for this!' Her tutor, Marquess Samed was sure of it.

After he witnessed her negotiating the deal with Baron MacIntyre, he was assured that this girl was not someone who would display her cards unless she had some plans for doing so.

All he had to do was wait until she revealed whatever it was that was running through her mind to him.

Noticing her tutor's gaze, Yvonne turned towards him and gave him a cunning smile which only intensified his doubts that she had a hidden agenda behind this move.

She then turned to the maids who served each of the boys, three small glasses that contained the drinks.

The first was Taylor and Howard who gulped the contents of each glass as though they were competing with each other.

The elders shook their heads and chuckled at their hasty actions but did not chide them.

One after the other, the glasses were emptied and each of them picked the drink which suited their preferences better.

Rutherford waited until each of them had a glass filled with their drinks and then raised a toast which he had been waiting for all along.

Following his actions, everyone raised their glasses towards him and waited for him to speak.

The proud father looked at the people surrounding him and with a wide smile began his toast.