?Chapter 778:


    A secondter, his expression contorted in pain. He doubled over, coughing violently, his hand clutching his throat.


    “Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Sonia asked, her face clouded with concern. Tracy sprang to her feet, rmed. “Did a fishbone get stuck?”


    Bruce nodded, swallowing hard. His forehead creased, veins standing out from the strain. Mird immediately stood, his voice decisive. “We need to get him to the hospital. Now!”


    Panic seized the room as the group hurriedly ushered Bruce out, their frantic departure drawing the attention of other diners. Two managers standing outside the restaurant’s most exclusive VIP suite turned their heads at themotion.


    “What’s going on?”


    Corey and Mird, flustered, momentarily paused when they saw the managers.


    Who could be inside the most exclusive VIP suite that it warranted two managers personally stationed at the door? Bruce and Leah, however, already knew the answer.


    At that moment, a message crackled through one of the managers’ earpieces. At once, he stepped forward and opened the door to the suite.


    The people outside instinctively craned their necks, eager to catch a glimpse inside.


    What they saw left them momentarily breathless. Inside the room were faces they had only ever seen on TV or in glossy magazine spreads—figures of immense power and influence. To be in thepany of just one of them would be a privilege beyond measure, a golden ticket to social and financial ascension.


    Birds of a feather flock together.


    The onlookers sighed inwardly, slowly pulling back their gazes. But then, a familiar face caught Corey’s and Mird’s attention, their expressions changing in an instant.


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    Dumbfounded, they stood rooted to the spot.


    Corrine?


    How could she be among them?


    She came from a modest background—what standing did she have to be dining with such influential figures?


    More shocking than her presence was the subtle reverence those seated around her seemed to show.


    These were individuals the Ashton and Burgess families could only dream of approaching, yet they appeared to revolve around Corrine.


    What on earth was going on?


    Corey’s face darkened, while Mird’s grew even grimmer. A creeping realization settled over Mird—an uneasy, gnawing thought. Had the Ashton family unwittingly let go of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?


    Ever since Corrine had left, it was as though the Ashton family had been under a lingering curse. No matter how hard they tried to reverse their fortunes, their decline was undeniable.


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