Everyone knows that the grand banquet''s host is the Russell family, and naturally, the main character is too.


    At the west side of the hall, by the floor-to-ceiling window, several golden candbras flickered with soft light. Yasmine stood there holding ass of champagne, and Yonas was right beside her. He took a ss of wine from a passing server and handed it to Yasmine. "Why not give this a try? You''ll love it." Yasmine set her ss aside and epted his offering, a hint of violet blooming in the air. "Is this Nebbiolo wine?"


    "Exactly! Now, can you guess which region it''s from?"


    Yasmine took a sip, savoring the rich violet aroma mixed with a subtle cherry vor. She smiled, "It''s from the Barbaresco vineyard, isn''t it?" Yonas nodded, pleased. Nebbiolo


    Yasmine took another


    biolo only has two main regions: Barbaresco and Barolo. Distinguishing between them is easy; Barolo has a robust, powerful taste, while Barbaresco is more like a seductive enchantress. ther sip. She wasn''t an expert on wine; she just recalled the vors she had tasted before but often forgot where she had tried them. "Are you really just going to let them go that easily?" Yonas raised an eyebrow.


    "The footage can''t be used as evidence, and those covert photos don''t count either." Yasmine took another sip, leaving her lip print on the rim of the ss.


    Yonas gazed at her with a smile, clinking his ss against hers, looking genuinely apologetic. "My bad for overlooking that."


    "Speaking of which, once again you saved me, Mr. Russell. Now I owe you yet another favor." Yasmine chuckled.


    "Don''t mind it, Yasmine." His voice was pleasant, especially with that affectionate tone that added a hint of indulgence.


    "How did you find me in the garden?" Yasmine wondered aloud, curious. He should have been busy talking with Nathan at that time, and she''d only been taken to the garden a short while ago.


    9x


    9x


    DramaBox


    Yonas lightly tapped the rim of his ss with his finger, a smirk on his lips. "Before leaving, I told Yoselin to wait for me there. But halfway through, I couldn''t find you, not even Yoselin. All the women at the banquet were either in dazzling dresses or elegant gowns, but no one had the refreshing elegance like yours. With just one nce, I knew you weren''t in the banquet hall." He paused, letting out a soft sigh. "Or to put it bluntly, it was like a sixth sense."


    Are you like this with all the giled, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, shining even brighter with warmth.


    "Not at


    a


    girls?" asked Yasmine.


    all. Just with you." He smil


    her heart racing. Her cheeks flushed, and she tried to escape, saying, "I''ll go check on Yoselin."


    Yasmine felt a tremor in her fingertips, his drink as he savored the aftertaste, his gaze never leaving the woman in the white dress, his expression softer than before. Yonas narrowed his s eyes slightly, downing


    After the banquet, Yoselin clung to Yasmine, pleading to go home together. "Yonas, you have to give me a ride back!" she said, wrapping her arms around Y**as''s. She yfully tugged toward Yasmine, winking encouragingly. Since Yonas had drunk too much, he couldn''t drive, so Chuck had to take the wheel.


    As Yasmine reached to open the passenger door, Yoselin quickly cut her off. "Yasmine, I feel really ufortable, I have to sit in the front. You and Yonas can sit in the back together," she said, already sliding into the passenger seat. Yasmine and Yonas settled into the back, the window rolled down, and a cool breeze swept in, dispersing the smell of alcohol.


    As they arrived at the apartment building, Yoselin quickly pushed Chuck out of the car. Yasmine chuckled softly and followed suit, knowing that Yoselin was seizing every opportunity to y matchmaker between her and Yonas. Yoselin pulled Chuck aside. "Yoselin, let''s go upstairs. Mr. Russell had a few drinks and probably needs to rest," Yasmine said, reaching for Yoselin''s hand.


    "But... but he... Yoselin widened her eyes at Yonas.


    Yonas spoke softly, "Yasmine is tired. Why don''t you head back and get some rest too?"


    ex


    D


    "Alright then, Yoselin relented, letting Yasmine lead her back into the apartment.


    Yonas and Chuck leaned against the car, watching


    awo walk i


    "Want a smoke?" Chuck pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Yonas.


    Yonas took it, holding it between his fingers but not lighting it.


    "What about the Flynn family?" Chuck asked, ncing sideways.


    "We''ll give them a warning," Yonas replied.


    in the car.


    As the night deepened, they both got in t


    After the events of the banquet, Yasmine could finally focus on the uing psychology knowledgepetition.


    Just as she submitted her nning proposal, Yoselin came over with a stack of forms. "Yasmine, you''ve got to see this! The number of people signing up for thepetition is huge. They say it''s at least double the usual amount," Yoselin eximed. Yasmine grabbed the forms and flipped through them casually. "So many?"


    "It''s okay. I went to talk to the student council president this morning, and I secured the biggest performance hall on campus," Yoselin said.


    Yasmine


    patted her head affectionately. "You''re such a sweetheart, Yoselin. I''m so grateful to have you around."


    With the venue issue sorted, everything else was more or less nned out.


    Meanwhile, at Aurelith University, Helen walked into the ssroom to find some ssmates whispering and pointing at her.


    Confused, she didn''t understand what was going on until Ximena entered the room and cautiously approached her. "Helen, you don''t know what''s happening? You should check


    the forum."


    Helen quickly took out her phone, and a striking headline appeared: Is Helen Flynn Jealous of Yasmine or Seeking Revenge?


    The post detailed everything she had done at the banquet, as if the writer had been there. It had already been viewed countless times, sparking a heated debate.


    "I always thought Helen was a bad person. She''s so self-serving. The Flynn family is nothingpared to the Russell family!"


    [Look what she''s done! She was just ndering Yasine the other day, and now she''s done something so despicable. It''s disgusting!]


    [I feel scared knowing I have to share sses with someone like her. She bullied so many people before!]


    Anger red within Helen as she mmed her phone onto the desk. Her hard-won good reputation was shattered by this post. Who could be behind it?


    "Are you okay, Helen?" Ximena asked, a hint of fear in her voice.


    Without answering, Helen grabbed her phone and stormed out.


    In the counseling office, Yasmine was assisting a student.


    "Ms. Sanchez, I''ve been feeling really pressuredtely. My family thinks I''m not trying hard enough.


    Yasmine''s tone was gentle. "It''spletely normal to feel pressure at this stage. Senior year can be tough-you''re juggling your thesis and worrying about job hunting."