I'm Not Familiar with Them

Rory turned around, speaking to James and the others, "I just arrived. I ran into an acquaintance so I came over to say hi." Before Byron even got close, he spotted Valentina. It was likely because Rory was standing too close to her, making her stand out. Upon seeing the person sitting in the chair, Eudora could hardly maintain the smile on her face. She furrowed her brows, puzzled as to why Valentina was here. And who was the acquaintance that Mr. Howard was talking about? Valentina? James glanced at Valentina, asking the question Eudora couldn't bring herself to ask, "Is the acquaintance you mentioned this young lady?" "This is Miss Ricardo." Rory, a smart man who paid attention to every detail, didn't forget about Augus, "And this is Miss Ricardo's younger brother." “What on earth is going on? Who are these people? How could they address such a rude girl as 'Miss Ricardo'?" Pena felt a sense of foreboding. All these people dressed so nicely and carried such an imposing aura. They must either be officials or bosses. Also, Augus just called that man "Mr. Howard". Did she mishear something or did he misspeak? If not, could it be the Mayor? Selena directly asked her son, "Augus, what did you call him?" "Miss Ricardo?" Eudora almost let out a sound, quickly covering her mouth. She gave Valentina another look, feeling quite strange because Valentina was just a poor girl who didn't deserve respect. Could it be that Mr. Howard was confused and made a mistake? But then she quickly recalled the rumors at school. Could it be that Valentina really did have some significant background? Byron also looked at Valentina in astonishment. Rory's respectful address and tone made James scrutinize Valentina seriously. "Miss Ricardo?" In his memory, there was no high-ranking officer or chairman in Mapleville surnamed Ricardo. Even if there was, it was not enough to make Rory, the grand mayor of a city, pay such respect. Perhaps she wasn't from Mapleville. "Hello, I am James." James extended his hand toward Valentina. Facing the young lady about his son's age, James dared not to take her lightly. However, the usually self-centered Valentina was not in a good mood at the moment, and naturally, she didn't respond. "Miss Ricardo does not like physical contact with people," Rory explained for her. "Sorry, I was presumptuous and didn't consider thoroughly." James didn't mind. She was just a young lady, and his direct handshake was indeed inappropriate. Moreover, if her identity made Rory so respectful, it was normal for her to ignore him, a Vice Mayor. "Miss Ricardo, let's go upstairs for a meal," Rory invited again. Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Katrine?" Johnson, the third youngest in the Ricardo family, suddenly recognized Saxon, who was standing behind Rory. Therefore, he quickly stood up and trotted towards Saxon. "Oh my, Mr. Katrine, it's really you." Saxon looked at Johnson, who was approaching quickly with an eager and flattering face. Before he could react, his hand was grasped by Johnson. Forced to shake hands with Johnson, he asked, "And you are?" "I am Johnson Ricardo, the owner of H&G Stone Factory. The materials used for the renovation of your hotel were delivered by me." "Oh, Mr. Ricardo." Saxon seemed to remember such a person. "I'm truly flattered that you remember me, Mr. Katrine. Just call me Johnson," Johnson blushed, filled with joy and excitement. "Mr. Katrine, have you had dinner yet? Let me treat you. I insist," Johnson tried to escort him upstairs. "No," Saxon quickly declined, "I'm here with the Mayor and Vice Mayor today. Some other time, perhaps." It had taken him considerable effort to join this dinner, and at no time could he focus on this man. Had it not been for Johnson sitting at the same table as "Miss Ricardo" mentioned by Rory, he would not be so courteous to Johnson. "Ma... Mayor? Vice Mayor?" Johnson blanked, turning to look at Rory uncertainly. "Mr. Katrine, are you saying... this is the mayor?" "Mayor?" The Ricardo family members all gasped in surprise, glancing at Rory and then at James, unsure of how to react. "Nice to meet you all," Rory took the chance to greet everyone at the table. James nodded along. After the greetings, Rory slightly bowed his head and asked, "Miss Ricardo, who might they be?" He could no longer ignore everyone at the table. "We... we are Val's family members. I'm her aunt, Pena," Pena immediately reacted, stepping forward to introduce herself. "I'm Val's Uncle William," Johnson rushed to say, losing all his previous haughty demeanor. "Mr. Howard, I'm Val's Frank, Frank, and these are her two brothers..." The uncle pointed at his two sons. For a while, the entire family clamored to introduce themselves, fearful of being overlooked. "Nice to meet you all," Mr. Howard was about to break the ice with Valentina and all her relatives. However, Valentina, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke in a nonchalant tone, "I'm not familiar with them." Valentina slowly stood up, too lazy to even look at the faces of those people. "I am not qualified to have such wealthy relatives. Mr. Howard, don't pay attention to them." Valentina's words left her family standing awkwardly on the spot. Rory looked at them, understood, and said, "I see." Actually, Rory was always curious. He investigated Valentina's background. She never left River District since she was a child, her parents were bottom-level workers, and her brother was disabled. No matter how he deduced it, he couldn't figure out how such an ordinary girl had a connection with the prominent Felton Family in Biddeford. And the connection was not shallow. "Val, I'm sorry for what I just said. I should not have said that about you. Don't be angry with me. Even if a bone is broken, the tendons still connect. Isn't it normal for a family to have quarrels and conflicts now and then? It could not mean any deep hatred." Pena immediately stepped forward, wanting to take Valentina's hand in warm familiarity. She was stopped by a cold look from Valentina. "Yes, Val, we are family after all. I apologize to you for my wrong actions. George, I am truly sorry." "Oh, each and every one of you changes your attitude so quickly. Now you speak nicely. Weren't you all just bullying my family together?" Selena looked at each one of them with unprecedented satisfaction and joy. "Selena, what are you talking about?" Pena was truly adaptable and thick-skinned, changing her attitude in an instant. Rory thought to himself, "Is Miss Ricardo really a part of this family? It doesn't seem like it, from temperament to character." "Dad? Dad! Are we going to eat this meal or not? If not, I'm leaving." Eric had been standing in the hall for a while. Seeing his father treating the guests with endless etiquette as if he couldn't hear, he had to impatiently walk over. Seeing Byron from afar, Eric rolled his eyes as he walked. "Every bit of this guy is really annoying." Byron heard Eric's voice, unconsciously turned his head to look at him, and quickly turned his head back. His glance made Eric dislike him more. Eric walked over and said to Rory, "Dad, I'm gonna leave if you're eating. I need to sleep." Staring at his troublesome son, Rory grumpily responded, "Don't you see I've got official business here? Go wait upstairs for me." Eric replied, "I'm not gonna eat. I'm going home...... Huh?" Eric suddenly spotted someone. "You...." Rory wished he could kick his son twice, but before he even moved, he noticed his son staring intently at Valentina. "Huh? You?" Eric pointed at Valentina and squinted. "You look really familiar." "You brat! Quickly put your hand down. This is Miss Ricardo. Don't be disrespectful." Rory got angry and directly slapped away Eric's hand. "Miss Ricardo? Valentina?" Eric's eyes widen dramatically, his hand uncontrollably raising again to point at Valentina. He exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "It's you! Holy shit, it's really you. How did you lose so much weight?" "You know Miss Ricardo?" Once hearing his son knew Valentina, Rory was too taken aback even to slap away Eric's hand. "Know her! Of course, I know her!" Eric said with excitement, "The very person Mr. Wright had me looking for is her!"