Century Hotel, a banquet hall, bathroom.

After hanging up the phone, Joanne put the phone back to the handbag. Both of her guilt and conscience were all appearing on her face.

Brian found Joanne answering a phone call for so long. He was worried and when he got to the bathroom, he saw her holding a handbag and standing in front of the mirror with a worried face.

He walked behind her and used the mirror to help her manage her long hair. "What's the matter?"

"I..." Joanne bit her lips and raised her hand to confess. "I just did something bad..."

Brian felt strange but still stayed calm.

Joanne was doing bad things... it was challenging his imagination.

He looked at Joanne with great interest. "What bad things did you do? Tell me."

"I lied to Freya's parents..."

The reason why Joanne came to the bathroom was that Chris gave her a call. He soon knew why she lied to Freya's parents and who ordered her.

Brian walked to her. "You can see it from another angle. This is actually a good thing for Freya. Besides, Freya's parents may not doubt you." She had a credible face.

"..." Joanne was speechless, and Brian's last sentence... was boasting or blaming?

However, she lived for twenty-four years with few lies. In addition to concealing the love for Brian, she had few secrets that she couldn't tell a stranger. Mr. Norris and Mrs. Norris had always believed her very much.

"Okay." Brian took Joanne's hand. "We should go back to the party."

They came to the birthday party of the president of the Chamber of Commerce today, and they had no time to offer birthday congratulations, because Joanne had received a phone call from Chris.

Joanne checked the long dress, and confirmed that the makeup was fine, and then she held Brian's hand to go out.

Brian took her directly to President Frenk, and after greeting and sending gifts, Joanne handed out a dark blue gift bag in her hand. "President Frenk, this is what my brother asks me to hand over to you-the birthday present. He can't leave today, and I'll wish you a happy birthday for him."

"Thank you, thank you." President Frenk signaled at the assistant to put away the gifts. He looked at Joanne from up and down and had to nod again and again. "Hongyuan is so lucky. He has such a good son and such a beautiful daughter. With the president of Lambert Group being his son-in-law, he'll make so many people envy him!"

Joanne just modestly smiled. Brian also saw that she didn't want to continue this topic, so he wanted to take her away, but the unexpected one came.

"President Frenk!" Steven's voice came from afar. "Happy birthday! I am really sorry. Women at home have been slow, so we're late."

"That's fine." President Frenk looked at Joanne quietly and saw that her mood did not seem to fluctuate. He thought of the rumors that Steven had bad blood with the first wife's children and was thinking that if it was true.

When hearing Steven's voice, those bad memories automatically reflected on Joanne's mind-

Her mother fell to the ground and finally, died... Patricia and Mia straightly moved into the Scott Family as the hostess and the Young Miss. Steven did not show any rejection, and totally forgot that his wife had just died...

She didn't want to think anymore.

Joanne secretly pulled Brian's sleeves, and then Brian took her away. She didn't even look at the three people from the beginning to the end, let alone greet Steven.

President Frenk's doubts were almost confirmed, and his look became subtle.

"Well." Steven sighed with disappointment. "President Frenk, sorry to make myself a joke. My eldest daughter is like her brother. She likes to go against me in everything. I have been suffering for almost 10 years."

"Dad." Mia smiled and stood up. "Do not talk about those unpleasant things at home. Today is Uncle Fan's birthday." She handed a decorated box. "Uncle Fan, I know you like the tea ceremony. This is a tea set I specially selected for you, and I hope you will like it."

The assistant helped to receive the gift for President Frenk, who couldn't help smiling and said that Mia was clever. Not only did Mia smile, but also Steven said with a smile, "Without Mia, I would have gone mad because the siblings." He took the opportunity to speak ill of Joanne and Chris.

President Frenk was just laughing and didn't comment.

He had seen the way Chris's handled things. He was definitely not the kind of person Steven said. As for Joanne, although he didn't know, he believed in Brian's eyes.

If someone could let Brian cancel the meeting and give up the cooperation worth hundreds of millions, she certainly didn't make him do that with an ill temper.

Steven also realized that when President Frenk did not speak, he should no longer mention his family matters. Instead, he talked about the things in the business and finally talked about his own company. President Frenk knew recently there was a problem with the funding.

Mia accompanied them with a smile, which was sweet and very lovable. She was very good at observing other people. At this moment, she affectionately held President Frenk's hands. "Uncle Fan, can you help my father? My father can't eat and sleep lately, and he was very tired."

President Frenk smiled and refused. "Do you still need to ask for help with this kind of thing? Lambert Group is the son-in-law of Scott Group. You can ask Brian, and this is not a problem at all."

He implied that he could do nothing.

Mia secretly bit her teeth, but she still smiled on the face and thanked President Frenk.

Steven and Patricia on the side certainly didn't dare to show unhappiness. They had to pretend smiling while planning in their hearts. Would they really ask Joanne for help?

On the other side, Joanne could not laugh.

Brian had already noticed that Joanne was in a bad mood. He took her to the balcony and isolated them from the noisy banquet hall. She looked at the river view not far, leaned on the fence and did not speak for a long time.

The wind was cool at night, and Brian worried that she would feel uncomfortable tomorrow, so he took off his coat and put it on her. "Joanne?"

Joanne finally turned around and smiled toward Brian.

"Actually, I don't care," she said. "My mom has been away for many years. I hate Steven, but I still have to live a good life. Just... when I saw their family of three, I..."

She still couldn't help but think of her mother's death, think of the loneliness through her entire life; she still felt wronged and reluctant...

Brian did not let Joanne go on and gently hugged her. "Joanne, you need to remember one thing."

Joanne looked up from his chest. "What?"

"I will accompany you in the future."

His voice was so light that it faded easily in the night wind, but it was also carved onto Joanne's heart one stroke after another, warming her whole heart.

She buried her head in Brian's arms, like a happy ostrich.

Only in front of Brian, she could feel at ease like an ostrich.

Adjusting the mood, Joanne realized that Brian still needed to go out to socialize, and then she took off his suit jacket and returned it to Brian. She actively pulled him back to the banquet hall, and squeezed a smile to face the Steven's family of three and others.

When Patricia saw it, she said, "Joanne, you're finally willing to look at us. I thought you really didn't want to meet us."

"..." Joanne did not speak but felt that something was strange. Patricia was a bit too polite to her, unlike the usual her.

Patricia continued to smile. "Joanne, I want to keep you for 10 minutes. I want to talk to you alone." She looked at Brian.

Joanne didn't know what she would do on earth. At that time, someone happened to call Brian's name. She nodded to Brian and gestured at him to go first.

Brian let go of her hand. "Don't run around, I will find you later."

"Okay." Joanne slightly raised her lips and nodded obediently.

"You two... are getting better and better." Patricia spoke sulkily.

Joanne looked cold. "What do you want to say?" She didn't hate nonsense, but the annoying person.

"OK-" Patricia piled up a smile on her face. "Joanne, your father's company has some difficulties, which is embarrassing to say to outsiders. And I'm afraid of causing riots and uneasiness to employees. So, we want to ask for Brian's help, because he can easily solve the problem of Scott Group! You can help to talk about it, can you?"

"Is this what you want to tell me?" Joanne asked in reply.

Patricia smiled again. "The son-in-law helps the father-in-law, isn't that reasonable?"

"Finished?"

Joanne always held a cold attitude, so Patricia did not speak. She looked at Joanne with hope, hoping that the latter could nod.

But Joanne turned away and was about to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Patricia pulled Joanne in time. "You haven't answered me yet? Or are you going to find Brian to help?"

Joanne smiled. "Do you think I will help you?"

Patricia slowly understood that she had asked for the wrong person. She remembered that she had tried to please Joanne just now, so she felt angry. She quickly drew back her hand, and her face became fierce. "Joanne, you grew up in Scott Family. Now, you'll do nothing to save us? No wonder they say the married daughter, the split water."

"First, I and Steven have already cut off the relationship between father and daughter. My surname is Su, but I have not been Steven's daughter. Second, my husband has nothing to do with you. What is reasonable? Do you think that everything you want is reasonable, including forcing my mother to die?"

The more she said, the colder Joanne looked. She seemed to look through Patricia. Patricia feared out of no reason and took a few steps back. "You, you, you." She stuttered for a long time and finally squeezed out a word while stomping her feet on the floor. "Ungrateful brat!"

"Don't say that Steven didn't treat me well." Joanne smiled coldly. "Even if he did, and even if I am ungrateful, it is better than you and Steven."

"Joanne, who are you talking about!" Mia suddenly appeared.

Joanne had a bad premonition. She intended to struggle from Patricia's hand, but Patricia and Mia were too tacit. One tightly took Joanne and the other lifted the glass-

The red liquid was poured to her. Joanne's face felt cold, and the aroma of red wine drifted into her nose.

She finally opened her eyes and saw the angry Steven striding forward. As soon as he approached, he raised his hand and was going to slap on her cheek-