Rural Belle & Three Heirs
Chapter 12 He is the Most Suitable

Just when Chloe thought Grant would brush off the situation, he went ahead and slapped Liam.

Liam grabbed his cheek in stunned disbelief, while the guests gasped in shock. Chloe was confused; wasn't Grant supposed to defend Liam and apologize quickly? "Grant."

"Liam, beat it for now! I'll deal with you when I get back tonight," Grant commanded, his face stern.

Liam, scared of Grant's temper, kept quiet after the slap and left with his crew.

After Liam left, Grant turned to Chloe and said, "Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of this tonight."

Grant's attitude was pretty good, and since he had just saved her, Chloe started to warm up to him a bit.

She nodded and said, "Okay."

At the banquet, guests were mingling, some busy networking with the elite, others enjoying the fine wine. Chloe didn't know many people there, so she found a corner and quietly sipped on some juice to stay out of the spotlight. Tony slid up next to Chloe and greeted her eagerly, "Chloe."

Chloe glanced at Tony and casually asked, "Tony? How did you get in here?"

"My parents have some connections with a senior executive at the Martin Group. It took some effort to get into such a high-end event, but it's all about making connections and paving the way for the Gibson family's business," Tony said, shaking his wine glass helplessly.

In Sovereign City, such gatherings were common, but the Martin Family's banquets typically didn't include Tony's parents on the guest list.

"Let's not talk about that. Chloe, I saw you arguing with Liam earlier. It was awesome! Grant stepping in to slap Liam for you was unexpected. Do you think he might like you?" Tony's words were shocking.

Chloe, mid-sip, spat out her juice in surprise.

She wiped her mouth and coughed. "Tony, are you crazy? Do you even know what liking someone means?"

Chloe was pretty speechless towards Tony, who was half a year younger than her.

"Of course, I know! Chloe, my cousin said you're here to replace a husband among the Martin heirs. Liam's a jerk who calls you ugly, so he's a no-go. Michael's a Playboy celebrity, so he's not right. But Grant runs the Martin Group, keeps clear of scandals, and has your back. Chloe, go for Grant! He's your best bet," Tony's analysis was quite reasonable.

Unfortunately, Chloe didn't want to choose any of them.

To stop Tony from talking nonsense, she reached out and patted his head. "Zip it, quit babbling, or I'll sew your mouth shut."

Chloe pretended to be annoyed.

Tony, with a sheepish grin, said, "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Chloe, the pool area is pretty lively. Let's go check it out."

Tony led Chloe to the manor's bustling swimming pool, a stark contrast to the business-focused hall.

Their arrival didn't go unnoticed by Sophia, Grant's admirer. Already fuming over Grant's actions-carrying Chloe away and slapping Liam for her-Sophia was convinced that Grant had feelings for Chloe. She thought he was just interested in the Davis family's power and felt that Grant rightfully belonged to her. Despite the Brown family's weaker influence compared to the Davis family, she still aimed to rival Chloe.

She wanted to use her own tactics to drive Chloe, this "ugly girl," out of the Martin Family.

As soon as Chloe arrived, she heard a few girls surrounding Sophia, showering her with compliments.

"Oh my gosh, Sophia is amazing. As soon as she got back from studying abroad, she joined the Martin Group and, with her own skills, became a department manager under Mr. Martin. That's impressive." "Yeah, Sophia is so kind-hearted and capable. Her future is limitless."

"Exactly, with such a beautiful woman like Sophia in the company, Mr. Martin must be so distracted from work."

"Sophia, you and Mr. Martin grew up together. You'll definitely become Mrs. Martin in the future."

With everyone praising her, Sophia's face turned a shade of red, and she pretended to be modest, saying, "Oh, stop it. Grant and I are just colleagues now. You know, the Martin Family and the Davis Family have a marriage agreement. Grant said he has to fulfill the elders' arrangement."

As soon as Sophia said this, the girls around her started to gossip.

"Sophia, are you talking about that Davis Family girl who has a marriage agreement with the Martin Family? We've all seen her. She's incredibly ugly, with a birthmark on her face as big as our school's playground."

"And that mole on the birthmark, how gross! How could Grant ever like her?"

"So what if she has a marriage agreement with the Martin Family? With her looks, none of the three heirs of the Martin Family would ever like her."

"She's destined to be ousted from the Martin Family. They might as well marry her off to some random gardener."

"She wants to compete with Sophia for Grant? She should take a good look in the mirror first."

The crowd's belittling and ridicule were all aimed at Chloe!