Chapter 5 Mr. Russell and Mrs. Russell Are Truly a Perfect Match

Seeing the message, Tamsin froze. Had she missed Julian's call and upset him?

She dashed to the dorm balcony, shut the door, and called Owen back, her voice shaky with tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear the ringtone."

Owen's voice came through. "It's okay, Ms. Brooks, did you see the message?"

"Yeah, I saw it, but I..."

Owen cut her off. "Mrs. Russell is going with Mr. Russell tonight."

Owen's words hit Tamsin hard. "Oh… right. Well, that's good. I actually have a club activity later anyway."

"Alright."

The call ended. Tamsin stared at her reflection, tears blurring her vision. There was no club meeting. She just didn't want to be humiliated.

She had worked so hard for this international banquet, memorizing tricky financial terms and wine vocabulary. But now, Julian had changed his date last minute.

Tamsin remembered Julian always avoided Cecilia and never took her to banquets.

Something must have happened.

Tamsin bit her lip in frustration. She had prepared for so long and wasn't going to give up easily.

In the evening, Cleo helped Cecilia put on a sapphire necklace and couldn't help but praise her. "Cecilia, you look stunning! Like a mermaid from a legend!"

Cecilia laughed. "Then you must be the maid beside the mermaid."

They laughed, and then Cecilia went downstairs.

Julian was on the sofa watching the stock market. Hearing her, he turned to look.

The sea-blue mermaid dress Cecilia wore was the one he had Cleo send up.

The dress hugged her curves, moving with her legs, both sexy and elegant. Her long hair was braided, with a few strands falling naturally on her cheeks.

Watching Cecilia walk gracefully, Julian's heart skipped a beat.

Unlike her previous dazzling appearance in a golden gown, Cecilia now had a dreamlike beauty in her blue dress, like the deep sea. His Adam's apple bobbed as he looked away. "Let's go."

Cecilia nodded and followed him to the car.

Seeing Cecilia in this outfit, Owen's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you staring at?" Julian frowned. "Drive."

"Sorry, sir. Mrs. Russell is just so beautiful, even more so than Ms..."

Before he could finish, Owen noticed Julian's cold gaze and shut his mouth, starting the car.

Cecilia ignored them and looked out the window.

After a while, the car stopped.

Julian took Cecilia's hand and walked into the banquet hall.

Cecilia frowned slightly at their touching elbows but said nothing.

A man in a black tailcoat walked over. "Good evening, Mr. Russell. This must be Mrs. Russell?" He looked at Cecilia and teased, "Mrs. Russell is truly beautiful. No wonder Mr. Russell rarely brings her out. Keeping her all to himself."

Julian gave a fake smile. "Mr. Dixon, you're too kind."

Cecilia recognized the man; he was Ollie Dixon, a big name in the investment world. Julian had many dealings with him.

She had to admit Julian was a business mogul. High-end international business events were incomplete without him.

The guests in the hall were all high-status and powerful. Financial tycoons, wine magnates, and mining giants were all here, chatting and laughing.

In her past life, Cecilia had learned all about finance to impress Julian, but he never paid her any attention. Now, that knowledge was finally useful.

Cecilia calmly said to Ollie, "Hi, I'm Julian's wife, Cecilia Medici."

Just as she finished speaking, a loud crash echoed nearby. A beautiful fish tank had shattered on the ground, and the goldfish inside were flopping around.

An elderly man in a light yellow waterproof suit was squatting down, trying to catch the goldfish. The banquet manager rushed over and scolded the old man harshly. "Look at what you've done, you clumsy old fool! These are Mr. Percy's goldfish. How will you compensate if they die?"

Cecilia grabbed a large, water-filled glass from a waiter and walked over to the old man. "Sir, please put the goldfish in here."

The old man silently placed the goldfish into the glass.

As soon as the goldfish entered the water, they began to swim around.

Cecilia noticed that these were high-quality Ranchu goldfish, worth about six hundred thousand dollars for the three of them, which ordinary people couldn't afford.

The manager said, "Mrs. Russell, I'm really sorry for the scare. This old man is really a nuisance. I'll have him removed right away."

Seeing the goldfish swimming lively, the manager breathed a sigh of relief. He then waved to the waiters to clean up the glass shards.

"The fish tank is broken, and we can't keep these goldfish in a glass for long," Cecilia said softly while looking at the old man. "Sir, might you get a new fish tank, please."

Seeing Cecilia stand up for the old man, the manager had nothing more to say and left.

Ollie turned to Julian and said, "Mrs. Russell is truly beautiful and kind-hearted. Today, I've witnessed Mrs. Russell's grace. I'll head over there first. See you later."

Julian nodded, his gaze at Cecilia deepening.

Meanwhile, Tamsin, dressed in a blue gown, appeared outside the banquet hall.

She took a deep breath, then walked to the hall entrance, and was about to step in when she was stopped by security.

The security guard was a dull person who didn't usually watch the news. Except for a few big shots, he didn't recognize anyone else.

Seeing her unfamiliar face and no gentleman accompanying her, the security guard had to follow protocol. "Ma'am, please show your invitation."

Tamsin paused for a moment, then realized that such formal occasions required an invitation. But with Julian not around, where could she get an invitation now?

Tamsin's face turned red with anxiety, and in desperation, she said, "I'm here looking for Mr. Russell."

The security guard looked helpless. "Miss, no matter who you're looking for, without an invitation, I can't let you in. Please leave."

Tamsin shook her head while biting her lips tightly, her eyes red and teary, looking pitiful.

At this moment, a woman's voice came from behind. "Ms. Brooks?"

Tamsin blinked and shyly nodded at her as a greeting. She seemed to see this woman often but didn't know her.

Elowen chuckled at her reaction.

Elowen chuckled at her reaction, then said to the guard, "She's Mr. Russell's personal finance protégé. Quite brilliant, really. Always by his side. Let her in."

The security guard frowned; he had just seen Julian enter with Cecilia. But since Elowen had spoken, it wouldn't be good to refuse her entry.

Finally, the security guard nodded. "Alright, you can go in."

Tamsin thanked Elowen joyfully and hurried into the hall, only to accidentally bump into an old man holding a fish tank.

The old man, unsteady from the collision, spilled most of the water, some of it splashing onto her and wetting her dress.

Already anxious, Tamsin finally found an outlet for her frustration. "Are you blind?"