My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 66: Identity Questioned

He knew his girlfriend was trying to defend his honor, but even with his strong mental fortitude, he found this public discussion of his "performance" a bit much to handle.

The young masters with totem-emblazoned cufflinks nearby had already tactfully turned to look elsewhere, pretending they hadn’t heard a thing.

Fortunately, Celia Sterling didn’t press the issue. Seeing the female member’s awkward and complicated expression, she stopped talking. With a proud air, she adopted the posture of a pampered heiress and coolly surveyed the room.

The other members at the table sensed from her arrogant, commanding presence that she was a potential major client, and they began introducing their brands one after another.

The first member had brought an assorted snack mix and launched into a long speech about his brand’s history, market advantages, and franchising prospects.

"Everyone’s heard of the ’Fatty Boy’ brand, right?" The member focused on Celia Sterling, his potential big-ticket client. "Our brand’s largest demographic is female consumers, and we have very high ratings. I’m sure you must have tried our products. Might you be interested in a mutually beneficial partnership?"

Celia Sterling shook her head. "I’ve never had it. And you rarely see this brand over in Metropia."

The member paused, taken aback. "In that case, miss, would you mind sharing which brands you prefer? I can do a bit of market research on the side."

Celia Sterling casually listed a few brand names. "Those are the ones that come to mind. There are too many others to keep track of."

The member froze. The brands she had named were exclusively supplied to the super-rich, unavailable on the open market. Even someone like him, a second-generation retail heir, had only ever heard of them and wasn’t high-status enough to procure them.

He wasn’t the only one; the other members were also taken aback. They sized her up with a mixture of shock and suspicion. On closer inspection, they realized she was dressed head-to-toe in custom-made pieces from world-renowned designers. Her bracelet, necklace, and earrings were straight out of haute couture lookbooks, with prices in the tens of millions...

She was completely out of the league of ordinary second- or third-generation corporate heirs like them.

The member’s attitude shifted instantly. He respectfully presented his business card:

"Miss, with your family background, I’m sure your corporate holdings are extensive and control vast market resources. If you ever become interested, please, you must contact me. I’ll give you everything at the lowest factory price."

Celia Sterling casually took the card. "We’ll see."

The female member had been silently and covertly observing Celia Sterling the whole time.

Once that member had finished pitching to the others, she took out the samples she had brought with her.

She turned directly to Silas Norwood, her voice soft and sweet. "Darling, let’s not even get into your girlfriend’s world. But our family’s skincare brand... I’m sure you must have used it. It’s..."

"Never used it," Silas Norwood said coldly.

Her eyes remained fixed on his face, her disbelief obvious. "Your skin is in such good condition. Don’t tell me you’ve never even used a ten-yuan face mask or a facial cleanser that costs a few dozen yuan..."

"How could my boyfriend use those things on his face?" Celia Sterling said slowly. "The only products I let him use are five-thousand-yuan face masks and ten-thousand-yuan facial cleansers. Every month, the cost of his skincare routine alone starts at several hundred thousand. And when you add in his food, clothes, and other daily expenses, it’s no less than three to five million. Not like some people, who think they can snag a prize for a measly two thousand yuan."

Silas Norwood’s gentle, focused gaze never left Celia Sterling. He watched her spout utter nonsense with a perfectly straight face, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and cooperatively kept quiet.

"You meet so many phonies these days," the stingy female member remarked, as if just making small talk. "At the last cruise party, some girl rented a couture gown and pretended to be a rich heiress, trying to land a wealthy man..."

Celia Sterling showed no sign of anger. Her bright, almond-shaped eyes quietly studied the female member for a few seconds before she gracefully picked up the woman’s product sample, turning it over to the side with the brand logo.

She arched an eyebrow. "Ivy Ilo? Never heard of it."

"It’s currently only sold in the Jorvik region. Since you just mentioned Metropia, I take it you’re from there, little sis? It’s perfectly normal you wouldn’t have heard of us," the female member said, her tone growing arrogant. "In Jorvik, our brand is incredibly well-known. Just ask anyone, and you’ll see."

Celia Sterling smiled. "Alright, then I’ll ask around right now."

Right in front of everyone, she took out her phone, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.

The call connected in less than a second. A respectful and enthusiastic middle-aged man’s voice came through the speaker:

"Young Miss, hello! It’s an honor to receive your call. What can I do for you?"

"Ivy Ilo. Skincare. Heard of it?"

There was a moment of confused silence on the other end. "Please wait a moment, Young Miss. I’ll look into it right now."

Less than a minute later, the voice returned. "My apologies for the wait, Young Miss. Our group focuses on high-end skincare, so we have limited knowledge of the lower-end market. I’ve just looked it up. The brand you mentioned is a top seller in the low-to-mid-range market in the Jorvik region. Is there a particular reason you’re asking, Young Miss? How can I be of service?"

"I remember the skincare brand you manage has a presence in Jorvik as well, doesn’t it?"

"We’ve only opened stores in a few of Jorvik’s first-tier cities; our main focus remains on the northern market. However, we did rank first in Jorvik’s luxury skincare category this year."

The female member, who had been listening intently, let out a soft sneer.

"If you’re going to put on an act, at least make it convincing. The number one luxury skincare brand this year is ’JX,’ a subsidiary of the Sterling Group. If they knew someone was impersonating their people..."

Celia Sterling didn’t usually throw her weight around, but when she encountered someone truly loathsome, she’d allow herself a moment of caprice. She gave a cool command into the phone:

"If I wanted to drive Ivy Ilo out of the market, how long would it take?"

"JX has never competed with low-end products for market share. But since you’ve made the request, Young Miss, JX will back their main competitor. I guarantee we can have them out of the market within a month."

"Good. Notify me when you have a result."

Celia Sterling hung up.

She looked at the female member, who was still full of suspicion, and said calmly, "As for whether I’m faking it, the market will give you your answer in three months."

With that, she ignored the rest of the table and turned to Silas Norwood, who had been intently watching the drama unfold. "This isn’t much fun. Ready to go diving?"

Without giving anyone else a single glance, Silas Norwood replied in a gentle voice, "Okay."

Not even ten minutes after the pair had left, the still-dubious female member received a call from her family.

"Our main competitor has lost its mind! They’ve suddenly started hammering our market share. The rumor is they’ve partnered with JX. It’s insane! Why would a top-tier luxury brand like JX meddle in the competition between small-time brands like ours..."

The female member’s face went deathly pale.

Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling were already long gone.

Wetsuits were available for rent on the cruise ship, but Assistant Thorne had already prepared a brand-new set of matching diving gear for the couple. They headed to the prep room, where professional staff began administering their pre-dive treatments.

The pre-dive preparations were extensive. The full head-to-toe treatment would take at least twenty minutes. Bored with just waiting, Celia Sterling struck up a casual conversation with Silas Norwood, partly to gauge his reaction to what had happened.

"I was a little ruthless today. What do you think, Silas?"