As the birthday banquet moved into its later hours, Holly Larson's eyes were hazy with emotion;it felt as if her entire being were floating in a bubble of romance.
Even Emily, Chloe, Jasmine, and the other classmates—who only caught fragments of the spectacle—felt overwhelmed by how dreamlike the atmosphere was.
This was the difference between being rich and not being rich.
Did Jason Carter plan this entire birthday with tedious romantic schemes?
Not at all.
He simply—
picked three outrageously expensive gifts,told Olivia to arrange everything,and then let money do the talking.
But when one gift is a $200,000 custom cake,another is a Van Cleef & Arpels automaton clock,and the last is a $2+ million ballerina brooch set,romance becomes effortless.
"Affection increased by 1. Holly Larson's favorability is now 97. Just three more to reach 100. Hopefully tonight will be the breakthrough—otherwise it'll get difficult."
While waiting for the plot to unfold, Jason casually ate cake, danced with Holly, and played games with her and the girls.
During this time, Olivia messaged him:
"everything is arranged."
Perfect.
An hour later, the butler entered the villa, leading a middle-aged man in a suit.
The moment the man saw Jason, he stepped forward quickly and bowed slightly:
"Mr. Carter, I've long admired your reputation."
Then he turned toward Holly, bowed, and presented her with a gift box:
"Miss Holly, happy birthday. Time was short, so this small present may be lacking. I hope you'll accept it."
Holly blinked, stunned.
"Mr. Lee? What are you doing here?"
This was Mr. Lee, owner of one of the largest magnet production factories in Nevada—a man so busy and influential he wouldn't normally attend even a senator's birthday.
Yet here he was.
At her birthday.
Holly immediately understood:this was definitely because of Jason.
But for Jason to make such a figure travel across the country to attend her birthday banquet…
Wasn't that too exaggerated?
Before she could process the shock, another guest arrived.
A middle-aged woman in professional attire strode in.She didn't even look around—she walked directly to Jason.
And bowed.
"Boss."
No surname.No title.Just Boss, like an executive greeting the owner of the entire group.
Then she turned to Holly with a sincere smile and handed her another beautifully packaged gift.
Holly's face froze.
Wait—Mr. Jack?
That was Ms. Jack, the general manager of Evergreen Rare Earth Separation, one of the most powerful midstream rare-earth facilities in the entire region.
And she just called Jason…Boss?
Even Mr. Lee was one thing, but Ms. Jack?Their company's influence was terrifyingly high.Even her grandfather had to be polite when meeting her.
Yet here she was, calling Jason Carter "boss," and presenting Holly with a gift.
Shock Among the Larson Cousins
The younger Larson cousins tied up in the corner witnessed all of this.
And their expressions collapsed.
"Is—Is that really Mr. Lee?"
"It is! Dad has shown me his file before—told me to be respectful, never offend him!"
"We tried to get his factory to cooperate with ours, but he ignored us!"
"Then why is he HERE?! And why is he greeting Holly so politely?!"
"Look at Ms. Jack. She's the general manager of Evergreen Rare Earth—she's basically a queen in the rare-earth industry."
"Grandpa himself has to bow slightly when he sees her… yet she just bowed to Jason!"
Their panic grew rapidly.
Because these two weren't random rich guests.
These were giants deeply intertwined with their family's business future.
Their Larson family had been planning to expand into magnet manufacturing.This meant they would soon rely heavily on—
magnet suppliers,
rare earth separation plants,
and midstream processing facilities.
But now…
If Mr. Lee's established magnet factories decided to suppress them,or if Evergreen Rare Earth refused cooperation,their expansion plans would instantly crumble.
The cousins felt their guts twist.
"What… what did we do…?""Why did we mess with Holly?""And why did we insult Jason Carter…?""…we're dead."
They finally understood:
the moment they mocked Jason Carter,their entire family's future became a joke.
Second, in order to expand both resource channels and sales channels, the Larson family had to cooperate with rare-earth separation plants.Those plants were essentially their upstream clients,which was why the Larsons became so wildly ambitious after securing cooperation with five major rare-earth separation facilities.
But now…
A top magnet-manufacturing boss had arrived in person.A general manager from a major rare-earth separation plant had arrived in person.And both were respectful, almost deferential.
If these people were willing to show this level of respect at a birthday party…wouldn't that also mean they could just as easily cut the Larson family off?
The Larson cousins, still tied up and kneeling in the corner, were trembling as they watched.
Just as they were trying to process the shock, the butler brought in yet another guest.
They looked again…
And felt their scalps go numb.
It was the general manager of Ruiton Rare Earth Separation, a facility on the same level as Evergreen—and a key partner of their family's planned expansion.
His attitude toward Jason was even more exaggerated:
He bowed low.He spoke softly.He acted like a subordinate standing before his true employer.
The cousins almost fainted.
"Is—Is that the Ruiton General Manager?"
"It is. Definitely him. Dad literally told us if we ever see him, we have to be extremely polite."
"How is this happening? One rare-earth separation GM coming is already insane. But two?! At the same time?!"
"Holly Larson is a junior… How could this kind of lineup come to her birthday?"
"They're clearly not here for her. They're here because of Jason Carter."
"But why? What kind of influence does he even have? He doesn't look older than we are!"
"What is happening?"
Before they could recover, the butler brought in two more guests—the general managers of Core Rare Earth Separation and Jupiter Rare Earth Processing.
Then came several magnet-production bosses in formal suits.Then came a middle-aged man they didn't recognize.
The man greeted Jason with the same level of respect:
"Mr. Carter, it's an honor to finally meet you."
Then he turned to Holly with a smile and handed her a gift box:
"Miss Larson, happy birthday. I rushed here, so the gift may be simple. I hope you'll accept it."
Inside the box was a nearly 100,000 bracelet—the kind only billionaires gift casually.
He wasn't subtle.He was very obviously here to curry favor with Jason.
And Jason didn't reject the gift—he let Holly accept it naturally, as if this were normal.
The magnet-factory bosses all stepped forward and respectfully called the middle-aged man:
"Boss."
Their tone wasn't as reverent as when speaking to Jason…but it was still the tone used for their benefactor.
Ten minutes later, the butler brought in yet another guest.
The moment the Larson cousins saw who it was…
Their hearts dropped dead.
It was the general manager of Federal Peak Rare Earth,the largest rare-earth separation plant in the entire region,and the primary partner of their expansion project.
This meant—
ALL FIVErare-earth separation plant general managersthey had worked so hard to contact…
were standing inside Holly's birthday party.
Not a coincidence. Not a misunderstanding. Not luck.
It was impossible to misinterpret the situation anymore.
The magnet-factory bosses respected Jason.The rare-earth processing general managers respected Jason.And powerful figures they didn't even recognize greeted Jason first.
This…
This was no coincidence.
This was a power alignment.
One that directly overshadowed their entire Larson family.
The cousins were drenched in cold sweat.
Their faces pale.
Their breathing shallow.
"Something is wrong… seriously wrong. Who is Jason Carter…?"
"He's connected to every upstream and midstream figure in the rare-earth industry… This is impossible…"
"This doesn't look like coincidence anymore. Jason Carter is clearly targeting us."
"But why can he gather so many people?! He's so young!"
"Don't panic! Even if he knows them, business is business. They won't ruin contracts over something as trivial as a few harsh words!"
One cousin whispered, voice trembling:
"What if… he actually can affect the business?"
Another swallowed hard.
"What if… one sentence from him could make them cut us off?"
Silence.
Every cousin felt their stomach twist.
Because the truth was already obvious:
Jason Carter didn't "know" these people.
He clearly owned them.
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