Wizard Earl

Chapter 274 Oscar-winning actor Conor Ferguson

Sensing the threat in George's words, a flicker of fear flashed in Sophia's eyes. However, her gaze was filled with a madness born of resentment. She leaned closer to Holding, her brightly painted lips mockingly addressing George: "George, you coward, what, regretting it and wanting me to come back? Sorry, I've already decided to go with Young Master Holding!"

Faced with such an insult, George clenched his fists even tighter, but made no other move. He knew very well that Connor would stand up for him, and at this moment, he couldn't afford to be impulsive and ruin his grand plan! He might feel good venting his anger now, but not only would Connor's hard work be in vain, but the old man would definitely punish him for fighting in such a public place, making it even more difficult for him to secretly eliminate Olson!

Having been slapped by Connor, Holding, who had originally intended to target George, now turned his attention to Connor. He dared not make a move against the woman in black from the East Hoy Company, but after carefully examining Connor's attire, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Connor's clothes and accessories today cost about twenty gold pounds in total. While they weren't the best at the banquet, they were certainly not bad either. However, compared to Holding's outfit, which cost a hundred gold pounds, they were far inferior.

Holding, who believed he could tell Connor's social standing just by his clothes, then scoffed, "Your surname is Ferguson? I had no idea that a Ferguson family had appeared in Loen? And they're supposedly old friends with Mr. De Sciglio's Ranieri family? That's laughable!"

"I suspect he's just a lowly knight whose noble title is on the verge of being lost. Let me tell you, you can't call someone a family friend just by sending Mr. De Sciglio a few boxes of pastries and exchanging a few words with him!"

He could tolerate being criticized himself, but mocking Connor George was absolutely intolerable. He immediately defended Connor, saying, "Holding..."

However, as soon as George opened his mouth, he unexpectedly saw Connor's very subtle look. With his tacit understanding with Connor, he could naturally see what Connor meant, so although he was a little confused, he stopped what he was about to say.

Seeing that George understood his meaning, Connor nodded inwardly with satisfaction, but on his face he still pretended to be guilty and somewhat exasperated, saying, "Our family's situation is none of your business!"

Whether it was due to a surge of anger or Connor's superb acting skills, Holding was completely unaware that Connor was putting on an act. Seeing Connor's guilty expression, he genuinely believed he had guessed correctly and hit Connor's weak spot, laughing triumphantly, "Your family's situation is of course none of my business, but do you know what segment is coming up?"

"Mr. De Sciglio will, according to imperial tradition, thank the guests who gave him gifts. And you, heir to the Ranieri family—that Ferguson family, a family with a long-standing friendship—must make sure Mr. De Sciglio mentions your name! You two are old friends, you know… hahaha!"

"What if Mr. De Sciglio mentions me and my family during the thank-you speech?" Connor's acting skills were becoming increasingly refined. To get Holding on to his trap, he clenched his fists tightly and said, his face flushed:

"What if he mentions you and your family? Oh, so you're going to make a bet with me? Fine! No problem! If Mr. De Sciglio mentions you and your so-called Ferguson family during his thank-you speech, I'll pay you ten thousand gold pounds. If not, you'll have to kneel before me and slap yourself ten times!" Holding's eyes gleamed with smugness as he spoke in a sinister tone.

"No problem!" Seeing that Holding had taken the bait, Connor naturally agreed without hesitation, thinking that he might as well make a profit of ten thousand gold pounds.

Meanwhile, the conflict between the two sides attracted a large crowd at the banquet. Holding, confident of victory and waiting for Connor to kneel before him and slap him, smugly embraced the scantily clad Sophia while loudly addressing the surrounding crowd:

"I, Holding Barrera, have made a bet with Connor Ferguson of the Ferguson family. As witnesses, when Mr. De Sciglio is thanking the guests for their gifts, if he mentions this man and his family, I, Holding, will pay him ten thousand gold pounds. Conversely, this young master Connor will have to kneel before me and slap himself ten times!"

It has to be said that the surname Barella is quite influential in Loen. As soon as Holding finished speaking, many of the gentlemen and ladies in the crowd came up to flatter him and offered to be witnesses. Seeing so many people "licking his boots", Holding immediately turned to look at Connor, his eyes filled with provocation and smugness.

George, standing beside Connor, looked on with a puzzled expression. Although he didn't know why Connor Ferguson, who was usually so meticulous and shrewd, had been so easily provoked by Holding and made such a foolish bet, he felt it was necessary to remind Connor.

"Connor, as is customary, Mr. De Sciglio only thanks five people who give him gifts, but tonight he received at least a hundred..." George walked up to Connor and whispered in his ear:

"The bet is done, and with so many witnesses, there's no going back!" Although George's movements were very discreet, they still didn't escape Holding's notice. He stared intently at Connor and George, looking on with amusement.

From an angle where Holding couldn't see, Connor turned his head and winked slightly at George. When he turned back, a look of feigned terror appeared in his eyes, and he looked incredibly convincing.

Just as Holding was about to unleash another taunt, Mr. De Sciglio had already returned to the center of the banquet hall and coughed lightly twice. Although Mr. De Sciglio's voice was not loud, the music in the entire banquet hall instantly stopped, and everyone in the banquet hall stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on Mr. De Sciglio in the center of the banquet hall.

Mr. De Sciglio looked around and nodded slightly in satisfaction. He enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention and having a great influence. This was not only a reflection of his personal prestige, but also a manifestation of the influence of the East Hoy he represented!

(End of this chapter)