One guest said, "Mr. Olson, your partner's even more stunning than before. Where'd you find her?"

Another chimed in, "Looks like you've got a fine taste. She's from a good family, isn't she?"

"Is she still in school? She looks so young," someone else added.

People were throwing compliments at Ariana left and right, with Bennett soaking up the attention at the center.

Bennett kept it cool, responding to the praises in a casual manner.

Meanwhile, Ariana followed him quietly through the crowd, occasionally glancing around, trying to spot someone familiar. But Bennett noticed her sneaky glances.

“You've been scanning the room since we got here. What's got your attention?" Bennett's face grew dark again.

Ariana quickly made something up. "Oh, nothing. It's just that the crowd today isn't the typical rough-and-tumble sort. Some faces seem familiar Like I've seen them on the news or something."

Bennett didn't seem convinced. He leaned in, locking eyes with Ariana for a solid minute. After sizing her up, he said in a low voice, "Don't start guessing who these people are, and don't wander off. Stick with me. You don't want to cross anyone here tonight. If you do, I can't save you."

“Got it." Ariana nodded and edged a bit closer to Bennett. Noticing that his mood had lightened a bit, she decided to ask, “What's the deal with these people? They seem important, but they're all buttering you up. Why's that?"

“Are you really that clueless?" Bennett shot back.

Ariana hesitated, not sure how to respond. Before she could, Bennett grinned and said, "It's because they all want something from me."

"Then you must be really powerful," Ariana said, continuing to play dumb .

Bennett gave her a long, hard stare, smirking but not saying a word.

That stare sent a chill down Ariana's spine. She was sure he was onto her act, so her mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. But then, Bennett turned away and started chatting with one of his men.

Ariana breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

At that moment, the doors to the banquet hall swung open again.

Ariana heard the commotion and turned to see a middle-aged man strolling in. He had a friendly face and a sophisticated air, but the longer Ariana stared, the more she felt like she had seen him somewhere.

It wasn't until the man started chatting with the people nearby and Ariana caught a bit of his voice that it hit her-this man was Fraser Walsh, the political commissar in Eleymond. She had seen him on the news many times.

Ariana was stunned. What was a high-ranking official Like him doing here with the Olson family?