Spencer and Nancy remained seated, their expressions calm and unbothered. To them, watching Luke on stage felt like watching a clown perform. Luke, however, was infuriated by their reaction. He had spent years being overshadowed, following behind Stephen and Maris like a lackey, swallowing his frustrations. Now that he finally had a chance to shine, how could he possibly let it slip away? With a boldness that bordered on recklessness, he spoke again, his voice filled with mockery. “As everyone knows, Walker Group has been a long-time government partner. But recently, the Gibson family’s daughter started dating a useless troublemaker. Due to the Gibson family’s poor judgment and character, the government was forced to reconsider its cooperation with Walker Group. In the end, thanks to Assistant You’s wise decision, the government revoked Walker Group’s bidding rights—giving me the opportunity to stand before you all tonight.” He didn’t even bother to show Spencer and Nancy an ounce of respect. A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. People leaned toward each other, whispering in hushed voices. “The Gibson family has been in politics for generations. Mr. Yan did so much for the people in his time. For this Luke, a nobody, to publicly humiliate them like this… it’s a bit much, isn’t it?” “If the Yarbrough family hadn’t approved of this, do you really think Luke would dare say such things out loud?” “Exactly. Without their backing, there’s no way his tiny company could have won such a big project.” “This is blatant abuse of power.” “All of us competed for this bid, yet somehow, Luke’s little firm was the one that got it? If it weren’t for Stephen pulling strings, would Luke even stand a chance?” “Yeah, even without Walker Group, there were plenty of other companies in the running.” “Well, Arthur did beat Maris so badly that he’s still in a cast. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t want Walker Group to win the bid either.”“But wasn’t it Maris who provoked Arthur first? I was there that night—Maris went up to them the moment they arrived and started throwing jabs. He even threw the first punch.” “If Arthur hadn’t been strong enough to fight back, he’d be the one in the hospital now.” “Still, the Gibson family and Walker Group were dragged into this mess because of Arthur. He’s too bold for his own good—offending the Yarbroughs like that.” “I just hope Luke is actually capable of handling a project this big.” “With the Yarbrough and the Quinn families backing him, he should be fine… right?” The whispers continued, but no one dared to speak too loudly. After all, Walker Group was a cautionary tale standing right in front of them. The Yarbroughs remained on the sidelines, not stepping in to stop Luke. Though some of them were surprised by his directness, none objected. Government projects were bid on every year, yet never before had they thrown a celebration like this. It was clear as day—this entire event had been arranged just to humiliate Spencer and Nancy. Too bad Arthur and Ashley had already left Seacity. Otherwise, the Yarbroughs would have made sure they were dragged into this, too. After all, Arthur had beaten Maris to a pulp, and when they went to confront Spencer about it, he had thrown them out without a second thought. The Yarbroughs were people of status. When had they ever been humiliated like that? This banquet was Zane’s way of getting revenge. If Spencer and Nancy hadn’t shown up, it would have made them look weak, like they were too ashamed to face the public. But by attending? That was even better. No matter how they responded, tonight, Spencer and Nancy were going to be humiliated. Luke, seeing that the Yarbroughs weren’t stopping him, felt even more emboldened. I knew it! I was right!Not only did he get to vent his frustrations, but he also got to curry favor with the Yarbroughs. What could be better than this? Smirking, Luke turned his attention to Nancy and put on a fake, respectful tone. “Madam Gibson, this is my first time handling a project of this scale. I’d love to learn from your experience. Would you be so kind as to share some advice?” Zane and the others grinned wider. Clearly, Luke’s words were exactly what they wanted to hear. The moment he spoke, the crowd’s attention shifted entirely to Nancy. More murmurs spread through the hall. “Luke isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. He’s openly humiliating Madam Gibson!” “Hah! Funny how, before Spencer got taken down, Luke used to follow him around like a loyal dog.” “Taken down? Who says it wasn’t a setup?” “Spencer was in office for years and never took a bribe. If he really wanted to be corrupt, would he have waited until now?” “That’s true… Luke calling out Madam Gibson like this, with Spencer’s temper? There’s no way he’s just going to let this slide.”