Chapter 505: Ritz Gala (1)
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Aleksis didn't respond to Nicolae's proposal at all that night. She didn't want to carelessly decide when she hadn't completely found her heart. She knew the Alchemists were married once an entire lifetime, and she didn't want to hurt Nicolae by saying that she was willing to marry him even though she still couldn't accept him.
Nicolae said nothing more after that. He enjoyed looking at the sky while hugging the girl, while Altair and Vega sat embracing each other under a thick blanket. Nobody spoke until the aurora dance slowly disappeared in the darkness.
"Let's go home," Nicolae invited the three. He helped them get down from the car hood one by one. After everything was ready, he drove back to the beautiful house by the lake he had bought for their trip this time.
Upon their arrival at home, they immediately rested and only woke up when the sun was right overhead. The savory smell of a delicious breakfast woke Aleksis, Altair, and Vega up from their slumbers.
When the three of them came out of the bedroom, they saw that the breakfast table had served various kinds of breakfast dishes that made their mouths water.
"Wow… They look really good," said Aleksis. She and her two children immediately took their seats at the dinner table and prepared themselves for the sumptuous breakfast.
"It was snowing just now," Nicolae said. "We probably won't be able to go anywhere today."
"It's okay. I can teach the children to play Go or read books. We managed to capture the aurora last night, after all," Aleksis merrily replied.
"Ah... I'm not very good at playing Go, but if you need a partner to play with, I don't mind," Nicolae said.
"Of course," Aleksis nodded.
"I received a message from Terry to try out the new Virconnect 4D technology," Nicolae scooped the soup into each bowl and placed them in front of Aleksis, Altair, and Vega. After that, he poured coffee into Aleksis' cup and fruit juice in the twins' glasses. The three of them said thank you and began to eat breakfast.
"The virtual connection technology? We've tried it," Aleksis commented, "Not bad. I heard that many people now prefer to have vacations through Virconnect rather than going out on their own."
"Of course. Travels are expensive these days. Many would choose Virconnect as an alternative to save money." Nicolae nodded in agreement.
Aleksis was aware that her family was undoubtedly wealthy and could have whatever they wanted in this world, so they weren't interested in innovations such as Virconnect and Holodeck.
Ordinary people who were not as rich as her family, on the other hand, had to feel satisfied with everything that was synthetic. Virconnect allowed them to experience things only the rich could do or enjoy.
The rich would go on vacation to the real beaches and enjoyed sunbathing under the tropical sun, while ordinary people would see the beach through the traveler's Virconnect channel and hope that the same sun they see one day could really give their skin the healthy tan.
The future will be full of substitutes and all things synthetic. Human servants will be substituted by robotic ones, fresh meat will be substituted by artificial meat, and even dishes from organic vegetables will be substituted by canned vitamins and protein, as they were costly.
"Many are making new businesses out of it. For example, they'll also come to Iceland and sell the aurora package through Virconnect 4D. When they manage to find an aurora, like we did last night, guests who would like to enter their spaces on Virconnect and watch the aurora could pay the fees requested and get access to the same experience. Just imagine it. How nice would it be to be able to enjoy natural wonders like the aurora borealis in the other hemisphere without having to leave home and incur expensive costs to travel to Iceland?"
"You're right. It sounds interesting," Aleksis agreed. "Then why did Terry ask you to try Virconnect tonight?"
"He wanted to show off, I guess. This time, he was nominated for the top 10 most eligible bachelors in the world..." Nicolae couldn't hold back his laughter. "I know he's a competitive guy, but this is a bit too far."
"Do you think he'll win?" Aleksis inquired. "Who are the nominations?"
Nicolae took out his phone and researched the latest news. "Quite a lot... I don't follow this news. The only reason I read it was because Terry kept sending me news links back and forth to show off." He lampooned. "There's the world's youngest president from Malta, the crown prince of Sweden, and the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which this year topped Forsythe's 100 Most Influential Men because of his Virconnect product..."
"The Virconnect we just discussed?" Aleksis questioned. "Wow, there are a lot of young world figures and bachelors with extraordinary achievements lately. I'm very impressed."
"Yes. So do you want to accompany me tonight to stay up late to meet Terry at the Ritz Gala via Virconnect?" Nicolae asked. "I won't be able to bear watching him show off by myself."
"Hahaha..." Aleksis knew Nicolae was only joking. Nic had never objected to his best friend's various showoffs. "New York is 5 hours behind us. When the Ritz Gala party starts, it'll already be 1 AM. I can't do that."
Aleksis shrugged. She didn't like parties and wasn't interested to see Terry surrounded by beautiful girls and win ridiculous awards like "The Most Eligible Bachelors in the World". In this case, Aleksis and Finland have one view in common.
"Hmm... Well, that means I'll be going alone tonight." Nicolae nodded.
***
December 20th was a very special and much-awaited day for the upper classes of the world, especially the girls who idolized the amazing men who ruled the world and gathered in the prestigious Ritz Gala, which had always been held annually for 50 years.
Terry couldn't stop grinning since the morning when he checked the preparations in the ballroom of St. Laurent Hotel to make sure the event would be a success tonight. He had managed to make Nicolae promise him to wake up at 1 AM in Iceland and join him at Virconnect to attend the Ritz Gala.
Because Terry didn't have a girlfriend, one of the reasons he urged Nicolae to come was to share the happiness. To whom else could he share his excitement over tonight's nomination if it were not Nicolae? So, this was not merely showing off on his part.
"Aleksis doesn't want to come? That's good. Let this be a men's only event," Terry commented when discussing the matter over the phone. Inwardly, he was pleased to see the progress of the relationship between Nic and his sister. They've been on vacation together three times, and this third one. In Iceland, it must be quite special.
Terry knew how beautiful and romantic Iceland was. It would be even more so if they managed to see the aurora. He wouldn't be surprised if Nicolae proposed to Aleksis there.
"Don't forget to wear a proper formal outfit. I'll introduce you to the beautiful girls I see at the event," Terry added.
"I'm not interested," Nicolae murmured.
How could he be interested in being introduced to another girl? It was just last night that he asked Aleksis to marry him.
"I want you to get more acquaintances. People say one enemy is too many, but a thousand friends are too few. We should make new friends," said Terry. "Don't tell me you closed yourself completely because you've proposed to my sister."
Nicolae didn't answer.
"Gosh... So it's true?" Terry coughed violently. "Then, what's her answer?"
"I didn't ask her to answer right away," Nicolae replied. "She can answer whenever she wants. I have no time limit."
Terry massaged his forehead, which suddenly felt very sore, "Alright then. Just wear bad ones and don't look any better than I do so no one will notice you."
Nicolae didn't answer. Sometimes, he doubted whether Terry was really the president of Schneider Group. His behavior often didn't reflect his position in power.
Like today, Terry reminded him of a childish college boy who was excited to compete in trivial stupid things.
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Aleksis didn't respond to Nicolae's proposal at all that night. She didn't want to carelessly decide when she hadn't completely found her heart. She knew the Alchemists were married once an entire lifetime, and she didn't want to hurt Nicolae by saying that she was willing to marry him even though she still couldn't accept him.
Nicolae said nothing more after that. He enjoyed looking at the sky while hugging the girl, while Altair and Vega sat embracing each other under a thick blanket. Nobody spoke until the aurora dance slowly disappeared in the darkness.
"Let's go home," Nicolae invited the three. He helped them get down from the car hood one by one. After everything was ready, he drove back to the beautiful house by the lake he had bought for their trip this time.
Upon their arrival at home, they immediately rested and only woke up when the sun was right overhead. The savory smell of a delicious breakfast woke Aleksis, Altair, and Vega up from their slumbers.
When the three of them came out of the bedroom, they saw that the breakfast table had served various kinds of breakfast dishes that made their mouths water.
"Wow… They look really good," said Aleksis. She and her two children immediately took their seats at the dinner table and prepared themselves for the sumptuous breakfast.
"It was snowing just now," Nicolae said. "We probably won't be able to go anywhere today."
"It's okay. I can teach the children to play Go or read books. We managed to capture the aurora last night, after all," Aleksis merrily replied.
"Ah... I'm not very good at playing Go, but if you need a partner to play with, I don't mind," Nicolae said.
"Of course," Aleksis nodded.
"I received a message from Terry to try out the new Virconnect 4D technology," Nicolae scooped the soup into each bowl and placed them in front of Aleksis, Altair, and Vega. After that, he poured coffee into Aleksis' cup and fruit juice in the twins' glasses. The three of them said thank you and began to eat breakfast.
"The virtual connection technology? We've tried it," Aleksis commented, "Not bad. I heard that many people now prefer to have vacations through Virconnect rather than going out on their own."
"Of course. Travels are expensive these days. Many would choose Virconnect as an alternative to save money." Nicolae nodded in agreement.
Aleksis was aware that her family was undoubtedly wealthy and could have whatever they wanted in this world, so they weren't interested in innovations such as Virconnect and Holodeck.
Ordinary people who were not as rich as her family, on the other hand, had to feel satisfied with everything that was synthetic. Virconnect allowed them to experience things only the rich could do or enjoy.
The rich would go on vacation to the real beaches and enjoyed sunbathing under the tropical sun, while ordinary people would see the beach through the traveler's Virconnect channel and hope that the same sun they see one day could really give their skin the healthy tan.
The future will be full of substitutes and all things synthetic. Human servants will be substituted by robotic ones, fresh meat will be substituted by artificial meat, and even dishes from organic vegetables will be substituted by canned vitamins and protein, as they were costly.
"Many are making new businesses out of it. For example, they'll also come to Iceland and sell the aurora package through Virconnect 4D. When they manage to find an aurora, like we did last night, guests who would like to enter their spaces on Virconnect and watch the aurora could pay the fees requested and get access to the same experience. Just imagine it. How nice would it be to be able to enjoy natural wonders like the aurora borealis in the other hemisphere without having to leave home and incur expensive costs to travel to Iceland?"
"You're right. It sounds interesting," Aleksis agreed. "Then why did Terry ask you to try Virconnect tonight?"
"He wanted to show off, I guess. This time, he was nominated for the top 10 most eligible bachelors in the world..." Nicolae couldn't hold back his laughter. "I know he's a competitive guy, but this is a bit too far."
"Do you think he'll win?" Aleksis inquired. "Who are the nominations?"
Nicolae took out his phone and researched the latest news. "Quite a lot... I don't follow this news. The only reason I read it was because Terry kept sending me news links back and forth to show off." He lampooned. "There's the world's youngest president from Malta, the crown prince of Sweden, and the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which this year topped Forsythe's 100 Most Influential Men because of his Virconnect product..."
"The Virconnect we just discussed?" Aleksis questioned. "Wow, there are a lot of young world figures and bachelors with extraordinary achievements lately. I'm very impressed."
"Yes. So do you want to accompany me tonight to stay up late to meet Terry at the Ritz Gala via Virconnect?" Nicolae asked. "I won't be able to bear watching him show off by myself."
"Hahaha..." Aleksis knew Nicolae was only joking. Nic had never objected to his best friend's various showoffs. "New York is 5 hours behind us. When the Ritz Gala party starts, it'll already be 1 AM. I can't do that."
Aleksis shrugged. She didn't like parties and wasn't interested to see Terry surrounded by beautiful girls and win ridiculous awards like "The Most Eligible Bachelors in the World". In this case, Aleksis and Finland have one view in common.
"Hmm... Well, that means I'll be going alone tonight." Nicolae nodded.
***
December 20th was a very special and much-awaited day for the upper classes of the world, especially the girls who idolized the amazing men who ruled the world and gathered in the prestigious Ritz Gala, which had always been held annually for 50 years.
Terry couldn't stop grinning since the morning when he checked the preparations in the ballroom of St. Laurent Hotel to make sure the event would be a success tonight. He had managed to make Nicolae promise him to wake up at 1 AM in Iceland and join him at Virconnect to attend the Ritz Gala.
Because Terry didn't have a girlfriend, one of the reasons he urged Nicolae to come was to share the happiness. To whom else could he share his excitement over tonight's nomination if it were not Nicolae? So, this was not merely showing off on his part.
"Aleksis doesn't want to come? That's good. Let this be a men's only event," Terry commented when discussing the matter over the phone. Inwardly, he was pleased to see the progress of the relationship between Nic and his sister. They've been on vacation together three times, and this third one. In Iceland, it must be quite special.
Terry knew how beautiful and romantic Iceland was. It would be even more so if they managed to see the aurora. He wouldn't be surprised if Nicolae proposed to Aleksis there.
"Don't forget to wear a proper formal outfit. I'll introduce you to the beautiful girls I see at the event," Terry added.
"I'm not interested," Nicolae murmured.
How could he be interested in being introduced to another girl? It was just last night that he asked Aleksis to marry him.
"I want you to get more acquaintances. People say one enemy is too many, but a thousand friends are too few. We should make new friends," said Terry. "Don't tell me you closed yourself completely because you've proposed to my sister."
Nicolae didn't answer.
"Gosh... So it's true?" Terry coughed violently. "Then, what's her answer?"
"I didn't ask her to answer right away," Nicolae replied. "She can answer whenever she wants. I have no time limit."
Terry massaged his forehead, which suddenly felt very sore, "Alright then. Just wear bad ones and don't look any better than I do so no one will notice you."
Nicolae didn't answer. Sometimes, he doubted whether Terry was really the president of Schneider Group. His behavior often didn't reflect his position in power.
Like today, Terry reminded him of a childish college boy who was excited to compete in trivial stupid things.
Aleksis didn't respond to Nicolae's proposal at all that night. She didn't want to carelessly decide when she hadn't completely found her heart. She knew the Alchemists were married once an entire lifetime, and she didn't want to hurt Nicolae by saying that she was willing to marry him even though she still couldn't accept him. Nicolae said nothing more after that. He enjoyed looking at the sky while hugging the girl, while Altair and Vega sat embracing each other under a thick blanket. Nobody spoke until the aurora dance slowly disappeared in the darkness. "Let's go home," Nicolae invited the three. He helped them get down from the car hood one by one. After everything was ready, he drove back to the beautiful house by the lake he had bought for their trip this time. Upon their arrival at home, they immediately rested and only woke up when the sun was right overhead. The savory smell of a delicious breakfast woke Aleksis, Altair, and Vega up from their slumbers. When the three of them came out of the bedroom, they saw that the breakfast table had served various kinds of breakfast dishes that made their mouths water. "Wow They look really good," said Aleksis. She and her two children immediately took their seats at the dinner table and prepared themselves for the sumptuous breakfast. "It was snowing just now," Nicolae said. "We probably won't be able to go anywhere today." "It's okay. I can teach the children to play Go or read books. We managed to capture the aurora last night, after all," Aleksis merrily replied. "Ah... I'm not very good at playing Go, but if you need a partner to play with, I don't mind," Nicolae said. "Of course," Aleksis nodded. "I received a message from Terry to try out the new Virconnect 4D technology," Nicolae scooped the soup into each bowl and placed them in front of Aleksis, Altair, and Vega. After that, he poured coffee into Aleksis' cup and fruit juice in the twins' glasses. The three of them said thank you and began to eat breakfast. "The virtual connection technology? We've tried it," Aleksis commented, "Not bad. I heard that many people now prefer to have vacations through Virconnect rather than going out on their own." "Of course. Travels are expensive these days. Many would choose Virconnect as an alternative to save money." Nicolae nodded in agreement. Aleksis was aware that her family was undoubtedly wealthy and could have whatever they wanted in this world, so they weren't interested in innovations such as Virconnect and Holodeck. Ordinary people who were not as rich as her family, on the other hand, had to feel satisfied with everything that was synthetic. Virconnect allowed them to experience things only the rich could do or enjoy. The rich would go on vacation to the real beaches and enjoyed sunbathing under the tropical sun, while ordinary people would see the beach through the traveler's Virconnect channel and hope that the same sun they see one day could really give their skin the healthy tan. The future will be full of substitutes and all things synthetic. Human servants will be substituted by robotic ones, fresh meat will be substituted by artificial meat, and even dishes from organic vegetables will be substituted by canned vitamins and protein, as they were costly. "Many are making new businesses out of it. For example, they'll also come to Iceland and sell the aurora package through Virconnect 4D. When they manage to find an aurora, like we did last night, guests who would like to enter their spaces on Virconnect and watch the aurora could pay the fees requested and get access to the same experience. Just imagine it. How nice would it be to be able to enjoy natural wonders like the aurora borealis in the other hemisphere without having to leave home and incur expensive costs to travel to Iceland?" "You're right. It sounds interesting," Aleksis agreed. "Then why did Terry ask you to try Virconnect tonight?" "He wanted to show off, I guess. This time, he was nominated for the top 10 most eligible bachelors in the world..." Nicolae couldn't hold back his laughter. "I know he's a competitive guy, but this is a bit too far." "Do you think he'll win?" Aleksis inquired. "Who are the nominations?" Nicolae took out his phone and researched the latest news. "Quite a lot... I don't follow this news. The only reason I read it was because Terry kept sending me news links back and forth to show off." He lampooned. "There's the world's youngest president from Malta, the crown prince of Sweden, and the leader of Rhionen-Meier Industries, which this year topped Forsythe's 100 Most Influential Men because of his Virconnect product..." "The Virconnect we just discussed?" Aleksis questioned. "Wow, there are a lot of young world figures and bachelors with extraordinary achievements lately. I'm very impressed." "Yes. So do you want to accompany me tonight to stay up late to meet Terry at the Ritz Gala via Virconnect?" Nicolae asked. "I won't be able to bear watching him show off by myself." "Hahaha..." Aleksis knew Nicolae was only joking. Nic had never objected to his best friend's various showoffs. "New York is 5 hours behind us. When the Ritz Gala party starts, it'll already be 1 AM. I can't do that." Aleksis shrugged. She didn't like parties and wasn't interested to see Terry surrounded by beautiful girls and win ridiculous awards like "The Most Eligible Bachelors in the World". In this case, Aleksis and Finland have one view in common. "Hmm... Well, that means I'll be going alone tonight." Nicolae nodded. *** December 20th was a very special and much-awaited day for the upper classes of the world, especially the girls who idolized the amazing men who ruled the world and gathered in the prestigious Ritz Gala, which had always been held annually for 50 years. Terry couldn't stop grinning since the morning when he checked the preparations in the ballroom of St. Laurent Hotel to make sure the event would be a success tonight. He had managed to make Nicolae promise him to wake up at 1 AM in Iceland and join him at Virconnect to attend the Ritz Gala. Because Terry didn't have a girlfriend, one of the reasons he urged Nicolae to come was to share the happiness. To whom else could he share his excitement over tonight's nomination if it were not Nicolae? So, this was not merely showing off on his part. "Aleksis doesn't want to come? That's good. Let this be a men's only event," Terry commented when discussing the matter over the phone. Inwardly, he was pleased to see the progress of the relationship between Nic and his sister. They've been on vacation together three times, and this third one. In Iceland, it must be quite special. Terry knew how beautiful and romantic Iceland was. It would be even more so if they managed to see the aurora. He wouldn't be surprised if Nicolae proposed to Aleksis there. "Don't forget to wear a proper formal outfit. I'll introduce you to the beautiful girls I see at the event," Terry added. "I'm not interested," Nicolae murmured. How could he be interested in being introduced to another girl? It was just last night that he asked Aleksis to marry him. "I want you to get more acquaintances. People say one enemy is too many, but a thousand friends are too few. We should make new friends," said Terry. "Don't tell me you closed yourself completely because you've proposed to my sister." Nicolae didn't answer. "Gosh... So it's true?" Terry coughed violently. "Then, what's her answer?" "I didn't ask her to answer right away," Nicolae replied. "She can answer whenever she wants. I have no time limit." Terry massaged his forehead, which suddenly felt very sore, "Alright then. Just wear bad ones and don't look any better than I do so no one will notice you." Nicolae didn't answer. Sometimes, he doubted whether Terry was really the president of Schneider Group. His behavior often didn't reflect his position in power. Like today, Terry reminded him of a childish college boy who was excited to compete in trivial stupid things.
