Not long after Jason took his seat, the General Manager walked over and whispered,"Sir, Ms. Smith has arrived."
Lewis nodded and quickly explained to Jason,"Mr. Carter, I'll go greet her. Ms. Smith is one of the top patrons for our streamer Tristan, and she's got considerable financial clout. Over the last few years, she's been a major supporter of Vison Media."
Jason nodded lightly, signaling for him to go ahead.
Lewis stood up, clearly taking this matter very seriously. After all, a loyal, deep-pocketed patron was equivalent to gold in this business. But even so, he knew Jason didn't need to bother himself with such trivial social niceties.
For Jason, Vison Media was merely one small piece among his many holdings—asking him to personally greet a mid-level patron would be like asking a senator to welcome a local city clerk.
Lewis quickly made his way toward the entrance, where Tristan was already there, enthusiastically greeting a slightly plump, middle-aged woman.
The woman laughed, gently patting Tristan's cheek in a friendly, almost possessive way, and Tristan smiled sweetly in return.
Lewis greeted her with a practiced smile."Ms. Smith, welcome! I'm so sorry I couldn't come down to meet you personally."
Ms. Smith waved dismissively, her tone warm and confident."Oh, don't worry about that, Lewis. Having Tristan come greet me is more than enough. You must be busy—Vison Media's been doing exceptionally well this year, congratulations!"
Lewis chuckled politely."Thank you, Ms. Smith. Of course, we owe much of our success to your incredible support."
As they spoke, Lewis led her toward the front-row seats. Tristan followed closely beside Ms. Smith, almost like a shadow—her demeanor humble yet proud.
Tristan didn't feel embarrassed at all; on the contrary, he felt empowered. With Ms. Smith backing her, his status in the company was guaranteed.
he even puffed out her chest a little as he glanced toward Jason Carter.Let's see if you can still ignore me now, she thought.
After all, Ms. Smith's financial firm was nearly as wealthy as Vison Media itself. Having her as a patron meant serious influence.Tristan figured Jason would have to at least offer a polite greeting—someone of his supposed status should know how to show respect to equal power, right?
But when they approached the front, Tristan confidence faltered.
Jason didn't even glance in their direction.He sat relaxed, chatting casually with Grace and Zoe, as if the trio were discussing something amusing—completely oblivious to their arrival.
Tristan's jaw tightened.Seriously? A major patron walks in, and he doesn't even stand up? Is this how rich heirs handle business? Just sitting there like the world revolves around them?
His envy burned. If only I had been born into a wealthy family like his.
he turned to see Ms. Smith's reaction, expecting outrage or at least visible irritation.
But instead, Ms. Smith froze. His confident expression faltered, and she looked slightly pale as her eyes fixed on Jason Carter.
Then, in a cautious tone, she whispered to Lewis,"Wait... isn't that Mr. Carter?"
Lewis blinked, then smiled knowingly."Oh, so you already know him? That saves me the introduction."
Ms. Smith quickly shook her head, flustered."Oh no, no—I wouldn't dare say I know him. I've only heard about him, of course. I caught a glimpse of him once at Mr. Reeve's charity gala last spring."
Her tone became almost reverent."Lewis, you're actually close to Jason Carter?"
Lewis just smiled modestly but didn't answer directly.
Meanwhile, Tristan's heart dropped to her stomach.
Tristan's earlier smugness evaporated completely.
And as he nervously glanced at Jason again, she realized—he hadn't ignored them out of arrogance.He simply didn't consider them important enough to notice.
"Wait… why is Mr. Carter here at the Vison Media annual gala?"
Lewis chuckled, his tone almost proud."Didn't I tell you? Vison Media has a new owner now. Mr. Carter is the one."
Ms. Smith froze mid-step, eyes wide."So, the mysterious investor who pulled your company out of crisis—that was Mr. Carter?"
Lewis nodded.
Ms. Smith's expression flickered between awe and envy. "Lewis, you're truly lucky."
Normally, when a company gets bailed out by an outside investor, it's not a good sign. Selling off controlling shares—especially 51%—usually means desperation.
But if the one taking over is a man like Jason Carter, then it's a completely different story.
With him as your backer, you don't just survive—you thrive.
Ms. Smith didn't know the full scope of Jason's influence, but she'd heard enough to be cautious. Everyone in the city's business circle knew about that incident with the Reeve family.
The rumor went that Jason had taken an interest in Shenna Reeve, the Reeve family's granddaughter. When the family initially tried to retaliate, they abruptly changed tone after discovering who Jason Carter really was.
The Reeves—one of the city's oldest families, worth over three billion dollars, deeply rooted in politics and business—had chosen to stay silent.
That alone told Ms. Smith everything she needed to know.
Then there were the whispers. Jason Carter had made hundreds of millions overnight by predicting market moves before anyone else knew what was coming—some said he had connections deep in government or intelligence circles.
And the man's spending was legendary.He'd bought a Amusement Park for over a hundred million—just to entertain a girl.Then, merely because he liked stargazing, he dropped another fifty million on a Observatory Tower.
To someone like Ms. Smith, who'd worked decades to build her small financial firm, such wealth was beyond imagination.
In front of Jason Carter, her millions were pocket change.
If he liked her, her company would soar.If he didn't—he could crush it in a week.
Forcing a bright, respectful smile, Ms. Smith stepped forward."Mr. Carter, it's such an honor to finally meet you."
Lewis followed, doing the formal introduction."Mr. Carter, this is Ms. Smith, one of our company's most important patrons."
Jason started to rise, intending to greet her properly, but Ms. Smith hurriedly waved both hands."Oh, please, please don't get up, Mr. Carter!" she said quickly, bowing slightly as she extended both hands toward him.
Jason paused, then smiled faintly and extended one hand to shake hers."My apologies for not welcoming you personally, Ms. Smith."
Her voice trembled. "Oh, not at all, not at all. I'm the one intruding. I actually saw you once—from afar—at Mr. Reeve's charity gala, but you were busy, and I didn't dare disturb you."
Jason remained seated, his posture calm and effortless.
Ms. Smith, on the other hand, stood and used both hands to clasp his single handshake—a gesture that silently acknowledged her lower position.
But she wasn't embarrassed. She was thrilled.
To her, this brief contact alone made the entire night worthwhile.
Behind her, Tristan—once full of pride—stood frozen, mouth slightly open.
The scene she'd imagined, where Jason would politely stand up to greet Ms. Smith, never happened.Instead, her powerful patron was acting like a humble subordinate in front of him.
The very woman Tristan had to curry favor with, the woman she considered her ticket to the top, was now bowing before Jason Carter as if before a king.
The difference was staggering.
For the first time, Tristan understood what "a different class of people" truly meant.
To someone like Jason Carter, she—and even Ms. Smith—were invisible.
Meanwhile, the company's top star, sat beside Jason and had watched the whole thing. Her eyes sparkled, admiration softening her expression.
She'd thought Jason was merely the new boss—wealthy, yes, but just another investor.Now she realized she'd severely underestimated him.
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