The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 1077: Chapter 1077: Caryn Zachmann is coming later, do you want to play together?

”I’m still on my way, it’ll probably take about half an hour.”

Half an hour?

Govert glanced at his phone to check the time, then mentally calculated the distance from Rivendell to the hot pot restaurant. If he drove a bit faster, it should only take him about half an hour to get there, which meant Nathalie wouldn’t need to wait long for him.

He ended the call and hurried back to the private room to grab his things.

Nadya and a few others noticed that he was leaving. One of them asked in surprise, ”Govert, you’re heading out? Where to?”

”Got something to take care of.” Govert picked up his jacket, along with his lighter and other items, leaving behind the money on the card table without even bothering to grab it. Clearly, he was in a rush.

His flustered and hurried demeanor drew the attention of several people in the room.

Someone chimed in, ”Ms. Zachmann just mentioned she’s on her way over. She’ll be here soon. You don’t want to hang out?”

In this circle, there was only one Ms. Zachmann—Caryn Zachmann.

Even with that ”call her sister-in-law” WhatsApp message Amadeus had posted in the group chat earlier, many in the small Beijing social circle still favored Caryn Zachmann.

This was mostly because of the gossip circulating within the group: Amadeus’s girlfriend was supposedly from a small town, and very young.

Girls like that—coming from small towns, without any significant background, young, and merely notable for their good looks—were plentiful in this circle.

Every year, a fresh batch of first-year students from the film academy would stream into this circle. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to bring along one or two of these girls to attend their mixers.

Typically, they’d introduce the girls to everyone at the events.

But everyone understood the reality—girls like that were never truly accepted into the inner circle. People played around, joked, mingled, but when it came down to marriage, it was almost always about finding a partner with a compatible family background.

This was why Amadeus’s girlfriend, the one named Nathalie Quinlan, was most likely just a passing fancy.

The Yancey Family—what kind of status did they hold?

And Amadeus—what kind of standing did he have?

The number of people in Beijing vying to get close to the Yancey Family was endless. How could a small-town girl even think of setting foot into the Yancey Family’s world?

Even if she wanted to, it would depend on whether Mr. Yancey and Mr. Yancey Senior approved!

So really, it’s all about comparisons. When you compare, Caryn always came out on top—by far. A lot of people were still betting on Caryn to come out ahead.

”Nope.” Govert wasn’t like the others. He was sharper, and he saw things more clearly. Particularly since he’d been around Sadam a lot and had witnessed firsthand the dynamics between Nathalie and Amadeus. He knew better than anyone who truly had a shot at entering the Yancey Family.

He was just waiting to see Nathalie take the entire Beijing circle by storm!

So, between Caryn and Nathalie, he didn’t hesitate for a second: ”You guys have fun, I’m out. I’m heading off now.”

He grabbed his things and left, walking quickly. As soon as he stepped out of Rivendell, his phone lit up—Caryn had sent him a private WhatsApp message.

[I heard you’re at Rivendell. I’m bringing a friend over soon to hang out.]

He hadn’t responded yet.

Then a second message popped up.

[Didn’t you mention a great hot pot spot in the group earlier? How about tonight we gather a few folks and head there together?]

Govert stared at her messages, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk—a bit amused, really. But he replied quickly.

[Today’s not gonna work. I’ve got plans tonight, and that hot pot place is fully booked. Let’s plan for another day!]

His response was polite and respectful, but he figured Caryn would get the hint.

Not that he cared; he’d already made up his mind.

Back when Caryn had been tight with Mr. Vinson’s crowd, she’d always treated Govert dismissively, beckoning him at her whim, disregarding him completely. Now, here she was, traveling to Rivendell yet taking the effort to send him a private message.

Such a drastic shift in attitude? He wasn’t a fool.

Caryn had toned down her usual arrogance—clearly because Mr. Vinson’s circle had started excluding her in subtle ways. That’s why she’d sought him out, looking for a workaround!

Caryn wanted a steppingstone.

But Govert wouldn’t be anyone’s fool!