The guests are scattered all around the room. With a drink in hand, they mingled in their own cluster but kept a steady eye on Noah. Darrell couldn't hide his scowl even from across the room. Claire noticed her husband and sighed. "Mon chéri, please try to keep your temper in check. Like it or not they are our hosts for tonight."

Darrell feigned nonchalance and smiled at his wife. "Of course, bébé," he said. Claire eyed her husband again with doubt but nodded nonetheless. Curtis and the Bassett twins were conversing near the unlit fireplace.

"So I hear that you two are gluten-free now?" he asked. Both snickered simultaneously.

"It's nothing. We just wanted to spice things up a bit," said Lionel. Curtis looked at him confused.

"For example, you and your brother won't hesitate to cause a commotion with dear 'cousin' here. We want the same but as always cannot be open about it." he elaborated.

"So we thought to mess with dear aunt Maria instead. Informing her that we only consume gluten-free and also knowing that chef Pietro is super traditional was bound to cause a kerfuffle in the kitchen. If the food is whack we can complain and if it's delicious it will be a treat but also we can always act like it isn't. It's a win." said Lawrence.

Curtis rolled his eyes. "What are you? Five?" he asked. The twins shrugged. They then turned their gazes to Noah.

"He deserves way more than that. I'll make him regret the day he was born," said Curtis.

"And apparently we are acting like we are five." Mumbled Lionel under his breath.

Noah sensed the glares but chose to ignore them. He sipped his drink and saw Aubrey and her husband Nicholas approaching.

"Hello." they both said. Noah nodded and greeted them back.

"We wanted to thank you for your support," said Nicholas. He looked at his wife and then back at Noah.

"Our company is finally back on its feet. You saved us from going bankrupt," he said. Noah smiled genuinely.

"Don't mention it. I'm happy I was able to help. We should thank Aunt Maria. She is the one who informed me about the situation." he said.

"Well, I know my nephew would never have asked for help by himself," said Maria, joining them.

"Sincerely, thank you both. You stepped in when even my brothers refused to help," said Aubrey.

"There's no point getting aboard a sinking ship." Curtis had said when she went to ask her brothers for some support. Those two wouldn't step in unless it was beneficial for them. Luckily Noah had provided them with everything they could possibly need. She smiled at her aunt and her cousin as her husband explained details for their reincarnated company.

Gretchen approached Mrs. Perrier and notified her that the food was all prepared, plated, and ready to serve. She rushed back to the kitchen and along with the staff proceeded to present the dishes to the guests seated.

"What is our sister conversing about with him?" asked Darrell walking towards the dining hall.

"Don't know," Curtis said, shrugging.

The guests had different dietary needs and the chef had prepared accordingly. The Perriers excluding Maria were vegetarians and so were served a Leek and potato galette with pistachio crust as an appetizer followed by a wild mushroom and parsnip ragout with cheesy polenta. The Bassett twins were enjoying water chestnut-wrapped bacon bites and a Caprese salad. Their main dish included herb-roasted chicken with sorghum grain and squash.

The other guests and family members did not express any dietary restrictions so Maria had requested the chef to prepare a bit of everything. For appetizers, there was a shallot Tarte Tatin, quiche lorraine with smoked lardon, gruyere and creme fraiche, and a greek wedge salad. For the main course, the chef included every protein category. The red meats were pork chops with figs and grape agrodolce and Turkish lamb kebabs with sumac, dill, and tahini dip. A prosciutto stuffed chicken with mushroom sauce for folks who preferred white meat. He also included honey mustard roasted salmon and brown butter seared scallops. The menu wouldn't be completed without two of his signature dishes. The truffle risotto and the french delicacy pomme aligot.

The menu was elegant and exotic so it wasn't a surprise when the appetizers went by quickly. Chef Pietro put finishing touches to the dishes and watched as they all were rolling out to the dining hall one by one. He sighed as he wiped his hands with the towel.

"Don't stress anymore, Pietro. This is a good sign," said Aria.

He smiled. "I hope you are right, Bella," he said. "They kind of threw me off guard with their gluten-free request. I tried to modernize as much as I could."

"Well, they have already devoured appetizers. I'm sure they will love these too," she said, carrying a plate of the truffle risotto.

"Oh oh wait, Bella. Is this the plate for Mr. Noah Delacroix?" he asked. Aria nodded. The chef then quickly grabbed a plate of black truffles from the counter. He freshly grated some on top of the risotto and also put some parmesan shavings. He seemed satisfied with it and said, "Mr.Delacroix is quite fond of this."

Aria smiled at him as he gestured for her to go. She reached Mr.Delacroix who was seated at the head of the table and put the plate of risotto in front of him.

Noah broke apart from his conversation as the whiff of Gardenia hit his nostrils. He looked up at Miss Diaz and then at the plate of the risotto.

"Enjoy," she whispered shyly. Now his nose is filled with the aroma of truffle oil. He smiled and listened to his aunt's conversation with Claire.

"The children are with my mother," said Claire, answering Maria's question. "They wouldn't be able to handle the jet lag anyway," she said.

"I have made all arrangements for your stay here. Hope you like it," said Maria.

Claire was about to speak but Darrell interrupted her by saying, "We are not staying here auntie. We all have arrangements at the Marriott."

Maria looked at them confused. If they had plans to stay elsewhere they should've said that beforehand.

"Did the kids like the gifts that I had sent, Claire?" asked Aubrey.

"Oh, they loved it. I have a video message of them saying 'Thank you. I was going to show it to you after dinner. Aubrey smiled at her sister-in-law. "I'm glad they liked it."

"Noah, I hear Tremezzo Royal is encouraging their guests to try out your new hotel when it opens," said Nicholas. The entire atmosphere at the table changed. Both Darrell and Curtis had scowls on their faces, the Bassett twins stopped chewing momentarily and kept a steady gaze around the table in anticipation. Nicholas realized his slip up and looked apologetically at Aubrey who already had an expression of dread on her face.

"Please no." thought Maria to herself.

Noah cut through the silence by clearing his throat. "Yes," he begins. "Mr. Pasquale has been nothing but supportive. He has expressed high hopes for my hotel," he said.

Darrell snickered and said, "His hotel!" under his breath. Noah noticed that and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did you have something to say?" he asked.

"You say as if it's yours," he says.

"Because it is," said Noah.

"Funny. So does that mean you can finally afford an air conditioner? It must be necessary because of the LA heat." Said Darrell. Noah instantly recognized what he was hinting at. At his old office, back in Paris, he had made sure Noah did not get any amenities. Not even the basics.

"If I remember correctly, there is a board meeting tomorrow. Why don't you come and see my building yourself?" Asked Noah.

"Again don't sound like you own it. It belongs to the Delacroix Group," said Darrell.

Noah lets out a sarcastic chuckle.

"If that were the case, your house, your hotels, the building you call your office, back in France would belong to the Delacroix group." He said.

"And not to forget the nightclubs, your brother quote-unquote owns all over Paris. They too are Delacroix's property."

Curtis raises an eyebrow at that and goes to speak. "We are the Delacroix. So it belongs to us."

"Are we all stating facts here? Then let me also add that my name is Noah Alexander Delacroix, which means I have a share in that too."

Curtis wants to speak but he's closing his mouth because it's not the right time to intervene.

Darrell however appears pissed. He directs his gaze towards Maria, "Your new nephew appears to possess a lot of greed, auntie. He wants shares of our business too?" he said, wiping his fingers with the napkin.

"I never said that. I absolutely have no interest in your business ventures. But let me ask you both a question. What do you have besides this industry? At least I had a decent job, an apartment, and an income before I took over. What do you have except for this Christmas present like organization and a monthly allowance?" Noah asked.

Darrell grits his teeth, seething in anger. He threw the napkin on the table. "If that job was so decent, why did you leave that and sprawled all over my rights here," he said, raising his voice.

"Your rights?" He snickered.

"Why do I always have to remind you that your beloved uncle, my so-called father, left the reins of the Delacroix hotels to me. I am sick and tired of reminding you people that I did not want this. I was given this- "

"That's the thing! It was supposed to be mine. If you don't want it, why don't you leave and haul your ass back to London?" Darrell says interrupting Noah.

"Because it's my birthright. I am making something promising. Here I have profits. I have dodged all of the darts that you threw at me and I will continue to do so for the sake of my hotel. You are just so petty to admit that it's going to be a success. You think I'm going to come after yours next but guess what Darrell, I don't give two fucks about what's yours so stay the fuck away from what's mine." Noah countered.

Maria says, "Enough both of you. Calm down. Let's finish dinner. I called all of you for a peaceful evening. Not to cause a quarrel." Claire nods and tells Darrell to calm down. He ignores her.

"You may now be a part of this business, but you'll never be a part of us. You are an outsider. We don't know who you are, we don't even want to. We don't even know your mother-"

"Don't you dare!" snapped Noah. "Don't you dare bring my mother into this," he warns, enraged.

Nicholas chimes in saying, "Auntie is right. Let's not have this discussion at the dinner table."

Curtis snickered. This isn't a discussion. It's a full-fledged battle! Time to fuel this fire.

"Okay. Okay, we won't bring your mother into this. But do we even know if Uncle Louis had any whatsoever connections with your mother." said Curtis. "No one seems to know about their marriage and even if our late grandfather did know of it, he refused to accept it. That makes you an outcast." Noah's eyes widened at that.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What about your true parentage? We didn't have a chance to do a DNA test because our uncle had already died. How do we even know that you are his biological son?"

A stream of collective gasps was heard. Maria is furious by that and admonishes him, "Curtis! How dare you raise that question?"

"Stop this insolent behavior. You are crossing your limits," said Aubrey. Curtis rolls his eyes.

"Oh, please. Stop sucking up to him," he says under his breath.

"I am not. I'm simply supporting him. The same way he had our backs unlike the two of you." she countered.

Maria shakes her head at Curtis. There is no use arguing with that imbecile. She glances over at Noah. His elbows were on the table and his forehead rested against his hands joined in a fist.

She turned to Darrell. "Darrell, why would your beloved uncle leave the reins of the business to an outsider? You, people, are blood relatives. We all are."

"I do not need to explain myself to you," Noah says finally. "I take no pleasure in recognizing Louis Delacroix as my father. When your people were celebrating this lavish life with your family my mother and I were suffering. She was struggling to provide for me because my father chose this business over me-"

"And you suddenly decided to jump on this opportunity that came for it because And don't you still see it? You do not deserve it. You deserve to go back to your 9 to 5 job fetching people stuff." interrupting him again.

"We were born into this. We worked hard, alongside Uncle Louis. You don't just get to swoop in and take all of it." Curtis said, backing up his brother.

"Darrell, you're not the one who decides who deserves it or not. Noah deserves everything he has right now. Just as you guys deserve, whatever you have, You don't get to decide people's worth."

"You know, Darrell. I didn't really want any of this in the beginning. But now that I've grasped the reins, I'm not letting go. You can keep dreaming of having this, but you'll never have it. You people are so toxic and so involved in your own worlds. That you managed to neglect and disrespect everyone but yourself. You don't get to raise questions. How dare you come into my house, be seated at my dinner table, and question my existence? I am not uncivilized like you. So I'm going to leave you to your state and not ask you to get the fuck out of my house."

He turned to look at Maria, "I'm sorry, auntie. I know you have worked hard for this occasion. I tried but I can't anymore."

He almost throws away his napkin and storms out in rage. He has learned to not care about what they are saying, but that doesn't make the hate towards him any less hurtful. He wants nothing to do with them. He wants a peaceful life. And, which is now not possible because they will constantly be on their feet. Maybe they were right. He should go away. But he is finally on his way up the ladder. He should not be pushed down like this. All of his life. He was pushed down. Constantly. This one chance he has, he has to utilize it and prove it to those pretentious motherfuckers. That he is capable of everything that he has today.

Darrell is a nasty person. He would definitely try something even more violent and obnoxious the next time. The thing about his parentage. He would surely bring it up in the board meeting.

What if he loses? The hotel. What if it fails?

He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. He loses his tie and looks around for water. His nervously shaking hands drop the glass. Letting out a curse he bends down to catch the glass before it touches the ground. Another hand shots out to do the same and a gasp is heard. The glass finally crashes on the ground. Noah glances at the other person and his eyes fall on a stunned Miss Diaz.

A/N: Holy moly. I told you guys this was gonna be a ride. Hope you guys liked it. And trust me you don't want to miss the upcoming update.

Comment if you want an early update cause I'm feeling generous 😉

Lots of love 😘😘😘😘😘
AisheeSaha ❤❤❤❤❤