Chapter 152: Passing By

Honk, honk—

Escorted by police cars, the motorcade of the Home Office arrived at the hotel.

With late autumn bringing chilly temperatures, Julia had opted for a trench coat instead of a dress. Her enduring grace and charm were undiminished as she stepped out of the vehicle, instantly capturing the admiring gazes of all the tourists and guests lingering near the lobby. Men, in particular, never seemed to tire of looking at her.

Julia valued her privacy deeply; she rarely appeared on television or in public. Aside from those within the Home Office, only individuals of a much higher standing ever caught glimpses of her passionately debating opponents in Parliament.

This property belonged to her family, making it private grounds where reporters were barred and held at the perimeter.

As the entourage entered the hotel lobby, the hotel CEO, accompanied by senior executives, waited at a designated spot. Catching sight of Julia, he hurried forward and offered a polite greeting: "Thank you for gracing our hotel with your presence, Your Excellency."

Since they were making such a formal display, Julia shook hands with them one by one and offered a polite smile, yet she did not utter a single word.

Her patience quickly exhausted, Julia turned abruptly and headed straight for the elevators.

Just at that moment, Lee Hyo-ri and her companions, who had planned this in advance, deliberately "happened to pass by" the lobby. As a group of ultra-wealthy individuals, they naturally commanded a certain level of attention. Julia cast a curious glance in their direction, noticing Lee Hyo-ri nodding at her with a friendly smile. Unmoved, Julia simply turned away, put on her sunglasses, and waited for the elevator.

"Oh, Lucas, is that you?" Carrington deliberately called out loudly, seizing the opportunity to lead Lee Hyo-ri and the others toward the Home Office entourage.

The middle-aged man accompanying Julia, Lucas, held a remarkably high rank. As the Minister of State, he was the third-most powerful figure in the Home Office, overseeing the Immigration Service and the Border Force—a man whose mere stamp of the foot could cause an earthquake.

Lucas turned around and was slightly startled to see Carrington. Given that he genuinely had ties with Carrington’s family, Lucas adopted a friendly tone: "Ah, it's you. How is your father's health?"

"Thank you for asking, the same old ailment," Carrington replied, feeling immensely proud as he brought Lee Hyo-ri and the rest of the group closer.

Lee Hyo-ri could not help casting a few extra glances at Carrington, genuinely impressed by his connections and resourcefulness.

Since the Minister of State had already acknowledged them, the Home Office bodyguards did not block their approach.

Julia frowned slightly, leaned in close to Lucas, and asked in a low voice, "Who are they?"

In a hushed tone, Lucas explained who Carrington’s grandfather and father were, before briefly identifying Lee Hyo-ri, the woman accompanying Carrington.

Losing interest immediately, Julia stepped into the elevator, showing no intention of waiting for Lucas.

That being the case, the rest of the entourage naturally followed Julia without lingering for Lucas.

Consequently, only poor Lucas was left standing alone near the elevator, leaving Lee Hyo-ri and Uncle Hua feeling somewhat disappointed yet helpless.

In truth, it was already quite remarkable that Minister of State Lucas had been willing to stay behind.

Carrington made formal introductions: "This is Miss Lee Hyo-ri from the Lee family..."

Lucas, with official matters to report and appearing somewhat impatient, interrupted, "I know who she is, no introduction needed."

Giving Lee Hyo-ri a casual nod, Lucas turned back to Carrington: "You deliberately called out to me here, so you certainly aren't just passing by. What is it?"

This left Carrington a bit embarrassed, but he quickly recovered: "Yes, there is actually a rather urgent matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Lucas was exceptionally shrewd. Observing the ambiguous dynamic between Carrington and Lee Hyo-ri, and recalling Scotland Yard's recent moves regarding the Lee family's business operations, he instantly grasped the situation.

After a brief moment of hesitation, considering that Julia had no conflict with the Lee family, Lucas smiled and said, "We can talk, but call me later to schedule an appointment. Right now, I have business to report to her."

While this conversation was taking place, Ma and his companions, who were getting ready to go shopping, also appeared in the lobby.

As it happened, Knightley knew Lucas—not intimately, but she knew him. In a place like this, no one would mind striking up a conversation with someone of Lucas's caliber to boost their own presence.

So, Knightley smiled at Ma and the others and said, "That's Lucas, the Minister of State for the Home Department. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Ma, entirely indifferent, had no desire to go. No otaku worth his salt ever wants to hear a beautiful woman say, "Come on, I'll introduce you to a guy" when hanging out with her.

Helplessly, the losers Feng Chenchen and Zeng Xiaoxian rushed forward eagerly, following Knightley and dragging Ma along with them.

Seeing Ma's group approaching once more, Lee Hyo-ri and Carrington frowned, muttering under their breath, "It's these guys again. Why do they always pop up everywhere?"

When Lucas caught sight of Knightley, his eyes lit up, and he felt inclined to exchange a few words. However, seeing a young, handsome man among this group of attractive women instantly dampened his mood.

With a hint of displeasure, Lucas asked, "Do you know him?"

"Not really, but they keep wandering around and causing trouble, acting as if they're stalking us," Lee Hyo-ri said with a grievance-filled expression.

Lucas gave a slight nod.

As they drew closer, Knightley exchanged polite pleasantries with the Minister of State and prepared to introduce them, but Lucas impatiently cut her off: "Alright, I have no interest in meeting him. What a coincidence bumping into you here—did you come for the Royal Ascot?"

Knightley was left rather embarrassed, unsure of how to salvage the situation. She had originally intended to show off in front of him, but instead, she had only made things unnecessarily complicated.

Carrington and Lee Hyo-ri watched the scene unfold with amused, mocking expressions.

Uncle Hua frowned slightly, well aware that a man of Lucas's standing, backed by his immense power and resources, would either act impeccably polite to everyone or completely drop the facade and unleash his true nature. Such figures generally existed in one of these two extremes.

Sensing Ma's unfriendly, glaring stare, Lucas looked him over again, a trace of condescension in his gaze as he asked, "With a look like that, is there something you want to say?"

Refusing to lose face in front of the enchanting women, Ma lapsed into his erratic state, instantly wanting to give this bastard a piece of his mind.

Knightley felt her scalp tingle; she knew Ma was somewhat eccentric, having already witnessed his unpleasant clash with Olivia at the racecourse. Quickly tugging at Ma's sleeve, she leaned in and whispered, "Forget it, don't say anything. That's just how this guy is—notoriously blunt. There's no need to pick a fight with someone like him over such a trivial matter."

Then, turning to Lucas with an apologetic smile, Knightley said, "Sorry to disturb you. Let's just pretend we were never here."

"?" Lucas was utterly baffled, completely at a loss as to why Knightley was suddenly unhappy and choosing to leave because of him.

At that exact moment, the elevator doors opened once more, and Julia and her entourage—who had previously gone upstairs—emerged.

It turned out Julia had gone straight to her room to track down Ma, only for Zeng Xiaoxian's assistant to inform her that he had "just gone out shopping." Decisive as ever, Julia had immediately followed them down.

"Ah, finally found you."

Catching sight of the large crowd gathered here as if holding a meeting, Julia paid them no mind and walked straight over.

And so, Brother Ma was captured by her once again.

What on earth is going on here?!

Lee Hyo-ri and Carrington, who had been eagerly waiting to watch him make a fool of himself, were stunned into disbelief. They stared at the scene before them in utter shock—this fellow actually belonged to Home Secretary Julia! Judging by their interactions, they looked remarkably familiar, perhaps even intimate.

Julia cast a casual, indifferent glance at the assembled people, then reached out to take Ma's hand, pulling him toward the elevator. "Come with me."

While Ma didn't dislike her, he certainly resisted being bossed around. If she ever discovered he wasn't the "real" Ma, given her vast resources and capabilities, he wouldn't even make it out of London. With a single word from her, the Immigration Service, Security Service, Intelligence Service, and police force would likely issue a joint warrant for his arrest, leaving him crying tears of blood.

Thus, Ma dug his heels in and threw a childish tantrum, refusing to budge.

Unavoidably flustered, Julia stamped her foot in embarrassment and demanded, "You... what is it this time?"

"I don't want to leave," Ma replied stubbornly, shaking his head.

Even though there were no reporters present, this was still a public place surrounded by numerous onlookers; Julia couldn't afford to be too scandalous.

"Umm, what..."

Knightley, Zeng Xiaoxian, Feng Chenchen, and the others looked as though their glasses had just been shattered into a million pieces. Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined witnessing such a sight: Julia, the most charming and powerful woman in the world, was desperately trying to drag this guy away, yet he was putting on airs and rejecting her?

Uncle Hua felt a wave of darkness wash over his vision. The foreboding sense that "something was wrong" had now entirely manifested.

"Come with me, I have something to tell you," Julia said in a soft, gentle voice.

*Hurry up and go with her, don't offend her again!*

Knightley thought anxiously to herself.

Yet Ma remained stubbornly rooted to the spot, acting as erratic as ever.

Julia gazed at him for a brief moment, then smiled faintly. "Want to go shopping, is that it?"

"Yes, it was my plan, and I don't like my plans being disrupted," Ma said.

After a moment of hesitation, Julia nodded. "Alright, then I'll go shopping with you. Now that you mention it, I can't even remember the last time I went shopping."

This... Julia was going to go shopping with this guy?

Everyone present was frozen stiff. Minister of State Lucas felt the most awkward of all.

Lee Hyo-ri and Carrington's faces shifted between red and white, their emotions riding a relentless rollercoaster. This brat really was formidable to such an extreme; no wonder he wandered around so carefree and unfazed.

Unwilling to apply too much pressure, Julia began to curiously survey the expressions of everyone around her.

Taking it all in, Julia's expression grew somewhat peculiar as well. If she wasn't mistaken, this group of people must have fallen into some misunderstanding and embarrassment among themselves.

The prime suspect was Lucas. Given her thorough understanding of Lucas's usual temperament and personality, he was the most likely to provoke conflicts with others.

That being the case, Julia naturally had to make her stance clear. She looked at Lucas and asked, "Did you cross a line?"

Lucas felt the awkwardness deepen. "I..."

Interrupting him, Julia said, "This isn't the time for sophistry. Yes or no?"

"Yes." Lucas's mind raced with anxious speculation; he never expected Julia to publicly reprimand him over this.

"It's nothing major, so I won't dwell on it. Disappear at once," Julia concluded.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Being an old and crafty political fox, Lucas knew this wasn't just ordinary anger from Julia—he had offended someone he simply shouldn't have, and her words were an intentional act of protection.

Realizing no actual disaster had occurred, Lucas kept silent as he prepared to leave, but he intentionally cast a deeply apologetic look toward Ma before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow and hurrying away.