But...

Was Athena really here to find a man?

With that thought in mind, Gideon spotted Athena making her way through the crowd.

Without any hesitation, she walked confidently towards a specific direction.

He followed her gaze to the end of the deck, where a classical music band was playing.

"Isn't that Brad, the owner of Maxwell Electronics?" Gideon raised his chin and asked.

Byron calmly glanced in that direction.

Suddenly, something clicked in Gideon's mind. His eyes widened in astonishment. "Oh! I see! You said before that you would not come to this party, but you suddenly came today! You knew that Brad would come, so you came to meet him for Athena’s project! Am I right?!"

Byron stared at him coldly. In the summer evening, Gideon felt a chill down his spine.

"Athena is just an abandoned substitute. She is not worthy of my attention."

Gideon was speechless.

"I came to the party because Ruby wanted to come," Byron added.

Gideon smiled awkwardly.

Byron was not much of a talker. So now the more he talked, the less believable he sounded.

After uttering those words, Byron couldn't help but notice his own abnormal behavior.

Irritation and anger began to show on his face.

Finding Brad was easy, but approaching him proved to be difficult.

Athena walked towards Brad, but a bodyguard halted her a few steps away from him.

"Miss, I'm sorry. Please refrain from approaching for now."

"I came to see Mr. Maxwell," Athena stated.

The bodyguard remained expressionless. "If you have business, you can schedule an appointment with Mr. Maxwell's secretary. But tonight, he's not discussing any business matters."

Athena didn't know what to do next.

Brad seemed to have overheard the conversation. He glanced at Athena.

He was different from other men. There was no hint of interest or greed in his eyes. In fact, he even frowned in distaste.

Athena had already done her research on Brad.

He had built his business empire through technology. He had a reputation for being honest and had a strong bond with his late wife. Two years ago, he mourned her passing and spent six months in the hospital, devastated by grief.

He wasn't interested in pursuing women and even despised those who tried to tempt him.

Athena was undeniably beautiful, but she didn't resemble someone who would engage in business discussions.

Brad misunderstood Athena's intentions, thinking that she had come to seduce him.

He began conversing with those around him. They were chatting and laughing as they made their way to the banquet hall.

Athena faintly overheard Brad talking to the man beside him, expressing regret in his tone.

"That harp looks good. But it's a pity that the organizer didn't invite a harpist. It's a shame to have it just for show."

The harp?

Athena looked at the golden harp on the music stage.

What a coincidence!

Athena's grandmother, Romy, used to be a famous harpist.

She had learned from Romy since she was a child.

Even though she hadn't played the harp much in the past few years, whenever she visited Romy, she would always play it for her.

Even though she wasn't a harp master, the music she played was really good.

Brad left and his bodyguard followed suit. No one tried to stop Athena.

She went straight to the harp and sat down beside it.

Taking a deep breath, she delicately plucked the strings.

The beautiful music filled the summer night.

Brad was on his way to the banquet hall when he suddenly stopped and turned around.

Athena's long hair cascaded down her back as she gracefully played the harp.

The melodies she had played since childhood were ingrained in her memory. She effortlessly plucked the strings, producing a captivating tune.

The music drew the attention of many guests nearby.

They all gathered around the stage.

Brad quickly made his way over as well.

He felt an indescribable connection.

In Brad's eyes, this woman was alluring just moments ago. But as she played the harp, she looked serene and elegant.

He watched Athena, lost in his thoughts, reminiscing about the afternoon he first met his wife forty years ago.

Gideon and Byron witnessed the scene unfold before them.

"Athena can play the harp!"

Byron remained silent.

He had no idea that Athena had this talent.

Soft light illuminated Athena. Her eyes were focused and tranquil. The light highlighted her slender fingers, giving her an aura of purity and sanctity.

Byron felt that Athena was now unfamiliar and distant from him. He had never seen this side of her before.

She didn't seem like the person who had been by his side for the past five years.

With this realization, the gloom in Byron's heart deepened once again.

Athena had deceived him!

She had lied to him for five years!

Meanwhile, Gabe Chambers, the mix-raced man Athena met before, was escorted back to his parents by bodyguards.

Today was his birthday, and originally, he had planned to spend his vacation at Black Beach in Iceland.

However, his parents insisted on throwing a birthday party for him.

They wanted him to mingle with influential people in their circle. These guests would be his connections when he eventually took over the family business.

Gabe stood there, listening to his mother's tedious conversations with the guests.

He was bored. Just then, a melodious tune filled the air.

Instinctively, he turned around.

In the next moment, his expression changed.

It was her!

Then the music came to an end.

Athena let out a sigh of relief.

Phew! All the notes were correct.

After a short silence, applause filled the room.

Calmly, Athena stood up and gracefully nodded to the audience.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Brad approaching her.

But just then...

"Miss, can I see your invitation?" Two staff members from the cruise ship approached with stern expressions.

In the midst of the crowd, Ruby looked at Athena with a smug face.

Ruby silently cursed, "How dare you show off! You've attracted so much attention tonight, so let everyone see how shameless you are!"

"You snuck onto the cruise ship and crashed the party without an invitation just to flirt with men! You bitch!"

Athena was left speechless.

She thought luck had been against her lately.

She never expected the staff to check invitations in the banquet hall.

As she pondered, her eyes fell upon Ruby.

Ruby seemed to want Athena to notice her, purposely pushing her way forward.

When Athena looked at her, Ruby smirked.

It was as if she was saying, "So what? I did it!"

Athena's face darkened slightly.

Since Ruby was here, Byron...

Some people who didn't like Athena began to gossip.

"No way! She came here to seduce wealthy men and didn't even bother buying an invitation! Does she think she can get a man without paying anything?"

"She's quite cunning! Ha, ha..."

"I knew something was off about her as soon as she entered the party! She definitely snuck in!"

"The Chambers family's security is pretty lax. They even let a woman like her on board..."

"Miss, please show me your invitation!" Athena remained quiet as the staff member raised his voice.

"Sorry..." Athena said helplessly.

She was about to gray out.

A voice sounded from behind the crowd.