The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 193: Birthday Banquet Invitation

Ella hired an entire team from the studio, led by Yale Jackson. 

Yale, also 21, had a laid-back personality and was known for his gaming skills and flirting with girls online. 

Ella, a young wealthy woman, was exactly his target demographic. His dream was to marry into a rich family. 

So, even though he thought Ella's demands were unreasonable, he still grinned and said, "Hey, it's on us." 

"Everyone, listen up! Next time, we gotta make sure we're protecting Ella. Don't just focus on taking out enemies; we need to make sure our lovely boss has a top-notch gaming experience. Right?"

"Yeah!" The teammates responded enthusiastically. 

Yale flashed a confident smile at Ella, who shyly looked down and smiled back. 

Yale had a bit of a roguish charm, which was Ella's type, and his attentiveness boosted her confidence in her own allure. 

Dennis' cold reactions to her advances lately had made her feel a bit insecure.

After the preliminary round, Victoria and Ethan began preparing for the next stage. 

The next round would start the following weekend, with opponents decided by a draw. 

Since they didn't know who they'd be facing, they couldn't train specifically for any team, so they practiced various lineup combinations, which was quite challenging. 

While waiting for the system to match them, Victoria received a call from Sophie.

"Hey, Victoria. Next Wednesday is Willow's and my birthday. You should come and join us. It's not a big celebration; we're just inviting some friends our age for a fun, relaxed time," Sophie said casually. 

Victoria and Sophie were good friends who got along well.

Victoria's hand paused for a second before clicking start. "Sure, send me the details and time."

Sophie replied, "It starts at 6 PM at the Grand Hotel. Don't forget."

"Got it, I'll set a reminder," Victoria said, typing away on her keyboard. The game had started, but the pace was slow enough for her to multitask.

Sophie heard the keyboard sounds and asked curiously, "Are you gaming? Did you join the recent 'Glory League'? The preliminaries just ended. Did you advance?"

Victoria replied calmly, "Yeah, I'm training for the next round. Have you been following the tournament?"

Sophie excitedly said, "Yeah, but I didn't participate. Francis did, and he advanced today. He looks so cool when he plays; I think I like him even more now." 

"But if you two face off, I'll definitely cheer for you. Francis and his team are tough, so be careful if you meet him." 

In her heart, her cute, pretty friend Victoria was more important than the guy she liked.

Victoria laughed at Sophie's adorable tone. "Thanks in advance, then. Things are heating up here, so I'll talk to you later. See you Wednesday at the Grand Hotel."

"Okay," Sophie agreed and hung up.

Eric glanced at Victoria and asked, "You're going to the Grand Hotel on Wednesday?"

Victoria replied, "Yeah, it's Sophie's birthday."

Eric raised an eyebrow and commented with a peculiar smile, "Looks like something interesting will happen that day."

Victoria asked curiously, "What do you know?"

Eric opened his mouth but then shook his head. "I'll keep it to myself for now. It's a bit complicated. You'll find out when you get there."

Victoria rolled her eyes at him. Eric's half-revealed comments were clearly meant to pique her curiosity. 

Just then, their opponent launched a surprise attack, depleting half of Victoria's health bar. She quickly stopped chatting and focused on the game.

Victoria took some time to choose gifts for Sophie and Willow. With only three days left, custom gifts were out of the question, so she opted for ready-made items. 

She finally chose a pair of sister necklaces made of gemstones, simple yet elegant, costing just over $100,000—neither too extravagant nor too modest.

On Wednesday, as soon as school ended, Victoria hurried to the school gate. 

To her surprise, Sophie was there to pick her up. As soon as Sophie saw Victoria, she waved energetically, "Victoria, over here!"

Victoria hadn't seen her in a while. She called her driver to give instructions and then jogged through the crowd. 

"Sophie, why did you come all the way here? Shouldn't you be at the hotel getting ready?"

Sophie grinned, "I missed you." 

Between Sophie and Willow, Sophie was the more lively one and closer to Victoria. 

Her car was parked nearby, and she pulled Victoria into the back seat. Victoria laughed and joked, "You're in such a hurry, people might think you're a kidnapper."

At that moment, Lily also emerged from the school gate. She spotted Sophie and Victoria and frowned slightly in displeasure. 

Her driver stopped the car in front of her, opened the door respectfully, and said, "Ms. Martin, please." 

Lily elegantly got into the car, crossed her hands on her lap, and said softly, "We're not going home today. Head to the Grand Hotel."

"Yes, Ms. Martin," the driver replied.