"The invaluable golden coffin was crafted by the finest goldsmiths, Clement. Are you satisfied with my gift?"
Vincent disregarded the astonished gazes of the crowd as he stepped closer to Clement.
"What a joke, Vincent! Who do you think you're fooling with your act of wealth? You claim it's pure gold, but do you even know how much gold is worth? You couldn't afford it in a lifetime of selling your ass," Norman jeered.
Other guests joined in the mockery, but Clement's enraged shout cut them off.
"i***t! Is this about the price?" Clement glared at his son and scolded, "Vincent is giving me a coffin as a gift. He is clearly wishing for my death!"
Receiving such a gift at his own birthday celebration left Clement feeling dizzy. He struggled to maintain his composure, feeling as though the ground was slipping from beneath his feet.
His face darkened with anger. Five years ago, Vincent had disappeared and left Emma behind. Now he had returned, bringing a coffin as a birthday present. It was a blatant provocation!
Trembling with fury, Clement roared, "You bastard! How dare you come here and cause trouble? Back then, you were starving on the streets! If I hadn't taken pity on you and let you marry into the Joseph family, you would have starved to death!"
"On my eightieth birthday, you have the audacity to give me a coffin? Are you asking for death?" Clement's voice trembled with anger.
The Joseph family members present stood up, enraged. "Vincent, how dare you come back! There's no place for you in the Joseph family!"
Vincent ignored them, fixing his gaze on Norman.
Seeing Vincent's fearless demeanor only fueled the Joseph family's anger.
"You despicable vagabond! It was out of pity from our family that you didn't starve to death!"
"You've brought shame upon the Joseph family. Coming to our patriarch's birthday party with a coffin, you're a demon!"
"You are not able to leave today. You'll be punished!"
In the hall, all the Joseph and Barton family members glared at Vincent. Because of him, their family honor had been tarnished. Coming here today to provoke them was unforgivable!
Facing the accusations from the Joseph family members, Vincent remained expressionless.
Clement stared at Vincent, his voice cold as he said, "Vincent, today you've brought this upon yourself. Guards!"
At his command, over a hundred Joseph family bodyguards rushed in and surrounded Vincent.
Everyone believed Vincent was doomed today!
"Grandpa, please spare Vincent!" Emma pleaded, unaware of the gift Vincent had prepared without consulting her.
Clement snorted coldly. "You, disgraceful wretch, have the audacity to plead for Vincent? You hold no authority here!"
Upon hearing this, Emma felt a wave of despair. She had hoped to reconcile Vincent with the Joseph family on this occasion, but she hadn't expected them to be so heartless!
Norman looked at Emma and cursed, "You worthless woman! It's because of you that the Joseph family is disgraced. If I were you, I would have killed myself long ago!"
Stacey chimed in, "Ingrates! If it weren't for us, you and your daughter would have starved to death years ago! We should have let you die on the streets!"
Each mocking remark intensified Emma's pain. Seeing her in tears, Vincent, who had remained calm throughout the evening, finally felt a surge of anger.
The air around Vincent seemed to ignite with his fury as he pointed at Clement. "Old man, Emma came here to wish you a happy birthday out of good intentions. Yet the Joseph family not only fails to appreciate it but also insults her in every way. Do you think you can take me down with just a few bodyguards?"
The atmosphere crackled with tension, and just as a major confrontation seemed imminent, Nathan intervened. "Everyone, calm down. Today is Mr. Joseph's birthday, a day of joy. Let's not spoil it."
In truth, Nathan harbored ulterior motives. The Joseph family had some resources, and as he was about to take over the family business, he wanted to ingratiate himself with them. His deliberate provocation of Vincent earlier was meant to show his goodwill to the Joseph family.
Now that Vincent's reputation had been thoroughly tarnished, escalating the conflict would only disrupt the party and ruin his plans. He didn't want his carefully crafted strategy to be ruined by Vincent.
Nathan approached Clement, helped him up, and persuaded him. "Mr. Joseph, there's no need to get so angry over a vagabond."
Clement shook his head, feeling helpless. "Ah, what a ridiculous spectacle to show Mr. Marion."
Seeing Clement's state, Nathan knew that with a bit more persuasion, the Joseph family could be useful to him in the future.
He helped Clement back to his seat and took out an invitation letter, saying, "Mr. Joseph, this is an invitation from M City's wealthiest man, Stanley Field..."
Before Nathan could finish, Clement snatched the invitation letter and asked, "Mr. Marion, how did someone as young as you receive an invitation from Mr. Field?"
Nathan didn't expect the old man to be so rude, but thinking about his future business needs with the Joseph family, he suppressed his annoyance and said, "That's right. This is an invitation from Mr. Stanley Field himself. My fiancée wanted me to introduce myself to Mr. Field, and she also wanted to invite the Joseph family. It would be convenient for everyone to join forces in the future. Unfortunately, I heard that the Joseph family and the Barton family have grown distant due to some reasons."
Nathan didn't continue, but Clement understood. Over the years, due to Emma, the Joseph family had deliberately distanced themselves from the Barton family. Now, seeing that the Barton family had found a good son-in-law, there was no need to keep their distance from them anymore.
Clement responded, "That's just a rumor, Mr. Marion. There's no such thing. We're eternal partners with the Barton family."
Seeing this, Vincent let out a mocking laugh. To him, it was just a poor performance by two shallow people.
"What are you laughing at?" Nathan glared at Vincent, displeased.
Vincent shook his head and held up two fingers.
Seeing this, Nathan looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"
"Two minutes, and you'll have Stanley Field in front of me, no need to wait until tomorrow," Vincent said.
"Mr. Field is busy, and you can't just meet him because you want to," Nathan said, stuttering a bit.
"Getting all worked up over a Stanley Field, who's the hick who hasn't seen the world now?"
Vincent mocked, then dialed a number. "Galahad, tell Stanley Field to come to the hotel where the party is in two minutes, or I'll make him disappear from M City tonight."
"You i***t, Vincent! You've really lost your mind in the past five years. Do you know who Mr. Stanley Field is?" Nathan asked angrily.
"Oh? How would I know? Could it be the one who came to the airport yesterday demanding to see me? He said he's the wealthiest man in M City. I even canceled a meeting with the president . What's Stanley Field compared to that?" Vincent found their words amusing.
"Vincent!" Nathan suddenly rose to his feet. "Not only have you insulted Mr. Field, but you've also offended a powerful figure. When I report back to Mr. Field tonight, your days will be numbered."
In reality, Nathan had no idea how to contact Stanley Field. He said this just to impress the Joseph family and the Barton family. Anyway, since Vincent had publicly insulted two important figures tonight, it was bound to spread. Once Vincent was killed, he could claim credit for it.
Sure enough, the others in the room looked at Nathan with admiration. He already so many important people at such a young age. They were considering how to curry favor with him.
Vincent retorted, "You all keep talking about inviting that big shot, but now that the big shot is standing right in front of you, all you see is the so-called status and position. You're a bunch of idiots."
Suddenly, a waiter's voice echoed from the entrance of the banquet hall, "Welcome, Mr. Stanley Field."
"Hahaha," Nathan suddenly laughed excitedly, "Vincent, you're going to be a corpse soon. Even God won't be able to save you now. Hahaha."