“Are you going to talk to him?” she asked, her eyes fixed on his.

“At the right moment,” John replied curtly, before walking away.

John broke away from his friends and went to greet other businesspeople until he reached Van Duuren’s table. It was the table of honor for the evening, near the stage, where Brandon White, Ethan, two investors from Dubai, and Van Duuren were seated. John greeted them warmly and exchanged a few words with Brandon and Ethan; to his unsurprise, his seat was reserved be