I was glad only a few close acquaintances of mine were male. Otherwise, Lyle would accuse me of having affairs with them.
The first time he confronted me, I was clueless about the things he had brought up as I was overly attached for my own good. I couldn’t be bothered by his sarcastic remarks anymore. If he continued pushing his luck, I would sever ties with him.
Suddenly, I heard another commotion coming from the crowd as another bunch of strangers approached the hall. I noticed they had one thing in common – they were on their way to Christopher’s side. The thing that shocked me the most was the fact they seemed to have great respect for Christopher.
All of a sudden, the onlookers said, “Wow! It turns out he’s the one everyone’s talking about! No wonder he seems so familiar!”
“He’s so handsome! Others said he had been staying abroad to further his studies, but it turned out they were wrong! He had long made his way back!”
“I’m so honored to have him hand me a glass of wine just now! The Lane family is the talk of the town because of the tens of billions deal they have just sealed! Do you guys think he’s here for those from the Tanner family? It’s such a shame!”
My mind was all over the place when I heard their conversation. No wonder Wendy had been taking Christopher courteously. The Lane family was the one behind Avenport’s success. Only those from the Miller family and the Goldstein family were on par with them.
Christopher greeted the crowd, including Nathan and Yvette, with his hands tucked in his pocket. As always, he had the same charming smile, but everything felt so different the moment I figured out his identity.
It turned out the differences between us were beyond my imagination. I was glad I managed to suppress the affection I had for him instead of falling head over heels just because of how well he treated me.
Otherwise, things might end up ugly because no way would those from the upper echelon take someone inferior like me seriously. I couldn’t even deal with the douchebag from a second-rate member of the upper echelon, let alone a superior one.
I tried my best to play along with the crowd and forced a smile to conceal the concerns I had in mind.
Shortly after the banquet was commenced was a dance party. The host would join their guests for a dance. Thus, after a few minutes of pleasantries from Crystal, she started dancing in front of the guests.
The guests wouldn’t stop applauding because of her uplifting speech and elegant dance. Conscious I would never be a match for her, the best fit I had put on could barely conceal the sense of inferiority. As the sweetheart of the family, Crystal had everything she would ever need, including everyone’s attention.
A lot of bachelors couldn’t wait to join their ideal better half for a dance. Even Lyle, who had been gawking at Crystal the moment she came into the room, was probably thinking of dancing with her. Aware of the thing he had in mind, I started inching away from the man.
After going for a round, Crystal stopped in front of Lyle and asked with a bright grin, “Lyle, care to join me for a dance?”
He nodded without a second thought. Thus, they waltzed across the floor in front of others as though they were a pair made in heaven. Meanwhile, the onlookers started sizing me up with a sympathetic look.
As much as it would hurt me, I had no choice but to force a smile in response. Otherwise, I would humiliate myself in front of others once again.
Why won’t they stop staring at me with that look? I don’t need your sympathy! No matter what that dancing duo is up to, they have to get rid of me! Otherwise, Crystal will be considered a mistress because I’m still Lyle’s legal spouse!
