The picture online of Thora showed her in a suit. Her features were exquisite while her eyes sparkled with energy. Overall, she looked very ambitious, unlike the usual girls that were previously by Ashton’s side. Thora was about my age and didn’t seem to have anything to nitpick about. Just based on her resume alone, she seemed to be more compatible with Ashton than me. At least they were both similarly ambitious in terms of their career.
“We’re here, Ms. Stovall.”
Only when Brooklyn reminded me did I realize that we had arrived. When I looked out the window, I saw a red carpet flanked by reporters on both sides, with their cameras flashing away.
Just when I steadied myself, I heard a car screeching to a sudden stop. A blue sports car had parked itself behind me. The next moment, the door opened and John stepped out in a tuxedo. The moment he emerged, he attracted the attention of all the cameras. Nevertheless, he remained unperturbed as he straightened his jacket before helping Emma out of the car. In front of the cameras, both of them were the epitome of a loving couple.
“Mr. Stovall really cares a lot about you.” Brooklyn teased with a whisper.
His words were undeniably true. With John’s presence, I saved myself a lot of trouble. While he had the reporters’ attention, I quickened my pace and headed into the venue.
The moment we entered, the emcee was in the midst of introducing Thora, “…and now, let’s invite Ms. Ziegler to say a few words.”
With that, the spotlight moved from the stage and shone onto Thora who was dressed to the nines. Even the tall figure beside her became the center of attention as expected.
As the crowd settled down for a moment, Thora waited for everyone’s attention to fall upon her. After that, she said something to Ashton before sauntering up the stage.
Her speech was graceful while her poise was elegant. The authoritative vibe she emanated would put many men to shame. The only time she softened her gaze was when she looked in a particular direction. It was then that her eyes were filled with longing.
Just when I looked on with interest, John’s familiar curses rang out in my ear.
“Hasn’t she seen a man before?”
Although my seat wasn’t far from the entrance, it was quite some distance from the stage. John didn’t even attempt to keep his voice down, but luckily it wasn’t loud enough to be heard on stage. Nevertheless, it still managed to attract many curious stares.
“Can you lower your voice? I don’t want to be seen as a troublemaker here,” Emma commented helplessly.
It appeared that Brooklyn’s observation was correct. John had arrived at the same time we did on purpose. Leveraging on the animosity between the Stovall and Ziegler family, he managed to divert the reporters’ attention. This way, they wouldn’t ask me about my thoughts on attending my ex-husband’s girlfriend’s party.
As for my thoughts, I did have some.
The tabloids did have some basis for fueling the rumors. With regards to Thora and Ashton, one was a lady with an illustrious background while the other was a young upstart within the business world. Both of them looked attractive and made a good match indeed. Especially when I saw the passion in Thora’s eyes, I filled in the rest with my own imagination. The romantic tension between a strong couple intertwined with competing business interests was simply the perfect script for a romantic drama.
“Who says I’m not?” In the face of the curious stares from the other guests, John chose to make a scene. Glaring back at them with his brows raised, he threatened, “Let me see who has discovered my true agenda. Coincidentally, I’m lacking an excuse to cause some trouble.”
John was known to be fearsome, causing the onlookers to quickly disperse out of precaution. Soon, the crowd around us thinned significantly.
After shooing them away, John leaned closer to me and whispered. “Don’t worry, Ashton won’t fall for her.”
“Hmm?” Surprised by John’s confidence in Ashton, I teased, “You actually have faith in him?”
Instead of replying, John changed the topic. “Why? Can it be that you are already jealous?”
“No, I’m not.” I shrugged helplessly.
To be honest, before Thora, I had always imagined what would happen to me if someone better in every way appeared by Ashton’s side. But now that it had become a reality, my concerns were eased instead.
