Free Web NovelChapter 69: High-class Party
Michael was too obsessed with whatever relationship was between Wendy and Christian. Or rather, he was too obsessed with Christian.
Ever since he was a child, he never allowed himself to lose out to Christian in any aspect. He would never be able to endure losing his wife to him.
"Michael, you know very well that Christian couldn’t have said anything nice. Why are you so insistent on knowing?" Wendy said helplessly.
Her words only confirmed his suspicions. His gaze became slightly cold as he spoke in an authoritative tone, "I need to know."
When Wendy met his eyes, she felt flustered and scared. The more he acted like this, the more Wendy felt like the party tonight was just some kind of performance for Christian.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she gently swirled the red wine in her glass and said, "He hopes that the next time we meet at a party, I’ll be holding his hand instead of yours."
When Michael heard those words, his expression changed completely. Noticing that, Wendy instantly reminded him, "Michael, don’t forget that you are the host of tonight’s party. It was also you who sent an invitation card to Christian."
These words served as not only a reminder to Michael, but also to herself. Whether Michael genuinely loved her or not, Christian was one of the reasons why he decided to organize tonight’s party. This was something that Wendy did not find easy to get over. However, she kept telling herself that it was not easy for Michael to take this step with her in the first place, regardless of the reason.
As long as tonight went smoothly without any hiccups, she would stop caring about whether there was a motive behind his actions or not.
Michael secretly clenched his fists before letting go slowly. He raised his head slightly and looked in Christian’s direction. Christian seemed to be treating the party as a business event.
Holding a glass of red wine, he went around mingling with people. Michael had invited many prominent figures in Lake City to his party.
Hence, before it officially began, most people were focused on networking. After all, they were all influential people who were associated with Michael.
A few people approached Michael and Wendy with their wine glasses when they spotted them alone in the corner. Michael only spoke briefly with them. Before long, a man dressed in a suit and leather shoes, who looked like he was in his late twenties, raised his wine glass at Michael.
He said, "Where have you been all this while? I’ve been looking for you."
Michael smiled faintly. He clinked glasses with the man and took a sip of wine.
"This must be your wife. Pleased to meet you," said the man with a smile. "Michael has never brought you out before, I see now that he’s been hiding a beauty from us."
Wendy looked the man up and down. Even though she did not know who he was, she could tell that he was close to Michael. All those people who tried to approach Michael earlier were met with nothing more than short responses. However, his attitude toward this man was much warmer.
Wendy nodded lightly. She said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Wendy Stewart."
"My name is James Norris," Jamus transferred the wine glass to his left hand. He offered his right hand to Wendy when he introduced himself, "Michael and I have known each other since we were young-we practically grew up together. We’re the same age, he’s only older than me by two months. He has always had a bad temper, I’m sure you’ll suffer quite a bit in the future."
Even though this was said in a joking manner, the truth was that Wendy had felt the full and painful effects of Michael’s rage since long ago.
They shook hands with each other. Then, Jamus raised his glass again, "Will you have a drink with me?"
"I’m actually not drinking," Wendy rejected him politely. She raised her glass slightly and said with a smile, "This is just for display."
Since Wendy was pregnant, it was best for her to avoid alcohol. However, Michael said, "Jamus is a close friend of mine, at least drink one sip."
As far as Michael recalled, Wendy used to drink in the past. However, he did not know about the specifics of her tolerance. After all, he never cared about her in the past. Hence, he never paid attention to her.
When Michael saw Wendy reject Jamus’s toast, he thought that it was because she was unwilling to play along. Thus, he deliberately emphasized the fact that Jamus was a close friend. What he did not know was that it was not a good idea for Wendy to have any alcohol right now.
Michael’s words made it difficult for Wendy to reject him. However, she replaced her wine with fruit juice and said with a smile, "l really can’t drink alcohol, so I’ll drink juice instead." With that, she raised her glass and said, "Here’s a toast to Mr. Norris, I wish you a prosperous career."
Since Jamus was not acquainted with Wendy, he did not know if she was being truthful about her inability to drink alcohol or if it was just because she did not want to entertain him.
However, since she had already offered him a toast, he could not continue to pressure her into drinking alcohol. He could only reply, "Here’s to a happy marriage between the both of you, and may you be blessed with a child soon."
They nodded their heads and sipped from their respective glasses.
"Wendy, since you are about the same age as my younger sister, perhaps I will get the opportunity to introduce you to each other in the future. You guys might get along," said Jamus.
"They have already met," said Michael, "Your sister is her makeup artist for the night."
Both Wendy and Jamus were surprised to hear this. Wendy did not realize Daisy was Jamus’s younger sister. It was no wonder why Michael told her that he met Daisy a long time ago. She suddenly felt pathetic. Even though she had been married to Michael for three years, she had any of his friends. In fact, Michael never even did the bare minimum of announcing her identity to the public, so barely anyone knew that she was his wife.
Now, Michael was finally willing to acknowledge her and introduce her to some of his friends. However, when she thought about how Christian was still a big reason behind Michael’s sudden willingness to do this, she felt depressed.
"Mr. Lucas.." Jamus could not help but look Wendy up and down. Smiling, he said, "It seems you are serious this time."
Wendy did not understand the implication behind his words. However, that did not mean much as she was not familiar with Jamus at all.
Michael, on the other hand, understood exactly what his friend was referring to. Since he had never come clean about Wendy’s identity in the past, everyone thought that Yvonne was his girlfriend. Yvonne had said several times that she wanted Michael to hire Daisy as her makeup artist and personal stylist, but he rejected her request every single time. From Michael’s perspective, all these things were superficial, and he did not care much for them.
He was never stingy when it came to Yvonne, but he had never hired anyone specifically just for her. This time, however, Michael chose to hire Jamus’s sister for Wendy.
Since Daisy was a well-known makeup artist, many A-List celebrities in the entertainment industry often competed to hire her. Naturally, it was easy for Michael to get Daisy’s help due to his influence in Lake City and their relationship.
However, even though everyone saw how much Michael pampered Yvonne, he had never once made a personal appeal to Daisy to do Yvonne’s makeup. His willingness to do that for Wendy proved that the place she had in his heart far surpassed that of Yvonne’s.
Unfortunately, Wendy did not know about any of this. She was under the impression that a simple phone call was all it took for Michael to hire Daisy’s services.
Jamus did not chat with Michael for too long. After all, he was not the star of tonight’s party. However, the Norris family was also rather prominent in Lake City, and it was not long before he was approached by other people who wanted to establish a connection with him.
Soon, he was sucked into the business networking social circle.
...
Wendy glanced at the clock. It was almost 8 P.M. The party’s reception had started an hour ago and was scheduled to officially begin at 8 P.M. By now, most guests had already arrived. She grew increasingly nervous. This was her first time attending a party with so many people in attendance. On top of that, she was the star tonight. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Compared to Wendy, Michael was much calmer.
After all, he often attended or hosted such Occasions. He took her hand and realized that it was drenched in sweat. Laughing, he said, "Don’t be nervous, this is just the beginning. After tonight, everyone will know that you are my wife, and you will have to attend many more parties, balls, and auctions. What will you do in the future if you’re this nervous about tonight?"
"That’s different. It was my first time participating in such a high-class party. With this experience, I won’t be as nervous in the future," said Wendy as she inhaled deeply.
Michael smiled and was thinking about how to respond when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was from Yvonne.
He frowned, not wanting to answer the call. Wendy glimpsed his phone too, catching sight of Yvonne’s name. She remained silent and waited for Michael’s decision. She would be speechless if Michael chose to answer the call at this moment. After a moment of hesitation, Michael rejected the call.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued to comfort Wendy, "Don’t be afraid, I’ll be right there with you. You just have to stand on the stage, smile, and say a few words when the time Comes."
Wendy nodded. Shortly after, Michael received a text message. It was from Yvonne again. He did not deliberately open the text message, but the preview he saw from the notification gave him a shock. Frowning deeply, he said to Wendy, "Give me a moment." With that, he turned around and walked to a deserted corner before making a call.
Wendy had been suspicious of Michael since the start. She grew increasingly frustrated as she watched Michael leave her side to call Yvonne.
When she thought about the conversation she had had with Yvonne in the morning., she felt slightly afraid. She thought, could it be that Yvonne was telling me the truth? Perhaps everything that is happening right now is just a show that Michael has orchestrated. Maybe he does not love me at all.
Wendy did not really believe those thoughts. Or rather, she did not want to believe them. After all, Michael’s actions within this sweet period did not seem fake. She glanced at the time and saw that it was 7.55 P.M. Five more minutes until the party truly began. As long as Michael stood on that stage and announced her identity to the entire world, she would officially be known as Mrs. Lucas. At that point, even if what Yvonne said was true, Wendy would not care. She just wanted Michael to stand up on that stage...
Christian was making his way through the crowd and chatting with the presidents of various companies. However, his gaze was fixated on Wendy. When he noticed her sullenly staring at Michael and uneasily fidgeting with her dress, he knew that Yvonne’s plan was already in action.
Even though Yvonne did not reveal why Michael doted on her so much, Christian was certain that his older brother must feel indebted to her. And as long as he felt guilt toward Yvonne, he would not be able to completely ignore her.
