Chapter 253

Nicole's POV

I walked into the event with Matthew. We had arrived at a party attended by several other businesspeople, instantly drawing the attention of many guests in the grand ballroom.

I could hear whispers as we moved deeper into the room, but I pretended not to notice and kept walking. It seemed like it was the first time many had seen me in person, though some had seen me at other events but never interacted with me.

"Is that Nicole Duncan?" someone whispered quietly, and their companion nodded in response.

The woman who had been asked slightly turned her back as I passed, but I overheard her mentioning the man who had spent time with my son and my fiancé, who was now walking beside me. "She's beautiful, but…"

I didn’t hear the rest as we moved too far away. I sighed softly, realizing there was no point in eavesdropping further. People who gossip like that rarely confront you directly.

There were too many people here to be sure who was talking about me, so I decided to focus o