Chapter 6 (Part 2)

She didn't cross paths with Wulfric again for the rest of the day. The last she saw of him was when he was descending the grand staircase, talking on his phone. Thankfully, she managed to hide behind a divider before he noticed her.

Erica, on the other hand, couldn’t stop talking about him all day. She kept raving about how good he smelled and how manly his presence was.

Elizabeth bit her tongue to stop herself from telling Erica that he’s married. That would’ve shattered the woman’s fantasy.

 “Our boss called. We have to stay until the party ends. Part of the package is cleaning up the flower arrangements," Anne informed them.

Excitement buzzed among her colleagues.

Anne handed them paper bags with their outfits for the evening. The woman was always prepared, as this was a regular occurrence with their other clients.

Elizabeth quickly applied light makeup and lipstick, then tied her hair into a high ponytail.

The party was already starting downstairs when Anne knocked on her door, signaling it was time to head out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome our lovely couple, soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Wolkzbin," announced the host at the front.

Elizabeth could count on her fingers how many times she had attended such formal events. Whenever there was a party at the Bentley house, she often locked herself in her room, even when Sir Arthur invited her to join. She preferred to avoid the sharp glares from Martha and Catherine.

“God!, why does everyone I see look so stunning and smells amazing?” Erika’s eyes almost formed hearts.

Elizabeth stifled her laughs.

“Thank you for coming, friends and guests,” the man who had climbed onto the makeshift stage began. He had his beautiful fiancée by his side, holding her waist. “I’d also like to thank my dear friend, Nickolaus Wulfric, for lending us this villa. My fiancée loves this place.”

Her eyes instinctively scanned around for the man mentioned. He’s not around, much to Elizabeth's luck. Maybe that was for the best; it would make her evening more peaceful. Wulfric's presence had an unsettling effect—intimidating, even—leaving her breathless.

She fished her phone out of her shoulder bag when it vibrated. She signaled to Anne that she needed to take the call before stepping away from the party.

“Dory, how are you?”

“The twins are looking for you. I told them you’d be home later, but they won’t believe me.”

Elizabeth had left the kids at her friend’s apartment.

“We want to talk to Momma, Auntie Pretty-Dory.” Even without seeing Earl, she could picture his pouty face.

“Here we go. So grumpy, huh? Who did you take that from?”

As she approached the pavilion, she noticed someone there, prompting her to turn back.

“Momma, where are you? Lottie and I miss you.”

“I’m still at work, Baby. I’ll be home later. Just a few more hours.”

“But it’s our vacation. Why are you working?”

She had suspected this would happen. “Because Aunt Carrie asked me to help out. It’s just for a little while. I’ll be back in an hour, okay?”

Lottie was making a fuss on the other end of the line. It wasn’t long before she grabbed the phone.

“Momma,” her excited little girl chimed in. “Auntie Pretty bought me a Barbie. I love it, Momma. Can we stay here longer?”

“No, Lottie,” Earl protested, trying to grab the phone. “Momma needs to work. She’ll get tired.”

“Earl, I’m talking to Momma, not you!”

Dorothea stepped in to calm the two before it escalated into a full-blown argument.

“We’ll stay here for a week,” she said to appease Lottie.

“Longer, Momma!”

Elizabeth scratched her head in thought. “Let’s see what Momma can do, hmm…”

She was considering the idea, especially since Dory had mentioned that Sir Arthur was no longer at the same hospital and had no idea where he had been moved. She didn’t want to leave the city without seeing the man who had raised her.

“Yay! Earl, did you hear that? Thank you, Momma. Lottie is so happy. We’re going to sleep now.” 

She smiled at the sweetness in Lottie’s voice. “Alright. Goodnight. I love you.” 

Her two little ones blew kisses through the phone. She could hardly wait to get home and shower them with kisses for their cuteness.

“Boyfriend?” 

She jumped in surprise at the sudden voice from the corner. Her smile vanished as the owner of the voice stepped into the light. A familiar scent filled her nostrils when Nikolaus Wulfric stood before her in his tie and suit.

The fabric of his clothing couldn’t conceal his impressive physique. She wondered what he did to maintain such an athletic body. With his size and height, he could easily be compared to soldiers sent to war, as seen on television. Wulfric’s stance was different—confident and assertive as if he claimed the territory around him.

“What are you doing here, Sir?” 

“I should be the one asking you that. You made the effort to come out here in the dark. Afraid someone might overhear how clingy your boyfriend is?” 

He even let out an arrogant snort! 

She secretly smirked. ‘Clingy? Boyfriend? More like your children!’ 

“No, Sir. It’s just loud inside.” 

He crossed his arms and tilted his head, clearly not buying her explanation. But she didn’t care about his thoughts.

She slightly bowed her head. “I’m going back to the party now.” 

With her head held high, she walked past him, resisting the urge to slump on the ground.

“Where have you been?” Erica asked as she returned. She was holding some food she had taken from the long buffet table. 

“My kids called.” 

“Get some food over there,” Erica urged, her eyes darting behind her. The girl was clearly giddy again, so Elizabeth didn’t bother looking back to see whom she was staring at. 

She pointed to the pasta as Mr. Wolkzbin passed right by her. 

“Man, I thought you wouldn’t make it.”

Her heart raced at the familiar scent of the man standing directly behind her.

“I changed my mind.”

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt Wulf’s arm brush against her from her waist to back.

For a moment, there was silence between the two men. Broken only by Mr. Wolkzbin’s laughter. She frowned. Nothing about the situation seemed funny.

Pretending to be unfazed, she walked away from them. Upon returning to the table, the conversation revolved around Mr. Wolkzbin. She overheard Anne mentioning that he owned the Southshire Train Station while Wulf was the CEO of Montiner Construction. It turned out that the father of her children was quite a big deal.

“Oh my! Sir Nick is looking over here,” Erica whispered excitedly.

“Stop it, Erica. Sir is not the type of guy you’d want to date. I have a cousin who works at Montiner Construction. She says the whole building gets tense whenever Sir Wulf is in the office.”

“That’s fine. I can handle it!”

Anne just shook her head in disbelief.

But when Erica’s smile persisted, Elizabeth found herself tempted to look back—an act she immediately regretted, as she caught Wulfric's gaze.

She bent her head down, trying to hide the rapid beating of her heart.

Throughout the party, she felt Wulf’s eyes on her, even when he was engaged in conversation with others. She couldn’t help but steal glances in his direction. It was like a hypnotic pull that left her powerless to resist.

“Nick, I knew you would be here.”

Elizabeth quickly averted her eyes when a stunning woman wrapped her arm around Wulf. She bit her lower lip as the woman leaned in to kiss his cheek. The same woman who had been with Wulf in Louisiana.

She didn’t dare look back again. Her neck almost aching from the effort to suppress the urge to see where that man was.