Upon catching sight of the person, Lana was so astounded that words eluded her, and her face paled.The person facing her regarded Lana with a touch of hurt and remarked, "Is it so distressing to see me?""Addy, that's not what I meant."Adrian, wearing a pained expression, countered, "Not what you meant? I've been back for quite some time, and you haven't spared a moment to meet me."Lana offered an awkward smile. "I've been really busy, you know?""Too busy that even Marcel couldn't get you to visit him?"In the days since his return, Adrian had enlisted Marcel's help to reconnect with Lana.However, Lana continued to elude Marcel's attempts, maintaining her avoidance.Had Adrian not overheard Marcel and Nicholas's conversation today, revealing the area of Lana's workplace, he would have remained uncertain about when he could meet her.Fortunately, luck favored him. Adrian had just entered the area when he noticed Lana, taken aback by the sudden downpour."What's with your
The rain had ceased, revealing a glimmer of twilight on the horizon. The golden hues cast a dazzling light, illuminating each face as if transporting everyone back to the days in the mountains.After Adrian had settled down, Nicholas approached him, pulling him aside. "She's obviously a girl, so what's there to be so happy about?" Nicholas asked.Adrian's face suddenly reddened, and after glancing at Lana, he replied, "Well, I came out to my family."Nicholas was suddenly rendered speechless.Why does that sound so peculiar?"What does coming out have to do with Lana?"Adrian stammered, "I … I told my family that I'm into a guy."Nicholas suddenly realized, "So, you like her?"Adrian blushed and coyly stomped his foot, yelling at Nicholas, "Mind your own business! I haven't even confessed yet. Why'd you have to go and blurt it out?"After the outburst, Adrian shyly ran off.Lana found herself at a loss this time. She had never imagined a casual lie from years ago would cause
Nicholas, Marcel, and Jessica all expressed their intention to attend, but Lana was the only one who declined."You guys go, I'll pass."Adrian's face immediately fell. "Why not? They're all going, why can't you?"Lana shamelessly lied, "I'm busy!"Nicholas suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled. "I think Lana's just shy. After all, she might be meeting her future in-laws."Nicholas knew about Lana's breakup with Liam, but Lana was still so young. She had to find someone to spend the latter half of her life with. So, in Nicholas's opinion, Adrian was the best candidate.He had watched Adrian grow up and knew him inside out. According to Adrian, his family seemed well-off. Entrusting Lana to him, Nicholas would feel at ease.Lana punched Nicholas. "If you can't say something useful, you might as well be mute. No one will pay attention to you."Nicholas, sporting dark circles under his eyes, teared up. "If you don't want to hear me, I won't say anything. Why resort to violence?"
"Emilia, this place is so upscale. There must be a lot of beautiful women and delicious food later."Listening to Maverick chattering in her ear, Emilia couldn't help but roll her eyes.No wonder she has always looked down on Maverick—this person is too uncouth.Emilia finally managed to secure an invitation to the Snyder family's ball. Upon learning this, Mitchell shamelessly forced her to bring Maverick along. Of course, it was to broaden his horizons.However, someone who talked about beautiful women and good food in a place like this must be someone with limited horizons."Emilia, look! Isn't that woman a celebrity? I remember seeing her on TV," Maverick excitedly pointed to a woman not far away and said, "Wait for me. I'll go get her autograph."Emilia was speechless.How embarrassing!Asking someone for an autograph in a place like this is lowering one's status, isn't it?In a city like Dawsbury, actors are the lowest class of residents, only for the entertainment of the
"Are you talking to me?" Lana suddenly asked.Thinking his chance had come, Maverick put on his usual bully demeanor and said, "Are you deaf? I've always been talking to you. Or are you blind? Can't you see me?"Lana smiled faintly and stood up abruptly. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not disabled. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to hit the wrong person.""What do you mean hit the wrong person?" Maverick was still contemplating Lana's words when suddenly, he let out a scream. The next moment, he found himself on the ground, experiencing intense pain in his elbow and shoulder. It hurt so much that he broke into a cold sweat.It was the first time he had taken a beating in his life.Maverick quickly got up, pointed at Lana, and cursed, "You bitch, you don't appreciate my generosity! You should be honored that I took notice of you. You better kneel and apologize to me now, or I'll have my sister throw you out.""Your sister?"Lana and Nicholas exchanged a glance. In this day
Emilia thought that being seen by Lana in that unfortunate moment was already bad enough. Little did she know, as she turned, she ran straight into Liam, who had just arrived."Liam!" In an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness, Emilia greeted Liam first.However, Liam seemed as if he hadn't heard her voice or even seen her. He walked past her, heading toward the castle, seemingly oblivious to her presence.All because Liam had spotted a familiar figure.Everyone knew today's ball was organized by the Snyder couple to help their son find a wife. So, the young women attending the event had the potential to become part of the prestigious Snyder family.But why was Lana here? Did she also aspire to be a member of the Snyder family? It appeared Liam hadn't fully understood Lana's intentions—she had secretly harbored thoughts of climbing the social ladder.Though Liam hadn't reached the castle yet, his mind was already racing.Perhaps he hadn't realized that when it came to Lana, his
What was the most significant trait of a duchess?Of course, it was being obedient, following the arrangements of her husband's family. More importantly, she should be capable of offering counsel and strategies for the family.Emilia was confident that she could achieve all of these.In her interactions with the Snyder family, she easily recognized that she possessed these qualities.Moreover, from the perspective of her family background, she now controlled the entire Cooper family and was formerly part of Dawsbury's Eight Affluent Families, known as the Watsons.Just this aspect alone was enough to capture the attention and favor of the Snyder family.As Maverick had mentioned, Emilia was indeed the best choice for a Snyder family bride, and she believed this to be true as well.Thanks to Emilia's initiative, the so-called ball could continue.However, despite this, several older entrepreneurs from Dawsbury City, who had no intention of associating with this incoming family,
Lana finally managed to get away from Adrian's uncomfortable gaze. She strolled slowly through the grove, taking in the fresh air with relish. Only then did she feel much better."You're such a great pretender!"A familiar voice suddenly rang out behind Lana."Didn't you come here for the sole purpose of securing the duchess position? So why aren't you taking the opportunity to get Duke Snyder's attention?"Lana didn't even bother turning as she continued walking forward, not wanting to deal with Liam's nonsense.People often said a break-up would show a person's true colors. She didn't expect Liam's character to be so unpleasant."Hey! I'm talking to you!"Lana still ignored him, but Liam had no plans of letting her go."Just because you're ignoring me, that doesn't mean you're innocent."As Liam's words became increasingly unpleasant, Lana finally stopped in her tracks and looked into his eyes, which were as deep as the abyss."Liam, are you done with your nonsense? Listen