Carson spun the tip of his phone between his two fingers and turned around. He gazed down as he
rested his arm against the railing, noticing a Porsche parked near the entrance. It was Victor’s car, to
be precise.
“If you want to know who ordered me to do this, why don’t you just ask him?”
Rachel followed Carson’s gaze and looked down. She happened to catch Victor’s eyes as he exited the
vehicle.
Carson gently smiled as his glass touched the empty one in Rachel’s hand. “I’ll go in first. The air
outside may make you feel comfortable, but it’s a little chilly. You should be careful not to catch a cold.”
Without waiting for Rachel’s reaction, Carson turned around and headed into the hall. Rachel quickly
looked away and pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure why she felt nervous when she and Victor
exchanged glances just now.
“Becky, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. You don’t have to follow me.” Meanwhile, Susan, who had
just separated from her mother, found Becky waiting for her on the stairwell of the banquet hall’s
second floor. “I’m glad you know. I did it for your own good,” Becky said earnestly.
Susan lowered her gaze and didn’t say anything. The scenario when Rachel got out of Victor’s car
lingered in her mind. For her own good? Everyone consoled and wished her well as if they all believed
she wasn’t deserving of being Victor’s wife. They urged her to sensibly let go of Victor.
But… Rachel wasn’t any better than her! Susan was adamant about not giving up and she was jealous,
but she never showed it. “I know,” she responded and nodded politely. Hearing this, Becky felt a little
relieved. She had been so worried about Susan. Susan noticed Carson come in from the balcony as
soon as she raised her head to look at the hall. Rachel was standing behind him.
Carson seemed to be the type to get along with everyone, but those who truly got to know him learned
that he was a ruthless man with murderous intent behind his playful smiles. He was a sly fellow. Susan
had been with Victor for the past three years. She knew Carson and Victor had a strong bond, so she
made an effort to get close to Carson in the few occasions they would meet. However, he hadn’t been
so nice to her. He would treat her as if she were a stranger. But now, Carson, whom Susan had worked
so hard to please, had a very different attitude towards Rachel. Susan’s eyes narrowed and she
couldn’t help but bite her lower lip. Her thoughts were filled with questions. Why?
Why did Victor and Carson treat her like this while they acted nicely toward Rachel? All of a sudden,
Carson keenly sensed that someone was looking at him. Following his gut, he cocked his head slightly
and saw Susan standing by the stairwell. Carson fixed his gaze on Susan and gave her a playful smirk.
He then raised the Susan in his hand and proposed a toast to her. Seeing that Carson noticed her
looking at him, Susan was startled for a moment before swiftly turning away. Becky was observing
Susan’s emotional state closely as she stood next to her. When she noticed her sudden jerk, she
followed Susan’s sight and saw Carson and Rachel together. “Becky, I need to go to the bathroom.”
After saying that, Susan lifted the hemline of her dress, turned around, and walked away.
Becky’s eyes darkened when she looked at Susan who was in a hurry to leave. She only knew about
the invitation recently and couldn’t understand why Susan had invited Rachel to her birthday
celebration tonight. In fact, Becky had always wanted to ask Susan why she did it, but she was well
aware that Susan wouldn’t tell her anything. Becky let out a sigh and sensed that something could go
wrong later. “Let’s hope that the celebration ends
successfully tonight,” she muttered to herself. After Susan came out of the bathroom, a random
waitress approached her. The waitress suddenly reached for her hand and placed a keycard on top of
her palm, murmuring something only the two of them could hear “Dr. Turner requested I give it to you.”
After saying that, the waitress quickly left, leaving Susan perplexed and unable to ask any further
questions.
Looking down at the keycard in her hand, Susan’s eyes turned cold. She then clenched the keycard
and inhaled deeply. After she calmed herself down, she stepped out in a much better mood. When she
came out, Victor just arrived in the hall. The crowd fell silent and everyone’s gaze was focused on
Victor. Susan’s parents rushed to welcome him, but anyone could notice the expressions they wore on
their faces. James had a pleasant smile on his face while Tammy walked alongside him, their arms
linked together. She didn’t seem to be feeling great.
At first glance, they didn’t look like they were meeting their daughter’s future husband. It appeared like
they were meeting their boss. “Dad, Mom.” Susan walked up to her parents and greeted them sweetly.
Then, she lifted her chin up. “Victor.” Seeing this, Tammy felt bitter. She was so worried about her
daughter being heartbroken. When she remembered how Victor had hurt her daughter, she looked
absolutely displeased. “Think about where you are and control yourself!” James said in a hushed but
aggressive tone, noticing his wife’s attitude.
Hearing this, Tammy felt even more aggrieved. As Susan’s father, all James could do was watch his
precious daughter being wronged. But when Tammy came to her senses, she thought of the Sullivan
family and Victor standing in front of her. Her husband was right. “Mom, since Victor’s here, it’s time to
start the party. Kindly ask them to take the cake out.” Susan was aware of how much her mother cared
for her and she was scared that her mother would make a mistake, so she made an excuse to ask her
to leave. “Okay, I’ll handle it.” Tammy nodded. The four of them were standing in the middle, looking
like a real family. The others didn’t dare to approach them at all. They were envied by everyone
because of their glamorous auras.
Tammy then excused herself and left. James breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Victor didn’t notice
anything at all. –
lispleased, not only would they not be able to celebrate Susan’s birthday tonight, but the Salazar family
as a whole would be ruined. “Mr. Sullivan, thank you for coming. It’s a bit crowded here. There’s still
little time left before the celebration starts. How about going to the second floor first to rest?” On the
second floor of the banquet hall, there was a luxurious lounge where guests from wealthy families
could relax and unwind. Victor would rarely attend these banquets in the last four years, and when he
did, he just stayed in the lounge for a short period of time before leaving. James personally requested
someone to vacate the lounge for Victor because he knew about his habits. “Alright.”
Victor gazed around the hall but couldn’t find the person he was looking for. His eyes were deep and no
one knew what he was thinking. In his mind, there was only one person he wanted to see.
“Then…” James was delighted to hear that Victor agreed, so he looked at Susan and pushed her to
Victor’s side. “Susan, accompany Mr. Sullivan upstairs and make sure he’s comfortable.”
“Yes dad,” Susan answered in a calm tone. The people around them seemed to be amused by this.
Their gazes follow the couple walking side by side. When they reached upstairs and shut the door
close, Susan looked at Victor and spoke gently. “Victor… I’m really happy that you came.” During the
past few days, Susan was stressing about it and had been unsure whether Victor would come to her
birthday party or not.
“Happy birthday,” Victor said in a flat, emotionless tone, “Thank you very much. I appreciate the
birthday gift you prepared for me. Ivan sent it yesterday.” Susan raised her hand as she spoke,
touching the necklace around her neck that she received the day before. “It’s beautiful, Victor. I like it
so much.”
“Really? Good thing Ivan has an eye for these things and he chose well. I’m glad you like it.” Susan’s
smile faltered as she heard this, then she let go of the necklace pendant.
There was a sudden ache in her chest.
Susan had assumed that Victor personally picked the necklace himself. She clenched the pendant
again unconsciously. She felt a tiny discomfort in her hand as the edges of the pendant brushed into
her palm, but it was nothing compared to the pain that was spreading through her heart. Victor even
admitted it so honestly
“Really?” Susan grumbled bitterly as she forced a smile. Knock, knock, knock. All of a sudden,
someone knocked on the door. Susan cleared her throat and quickly regained her composure. She was
ready to turn around to open the door when the person on the other side pushed it open first.
“Oh. Did I disturb you two?” Carson stepped in with a smile.
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