Chapter 346
"Ivan, you and Emily will go greet the guests," Mrs. Winston said indifferently.
Delighted, Emily quickly approached, taking her place beside Ivan and boldly taking his arm, saying with a coy smile, "Ivan, let me join you at the door."
Ivan coolly withdrew his arm, his expression revealing slight irritation.
He wanted to avoid inviting Emily to his mother's birthday celebration. Still, his mother extended the invitation herself, leaving him with no option but to turn her away without causing a scene.
"I can handle it alone," he said, his voice detached as he turned to leave.
But Emily wouldn't take such an opportunity.
Most of the guests were relatives of the Winstons, and it was essential for them to know she was poised to become the lady of the Winston estate. She hitched up her dress and strode energetically to keep pace with Ivan.
Their departure caused a stir among a few of the high-society ladies. "Could this Miss DeRoss be the one you've chosen as a daughter-in-law?" they asked Mrs. Winston in surprise.
Mrs. Winston responded evenly, "Nothing's set in stone yet."
This response was taken as tacit approval that, should Ivan give his nod, the recently mentioned Miss DeRoss would indeed become the Winston family's young mistress. The Winston relatives looked on at Emily with envy.
"Ivan, wait for me!" Emily called out, struggling to keep up with him. With his long strides, she had to trot to barely keep from falling behind.
Then, suddenly, Ivan came to an abrupt halt.
She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly caught up to stand by Ivan's side. As she raised her hand to loop it through Ivan's arm, he stepped back and looked at her with a stern gaze. "If you want to stay in the hall, keep your distance from me. Otherwise, I'll have Alfred take you back."
Emily froze. "Ivan, do you really detest me that much?"
"I've told you more than once not to harbor any illusions about becoming Mrs. Winston," Ivan said coolly. "You can go back to the hall now."
After he spoke, he turned and continued toward the villa's front door.
Emily clenched her fists tightly. She had invested so much that she wouldn't back down so easily.
As she watched Ivan leave, Alfred stood respectfully aside by the large door, and outside, it seemed there were also two children...
Keith and Owen were also standing outside to greet the guests. Were the Winstons preparing to publicly announce Owen's existence?
Emily's spirits lifted, and she gathered her dress to walk over. She hadn't reached the door when a car suddenly stopped at the entrance of the villa.
She saw Ivan go to open the car door and watched as an excited Owen rushed over. She saw the usually restrained Keith crack a smile and also saw Haley step out as the car door opened.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
