Chapter 831: Chapter 831



The woman had already settled beside Michael, her smile warm, almost too perfect. It was enough to irk Dulce just looking at it.

“Who is that?” she asked, her tone low and filled with quiet jealousy.

Fannie guided Dulce to a quiet spot where no one could overhear. “That’s Fiona, Lacey’s sister. And the boy with her is her son. I didn’t know she’d be here today. After all, she’s his late wife’s sister. You should be careful with what you say.”

“She’s just his late wife’s sister. It’s fine.” Dulce, leaning against the wall, looked up at the night sky with disappointment. “It seems I can’t achieve my goal tonight.”

Fannie gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “There’ll always be another chance. Don’t worry about it.”

They returned to the terrace, and Bobby handed them a plate of grilled skewers. Dulce took her seat across from Fiona, wondering if the woman would recognize her. After all, they’d crossed paths before at Flex Club, and she’d almost kissed Michael that night. Fiona probably didn’t think much of her.

But Dulce wasn’t bothered. She was here to enjoy the night.

Despite the large crowd, everyone stuck with their own groups, conversations forming in small clusters.

After a while, Adrian appeared, holding Aurora’s hand like a knight escorting a princess. Everyone rose, offering their best wishes as the little girl beamed in her birthday dress.

Dulce noticed the hem of Aurora’s dress dragging a bit. She stood, ready to help, but before she could step forward, a little boy—his arm in a sling—adjusted the dress for her.

He met Dulce’s gaze, snorted in disdain, brushed off his arm, and walked off without a word.

Dulce blinked in surprise. He had to be one of Aurora’s classmates.

As Aurora wrapped up her thank-you speech, everyone raised their glasses. To her surprise, she found herself standing next to Fiona.

Dulce knew she couldn’t afford to upset Fiona, but she could keep her distance and let the night unfold.

As they all tilted their heads back to take a sip of their drinks, Fiona glanced over at Dulce, then raised her arm and knocked over Dulce’s glass. The red wine splashed across the room, the deep burgundy staining Dulce’s apricot-yellow dress in an unmistakable, eye-catching way.

Dulce’s eyes widened in shock. The fabric didn’t matter as much as the fact that it was her first time meeting these people, and she had just embarrassed herself in front of them all.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s so crowded here,” Fiona said, but Dulce could hear the lack of sincerity in her voice.

Fannie, visibly frustrated, took a deep breath. She wanted to say something, but she knew it wasn’t the time or place to make a scene at someone else’s gathering. “Joelle, I’ll take Dulce to get cleaned up.”

Joelle nodded understandingly. “I’ll have Leah bring a new dress.”

Dulce forced a warm smile, trying to ease the awkwardness. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make a scene on my first visit here.”

“It’s no trouble,” Katherine chimed in, giving Dulce a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We’re all family here. Besides, Bobby’s done much worse.”

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