Chapter 181

It was not a matter of being invited or not. Rather, nobody was willing to send them off even if they attended the event.

Damian patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t be too greedy, Lucas. You already have the missus at home. Don’t collect so many sidepieces outside. I thought you would never be caught dead sleeping around before.”

His words were more or less a veiled insult at Ashlyn.

Damian did not actually know who Ashlyn was. He only recognized her from the trending posts on Twitter for being Jared Quickton’s girlfriend. While he was also a rich kid, Jared was not a part of their circle of friends who grew up together.

And yet, they all saw Lucas bring Ashlyn along with him today. Damian had to admit that the woman truly was a master manipulator if she could manage to both snare Jared and have Lucas wrapped around her pinky.

In his eyes, even Hera was better than Ashlyn. At least Hera was a daughter of the upstanding Chapman family.

The atmosphere in the private room cooled dramatically. The neutral expression on Lucas’s chiseled face quickly clouded over.

Before Lucas could say anything, Winsor was already pointing an angry finger at Damian and saying, “What exactly do you mean by that, Larson? What’s wrong with my goddess? And what’s all this about Lucas sleeping around? Watch your mouth, or I’ll watch it for you.”

“Since when have any of my private matters been your business, Damian?” Lucas’s voice was completely devoid of any warmth. The threat in his voice was obvious.

Damian felt a chill run down his back. “Lucas, you know I’m just looking out for you.”

In the next second, Lucas’s tone grew colder than humanly possible. The words fell from his lips icily.

“There won’t be a next time. Am I clear?”

By now, the atmosphere in the private room was practically colder than the dead of winter. Obviously, the two men, Lucas especially, were determined to defend Ashlyn no matter what.

Lyanna felt her heart sink yet again.

Faced with the current situation, Joseph’s expression was unpleasant as well. Regardless of what he wanted to do, his mother still recognized Ashlyn as an honorary sister. By all accounts, he was supposed to address Ashlyn as his aunt as well. Even if he chose not to call her that, he was still duty-

bound to defend her as a member of the Field family.

So, as much as he liked Lyanna and wanted to get into Damian’s good graces, he was still going to defend his aunt. Joseph’s voice was filled with a warning when he spoke, “Damian, you would do well to watch your words next time. Ms. Berry isn’t the type of woman you think she is.”

The two big shots of their group had spoken. No one expected Joseph—who had a long record of trying to court Lyanna—to defend Ashlyn as well. Everyone in the room was stunned. Who exactly is this Ashlyn?

Most of the rich heirs gathered here for the party brought along giggling escorts in their arms, but it was an unspoken rule that these women were nothing but just toys for the night.

Ashlyn’s arrival made all of the other women pale in comparison. That included Lyanna, who was also a highly sought-after actress in the entertainment industry. Lucas did not introduce Ashlyn when he brought her here, so all of them just naturally assumed that she was a trophy for him to parade around, the type of woman who made a living by pleasing rich men.

Lyanna quickly smoothed over the situation with a smile. “My brother was just joking. Please don’t be angry with him, Lucas.”

At this moment, a knock sounded at the door of their private room.

“Oh, that must be the cake,” one of the other rich heirs attending the party said hastily.

He went over hurriedly to open the door. As expected, it was Lyanna’s cake. The attendant wheeled the magnificent double-tiered cake into the room on a trolley.

The tense atmosphere relaxed slightly.

True to her reputation as someone well-versed in the entertainment industry, Lyanna could still smile pleasantly even after that tense accident. “Well, since today is my birthday, why don’t we all take a picture together?”

She then handed her phone to the waiter who delivered the cake earlier. “Excuse me, but can you help us take a picture?”

Pleasantly surprised, the waiter agreed immediately.

Snapping into action, everyone else promptly stood up and started arranging themselves beside Lyanna, making sure she was at the center of the group. The magnificent double-layered cake was placed in front of her, making her the undisputed center of attention.

Only two people remained seated, looking absolutely unbothered.

Ashlyn’s mouth curled in a vaguely mocking smile. “I’m sorry, but I’m not close with Ms. Larson.”

The beautiful woman rose to her feet slowly, commanding the attention of everyone else in the room.

Her charming aura could not be outshone even if she were standing beside the famed personality of Lake City, Lucas.

Lyanna’s smile slowly stiffened at the edges. “Are you still angry, Ms. Berry? If so, I do apologize on behalf of my brother.”

“Can an apology bring the dead back to life?” Ashlyn lowered her eyes, refusing to look at Lyanna any longer.

Lyanna did not expect Ashlyn to be so haughty and difficult to deal with. She fought the urge to grit her teeth in annoyance. She knew that the only reason why Ashlyn could be so blatantly disrespectful was that she had Lucas at her beck and call. “I know you’re upset, Ms. Berry, but we’re all friends here—”