Chapter 52

52 52. Unwanted Meeting

“Vanessa, let’s get into the limo,” Alex ordered firmly, glancing at his adopted daughter with a cold gaze. He still didn’t like her change in attitude after knowing the fact that they had been keeping it a secret all this time. “Come on!”

Alex made a hand signal for Vanessa to get into the black limo behind him. However, Vanessa’s little feet showed no signs of stepping into the car.

Of course, Vanessa, who was still afraid of her adoptive father, chose to go with her brother. Her face paled as Lisa smiled, signaling an invitation to get into the limo immediately. “I will go with William and Lea.”

“Vanessa!” Lisa snapped at her daughter. “Don’t bother your brother!”

Vanessa shrunk. If Lisa was the one who ordered her, she usually obeyed. However, at this time, she was unable to be with and close to her adoptive father even for minutes. It would scare her half to death. She even believed that a minute with Alex would reduce her life span by a year.

William was about to answer. However, Lea got ahead of him. “No problem. I want to be with Vanessa tonight. It would be much better that way. Right, Vanessa?”

William nodded, supporting Lea’s answer. Finally, Alex could only let the three youngsters ride a Rolls Royce. He and Lisa then got into the limo together.

Everyone then put the problem aside and chose to come to the party as if everything was fine. The five people entered the venue together because Vanessa had to use her parents’ invitation.

Inside, the atmosphere was very lively because many guests had already arrived. Alex and Lisa immediately got along with their colleagues. Meanwhile, Vanessa had disappeared, looking for friends her age who also happened to come with their parents. It was easy since the party was intended for family. Some of the guests even brought their toddlers along.

.....

Meanwhile, William and Lea were left alone. The two of them still couldn’t melt the tension in their attitude since the incident in William’s room. Who could? That incident was a real blow to them. It was Lea’s absolute defeat and an immeasurable burden of guilt in William’s heart.

Since it was inconvenient to remain in an unfriendly situation, William started the conversation. “Lea, let’s join the others,” William said, extending his hand to Lea.

“I feel like I do not belong to this place,” Lea whispered quietly. She refused to accept William’s hand. There’s no point pretending to be nice to her if he ended up choosing to break their relationship.

“You’ll get used to it,” William said again. “You came to the charity event, didn’t you? This party is not much different.”

“Yes. Not different at all. It is only attended by people from among you, trust fund kids. I think it’s only natural that you prefer Paula who has been accustomed to this kind of high society,” Lea replied sarcastically, giving William a headache just because of those sharp words.

A waiter dressed in white and black carrying a glass of drink passed by them. William took two and offered Lea a drink. Leah again reluctantly accepted.

“Thank you. But .... Don’t be too nice to me because I don’t want to misunderstand your intention again,” Lea said, smiling scornfully. “Ridiculous, isn’t it? If I take your kindness as a sign that you will come back to me?”

William chimed in with a bitter smile. “I’m not being kind.” He’s not lying, though. He was not kind to Lea. He was about to do something that she disliked. “Soon you’ll realize that I’m not being nice to you.”

William’s eyes scanned the ballroom, searching for the man responsible for Lea’s pregnancy. When he found the bespectacled young man talking to his colleague, William was relieved. Dave was present.

Luckily, Clara wasn’t there with Dave. This would reduce the clutter a bit. Without waiting any longer, William immediately grabbed Lea’s arm, bringing her closer to the man.

“Where are you taking me to, Will?” asked Lea irritably. “Slow down a little because I don’t want to sprain my legs.” At that moment, she realized that stilettos were not friendly stuff to pregnant women.

“You’ll find out later!” William answered shortly, feeling a little guilty for having to bring Lea to Dave in this forceful way.

As they approached the table where Dave was, that was when Lea knew what William was planning on his head.

“William! You’re an asshole!” Lea cursed, glaring at William. She struggled, trying to escape William’s grip.

“You tricked me!” Lea’s face was furious. She didn’t expect William to do this to her, trying to get her to meet Dave without her consent. Does this not violate privacy? “You should have asked for my approval first!”

“Lea, if I ask for your approval, what you’re doing is hurting yourself,” William whispered firmly. He didn’t want to raise his voice to avoid unnecessary reactions from the people around them. He certainly didn’t want to ruin someone else’s party ... let alone that person was his business partner.

“Damn it! I have the right to do whatever I want,” Lea whispered as she threw him a hateful glare. She really didn’t like being treated unfairly like this.

Lea, who continued to struggle, finally managed to escape from William’s grip. She took a few steps away, through the sea of ??women so William couldn’t catch up with her.

Unfortunately, moments later, Lea bumped into someone much taller than her. Her face hit the bright red satin cloth that wrapped the woman’s back. If she was a man, it would be considered sexual harassment. However, women could still be considered as such, no?

Lea’s face backed away, separating herself from the person she bumped into. She lifted her chin, and looked up, intending to apologize to the woman. “I-‘m sorry. I-I accidentally-”

However, before Lea could finish her words, the woman turned and squealed cheerfully, “Ah, Lea! You’re Lea, aren’t you? You used to work with Dave, didn’t you?”