Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Inside the main hall, a woman was going all out, pinning Sean’s date to the ground, kneeling.
Just moments ago, the girl had her makeup all neat and tidy, but now her cheeks were swollen, finger marks faintly visible, and even her augmented nose bridge had
been knocked askew.
These folks didn’t hold back when they threw their punches.
Meanwhile, Shirley was sitting pretty in front of the girl, sipping tea like she hadn’t a care in the world, looking down from her high horse.
I knew Shirley was bossy, but I had no clue she was this high and mighty.
Sean was totally gobsmacked when he saw the scene. He hurried over, took a gander at the trembling girl, and glared at Shirley, “What the heck are you doing flipping out in the middle of the night?”
Shirley barely lifted her eyelids and said coolly, “Some gals just don’t know when to quit, always trying to cross me. Can’t I show her a little lesson?”
“She’s just here ‘cause she was invited to the party, you…”
“What about me?” Shirley cut Sean off, her voice sharp as a knife, “Everyone in Rivertown knows you came to Pinecrest Hollow to talk about tying the knot with me, and here she is, trying to butt in. You are insulting me, insulting the Stapleton family!” Her interrogation dropped the room’s temperature a few more degrees.
Just as Hogan had predicted, Shirley and Sean were on the brink of a fall–out.
But why on earth did Shirley show up all of a sudden? And who tipped her off?
With these thoughts, I sneaked a peek at Hogan, sitting calmly on the side, his expression as still as water, giving nothing away.
Was I reading too much into it?
“You said it yourself, it’s just about marriage talks, you’re not even part of the Abbott family yet and you’re already bossing me around?” Sean, a bit tipsy and feeling his pride stung, retorted hotly, “If you’re so unhappy, then let’s just forget the whole thing!”
At that, a storm cloud passed over Shirley’s face, “Fine by me, let’s call it off. I’m not
11:01
afraid!”
The standoff had everyone holding their breath, but then Timothy stepped in to smooth things over, “President Stapleton, you’ve seen what the score is tonight. Sean hasn’t done anything out of line. If you’re interested, why not stay and have a drink?”
Shirley snorted, “I’ve got better taste than that.”
That riled Sean up even more, his brows twisted as he shot back, “Right, we’re the tasteless ones, Ms. Stapleton. Please, don’t lower yourself to our level. But I’m curious, if you find it so dull here, why crash the party uninvited?”
Shirley was suddenly at a loss for words, her gaze swept over the crowd before landing on me.
Our eyes locked, and my heart skipped a beat, right before she said, “Ms. March, is this the ‘surprise‘ you told me about?”
As soon as she finished, all eyes, as if on cue, turned to me.
“President Stapleton, what do you mean by that?” I was baffled, a sense of unease settling in my chest.
“Didn’t you have someone tell me Sean had a surprise for me here tonight?” Shirley looked at me with irritation, “Playing games with me, huh?”
A surprise, and it was supposedly my doing?
After a brief moment of shock, I realized something I might have been played.
And the player.
My gaze drifted across the crowd, and when it brushed past Cecilia’s face, I caught her clutching the waistline of her dress tightly, looking quite unnatural:
A suspicion began to brew in my heart.
If Cecilia was the one who relayed the message to Shirley, then what role was Hogan playing here?
Was he in on it?
