Scarlett's POV:
"How are you doing lately, Scarlett?" Nate came over and greeted me.
"I'm good. And you? How's business?" I replied, eyeing him carefully.
As soon as I finished my question, Nate's face darkened. The change was so obvious that it almost made me chuckle.
Hearing this, Alice burst into laughter. Nate maintained the fake smile on his face despite the palpable awkwardness that suddenly descended. "It's not bad, thank you for asking," Nate finally answered.
I was about to say something else when somebody linked arms with me.
"Thank you for helping me entertain the guests, Scarlett." Rita flashed me her best toothy smile and gently patted my arm.
I knew that she was only acting chummy with me because she wanted to show everyone what a good person she was, which she was not. She might not be bright in aspects that matter, but she was cunning, and I respected that as much as I hated to admit it.
"It's my pleasure," I smiled back at her and slowly withdrew my arm.
"Everyone, let's have a seat and chat." Rita kept on her decent smile and greeted everyone as if she was running for local office.
I just stood there and watched her bend over backwards trying to keep everyone entertained.
Then, Charles walked up to me, snaked his arm around my waist, and ushered me toward his parents. The gesture looked so intimate that some heads turned to our direction.
"Where are your grandparents? Why aren't they here yet? I'm a little worried about them. Maybe they're having trouble finding the venue. Will you two step out and fetch them?" Alice said worriedly, glancing at the door. She looked restless and agitated.
"Okay, we'll go get them. Don't worry," I said, patting the back of her hand. Then, Charles and I headed out to find Michael and Christine.
"Charles? Where are you going?" Rita asked, hurrying over to stand in our way.
"You stay here," Charles muttered, casting a cold glance at her.
"I'm coming with you," Rita mumbled and tried to hold Charles's hand, but he dodged.
"If you don't want to get thrown out of here, don't make me repeat myself," Charles snapped and then looked at me and took my hand.
"Let's go find Grandma and Grandpa." After saying that, he towed me out of the banquet hall without looking back.
I chanced a glance at Rita. She was standing right where we left her. Her eyes screamed bloody murder at me, but through the resentment, I could see pure, undiluted pain. Despite all the trouble she had caused me, I could not help feeling sorry for her.
As soon as we walked out of the banquet hall, we ran into one of Charles's business partners.
Charles stopped and introduced us. "Hello, Mr. Thompson. I hope you're having a great evening. This is my wife, Scarlett. Scarlett, this is Mr. Thompson."
After greeting Mr. Thompson, I stood quietly beside Charles, held his arm, and listened to their conversation.
"Wow. I didn't know you were married. Why didn't you tell me about your beautiful wife before?" Mr. Thompson asked, playfully punching Charles in the chest.
"Well, I prefer to keep her to myself. By the way, she's a huge fan of the nuts your company makes," Charles responded politely.
"Is that so? Well, she has great taste. Are you sure she is your wife?"
With that, Charles and Mr. Thompson shared a good laugh. I could not help giggling at the joke, too. Then, Charles finally replied, "Yes, she is." He turned to look at me and flashed me a sincere smile. I almost choked.
"I suppose I can't blame you for not wanting to parade her around. She's ravishing, and you're one lucky young man." Then, Mr. Thompson seemed to think of something suddenly. He turned to me and said, "Mrs. Moore, I'm sure your husband has informed you that he wants to purchase my shares for you."
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