Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 123

The tall man's expression noticeably shifted, revealing a hint of reluctance. "Ms. Vance, today... might not be the best day to go there."

"I know. It's Randal's engagement party. I just want to take a look."

Her bluntness left the two men speechless. They didn't know how to respond. "Ms. Vance, this..."

Seeing their hesitation, her tone turned firm.

"I'm going today, no matter what. Randal only told you to protect me. He didn't say you could restrict my freedom, did he?"

The tall man opened his mouth to argue, but the other man raised a hand to stop him.

"Understood, Ms. Vance. We will escort you."

The tall man drove, while Willa sat in the back.

Forty minutes later, the car pulled up to the entrance of The Grand Imperial Hotel.

The tall man went to park the car, while the other followed Willa out.

Willa stood at the entrance for a long time, unable to muster the courage to take a single step inside.

A red carpet was rolled out before the doors, and a massive engagement photo was displayed right next to it.

In the photo, the two of them stood side by side, smiling at each other with tender affection—the picture-perfect couple.

The glaring image burned her eyes. Willa's fingers curled into tight fists as a suffocating wave of despair gripped her chest.

Guests were steadily trickling in. If she delayed any longer, she would miss her window to enter.

She took a deep breath and walked inside, only to be stopped at the banquet hall doors.

"Excuse me, Miss. May I see your invitation?"

Willa offered a polite smile. "I'm a friend of Mr. Yates. I forgot to bring my invitation. Could you make an exception?"

The server maintained his professional smile but refused to budge. "I apologize, but the guest list was finalized in advance. No one can enter without an invitation. You can contact Mr. Yates or Ms. Sterling and have them send someone to escort you in."

Willa gave a self-mocking smile.

Ask Randal to come get her?

That would instantly turn this engagement party into the biggest joke in Norvale's high society.

It was her first time at an event like this. Not knowing where to go, she wandered aimlessly.

Corbin walked over and patted her shoulder. "Stick with me for now. Sophie told me to keep an eye on you. She was worried you'd do something stupid."

Willa smiled helplessly. "Don't worry, Mr. Sommers. I won't."

Corbin thoughtfully found her a seat in a secluded corner. "Wait here. I need to go say hello to some people."

Willa nodded.

The people sitting next to her were all business professionals. Seeing that Corbin had brought her in, they politely nodded in greeting.

She didn't know a single soul. After returning their polite smiles, she had absolutely no idea what to say, her toes curling in sheer awkwardness.

A server came by to pour wine, but she waved him away, opting for water instead.

Even the plain water tasted incredibly bitter on her tongue.

She was terrified that a drop of alcohol would push her to do something entirely reckless.

After a while, most of the guests had taken their seats, and Corbin finally returned to the table.