From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 178

The women surrounding him followed his gaze, their confused expressions instantly turning hostile.

Lydia instinctively took a step back.

Her heel caught on the trailing fabric of her gown, and she lost her balance, pitching backward.

But a warm hand braced her lower back. "Careful, ma'am."

Lydia let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Gable."

Because her dress was so long, Gable had come along to assist her.

In reality, Charles didn't trust her and had sent Gable to keep an eye on her.

Once she steadied herself, she glanced nervously at the women, only to hear them whispering among themselves.

"That's Mr. Foster's wife."

Immediately, their hostility evaporated.

Lydia couldn't help but find the irony bitter—the title of "Mrs. Foster" was actually useful for once. She looked at Xavier, but the man didn't even acknowledge her existence. He didn't even spare her a glance as he listened to Wesley's report. His voice was completely indifferent. "Take her to the lounge."

As cold and distant as a perfect stranger.

But then again, this was exactly how their relationship should be.

If it weren't for Harrison's phone call, they wouldn't even have this tiny sliver of professional overlap. She had no right to expect him to report his actions to her.

Lydia looked away and followed Wesley toward the private lounge.

Gable trailed right behind her.

Once inside the private room, she removed her silver mask.

"Ms. Sterling, the password is 0719." Wesley handed over the laptop.

Lydia reached out and took it.

"Wait, isn't that your birthday, ma'am?" Gable blurted out. But catching Wesley's sharp look, she instantly slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she had overstepped.

The passcode to Xavier's apartment was 0719 too. It was probably just a special date for him.

Lydia didn't overthink it. She logged into Xavier's laptop, and the email notification immediately popped up in the bottom right corner. She clicked it and found the attached code.

She opened the file and began running the code.

About half an hour later, she breathed a sigh of relief. A sudden chill washed over her, and she shivered.

The AC in the room was blasting.

Pretty cool.

Lydia smiled in amusement and slipped the black mask on.

Carrying the laptop, she walked out of Lounge 1. She turned left while Gable turned right.

Up ahead, a man and a woman were tangled together.

Lydia's footsteps stuttered to a halt, entirely unsure of what to do.

Xavier had a beautiful woman's arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Her heart gave a violent jolt, and she turned to leave.

"Xavier, you have to be lying to me."

"You wouldn't marry anyone else but me."

"I'm your childhood sweetheart."

The woman's voice was thick with alcohol and tears. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to kiss him.

But Xavier's large hands firmly pulled her soft arms down.