My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 138

Lily entered her office, setting her bag on the chair. She froze when her eyes caught a cream-colored envelope lying neatly in the middle of her desk. She frowned, picking it up. The gold letters were embossed:

Invitation : Private Gala Party.

Her brows knit tighter when she noticed the addressee: Claire Bennett

“Why is this on my table?” she muttered.

Raising her voice slightly, she called, “Mia!”

Her assistant hurried in almost instantly. “Yes, Miss Lily?”

Holding up the envelope, Lily asked, “Why is this here? This is addressed to the CEO.”

Mia nodded quickly, her hands clasped in front of her. “Yes, but Boss said you should attend in her place.”

“What?” Lily’s tone rose slightly. “Claire should be the one going. Why me?”

Before Mia could reply, Lily’s phone vibrated on the desk. She picked it up and saw a message from Claire.

Claire:

You must go to the party. This is important because you’ll meet people you can’t see outside. It’s a great opportunity to get new clients and know about them.

Lily let out a quiet sigh, then typed back a simple:

“Thank you.”

She placed the phone back on the desk and looked at Mia again. “You can leave. Thank you.”

“Yes, Miss,” Mia bowed slightly and walked out.

Lily leaned back on her chair, staring at the ceiling. A tired smile tugged at her lips. Claire… always putting Lily forward before anything else, always believing in her ability.

She whispered to herself, “I’ll never get a boss like her again in my life.”

And that was true. Claire trusted her blindly. Lily couldn’t, wouldn’t, disappoint her. Not because of Carson. Not because of David. And definitely not because of anyone.

This was work, and work always came first.

The sun had set by the time Lily was dressed and ready. She wore a long black dress, elegant but simple, with one of her own jewelry designs, a delicate necklace with a single sapphire drop that glistened like water under light.

Looking at herself in the mirror before leaving, she thought, At least if I wear my own design, it’ll speak louder than I can tonight.

Claire had reassured her earlier that the party was private, with no reporters or cameras inside. Still, Lily felt her nerves tangle as her car pulled up near the venue.

When they arrived, her driver slowed. To her surprise, there were indeed a handful of reporters lingering outside the building entrance, cameras slung around their necks.

Her stomach tightened. “I thought there would be no media…” she whispered.

“Miss Aurora?”

Lily turned and saw a man in his forties approaching her with a polite smile. He wore a dark blue suit, his hair neatly slicked back.

“Yes?” she replied softly.

“I’m Mr. Han from the Korean Trade Association. Claire spoke highly of you,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet.”

Lily quickly put on her professional smile. “It’s an honor, Mr. Han. Thank you for inviting me.”

They exchanged a few words, light conversation about designs and upcoming projects. Mr. Han seemed genuinely impressed when Lily mentioned a few of her work.

As he excused himself to greet someone else, Lily let out a small breath of relief. First one done.

She moved deeper into the hall. People glanced at her, some curious, some polite. She kept her head held high.

A waiter offered her a glass of champagne. She shook her head at first, then hesitated and finally took one, more for appearances than thirst.

Lily’s heels clicked softly as she walked deeper into the hall. For a moment she thought she would suffocate, so many faces, so many voices mixed together, the clinking of glasses, the laughter that echoed under the crystal chandeliers.

But her eyes quickly noticed something.

She had thought this was a normal business gathering. She was wrong.