My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 139

She looked carefully around. The men here, half of them weren’t with their wives. Some women she knew were married to politicians, yet tonight they were holding the arms of completely different men. And the businessmen? They were with their girlfriends, or women who clearly weren’t their wives.

Her brows tightened. So this is what kind of party it is.

She remembered Claire’s words earlier : you must go, this is important.

Now she understood. This wasn’t just a normal gala. It was a hidden playground for the powerful, where secrets were guarded tightly.

Smart, Claire. Very smart.

If these women liked her designs, their men would spend any amount of money to please them. These were not customers who cared about price, they cared about luxury, secrecy, and exclusivity.

Lily took a deep breath, fixed her polite smile, and walked toward a group of women standing in the corner with their glasses of wine.

As soon as she joined, one of them turned her head sharply.

“Isn’t this Miss Collins?”

Lily’s body stiffened at the voice. It was Lena, Mr. White’s secretary. She was wearing a tight black dress, her hair curled perfectly, her lips red. There had always been rumors that Lena was having an affair with her boss, Mr. White. Now seeing her here, clinging to the arm with Mr. white. Lily finally knew those weren’t just rumors.

“Hello, Miss Lena,” Lily greeted, her tone polite.

Lena’s eyes glimmered with something sharp. “You are here with Mr. Hardison?”

Lily’s chest squeezed.

“Finally,” Lena said with a little laugh, sipping her wine, “he decided to bring his secretary. All those years he always came alone.”

Another woman, tall and elegant in a red dress, chuckled. “Yes, I was always curious why Mr. Hardison came alone. I even thought maybe he was madly in love with his wife.”

Lily’s nails dug into her clutch. She wanted to leave, but her legs wouldn’t move.

“You haven’t heard?” another woman joined in, her eyes widening as though sharing gossip. “Mr. Hardison divorced. Now he’s with Marina Laurent, that model. Haven’t you seen them? They’re inseparable these days.”

Lily’s breath caught. Her throat tightened. She had guessed something like that, but hearing it here, in front of others, made her whole body uncomfortable.

She swallowed hard. Stay calm, Lily. Don’t let them crush you.

She lifted her chin. “No,” she said, her voice clear but calm. “I’m not with Mr. Hardison. I already left that job. Now…” she paused, her lips curling into a small smile, “…I work with Claire Bennett. I’m her lead designer. I’m Aurora.”

“Miss Collins?”

This time, it was a woman, tall and elegant in a silver gown. Her name was Keth.

“I’ve heard about Your unique designs,” keth said with a smile. “I must say, I’ve been hoping to meet you for quite some time.”

Lily smiled faintly. “I’m honored, Mrs. Keth"

“Would you be interested in discussing a possible collaboration for my daughter’s engagement?”

Lily’s mind clicked quickly into work mode. “Of course. Why don’t we schedule a formal meeting? That way we can go over designs and requirements in detail.”

They exchanged contacts, and Lily scribbled notes into her phone discreetly.

As more people came to greet her, she realized Claire had been right. This wasn’t just a party, it was an open door to people she wouldn’t normally have access to.

But in the back of her mind, a constant uneasiness lingered. Something felt off, as though tonight wouldn’t go as smoothly as she wanted.