Anastasia's expression brightened again. She hugged Harrison's arm, expertly showering him with affection.
Not far away, someone noticed Cedric.
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Miller? Who is he with?"
By now, only the backs of Harrison's group were visible, so no one could see their faces. But Cedric's reverent and cautious demeanor made everyone curious.
Harrison hadn't tried to conceal his attendance this time, and soon, word got out—
"It's Mr. Harrison Lancaster!"
"What? Mr. Harrison Lancaster is here?!"
"Is it really Mr. Harrison Lancaster? Who's the woman with him? I thought there were rumors that Mr. Harrison Lancaster never brings a date to public events."
As they were gossiping, someone came back with fresh news—
"She's not just some ordinary date! Someone just heard Mr. Harrison Lancaster himself admit that she's his wife!!"
"What?!"
The news was like an earthquake.
"Mr. Harrison Lancaster is married? Since when?!"
"I haven't heard anything about it! This must be a false rumor!"
"Mr. Harrison Lancaster admitted it himself. How could it be false?"
Amidst the excited chatter, Queena overheard a few phrases.
After operating in Riverton for so many years, she was well-connected and held a respectable position. Naturally, she had also received an invitation to tonight's auction.
Queena shook her head. "It's not Penelope, it's Anastasia."
"Anastasia?" George's frown deepened. "With her being so useless and rebellious, how could the Lancaster family possibly approve of her?"
"I heard it was an arranged marriage, set up when she was just a baby. She went to them, and I suppose the Lancaster family couldn't just turn her away."
That did make sense.
George couldn't help but shake his head. "She is completely unworthy of Mr. Harrison Lancaster. Forcing herself on him like this won't end well for her!"
"I agree," Queena sighed, putting on a helpless expression. "My parents must have tried to talk her out of it, but she was blinded by the Lancaster family's wealth and wouldn't listen. And you know, my mother isn't her biological mother, so she can't be too strict, or people will get the wrong idea."
"It's not easy being a stepmother," George agreed. He then started scheming for her. "Since you have this connection, you have to use it. Now that Mr. Harrison Lancaster is your brother-in-law, you don't need to be so low-key. Otherwise, people might think you don't have powerful backing and try to bully you!"
As he said this, his expression relaxed and grew excited. He was already thinking about how to leverage this relationship for his student's benefit.

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