Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1284

Iris had no intention of making the same mistake twice.

Even though she was annoyed deep down, she put on her best polite smile. “Audrey, welcome to my birthday party. There are a lot of guests tonight, so I might not be able to look after you personally. I hope you don’t mind.”

Audrey’s eyes sparkled as she grinned. “No problem, Iris. You go do your thing. I’ll just hang out with Walter.”

No way. That wasn’t going to happen.

Iris had her own plans for the night. As if she’d let Walter and Audrey stick together the whole time. Hadn’t this woman already had enough attention? Did she really want to spend the entire night glued to Walter’s side?

Iris kept her tone gentle, though irritation simmered beneath the surface. “There are a lot of familiar faces here tonight. Walter, why don’t you come with me to say hi to everyone? As for Ms. Williams… She doesn’t really know anyone here, so she might feel out of place. Maybe she should wait for us in the lounge for a bit.”

Her real goal was to split them up.

If Audrey refused, it would make her look pushy, like she was forcing herself into a group where she didn’t belong. If she felt left out later, that would be her own fault.

But, to Iris’s surprise, it was Walter who shot her down first. “That’s not necessary. I don’t need to greet anyone. I’ll go to the lounge with Audrey. You should take care of your other guests.”

He didn’t even give Iris a chance to respond. Walter leaned down and said to Audrey, “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

“Okay!” Audrey beamed, obviously pleased with how things turned out.

As they walked toward the lounge, they spotted Harden waving in their direction.

Walter and Audrey didn’t hesitate at all and made their way over.

Iris stayed where she was, so mad she wanted to stomp her foot.

Right then, her mother Flora glanced away from the scene and whispered, “Is that the girl you mentioned, the one who’s always hanging around Walter?”

“She’s definitely got some tricks up her sleeve,” Barrie said, his voice full of disdain. “Girls like her just want to get close to the Wilsons and climb into high society.”

He looked at Iris, his tone serious. “Iris, you need to make the most of tonight.”

Iris gritted her teeth. “Of course I will. Don’t worry about me.”

While they were talking, Palmer and Leda arrived.

The family immediately stepped forward to greet them with enthusiasm.

“Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Smith, it’s such an honor that you could come to our daughter’s birthday party!” Barrie said, all his earlier disdain replaced with warmth.

Iris played her part too, stepping up to take Leda’s arm with a smile. “Camila, I’m so glad you could make it. Walter just got here a little while ago.”

Iris lit up at her words.

To her, this was an open door, and she was determined to make the most of it.

Audrey, on the other hand, had no idea any of this was happening. She hadn’t even noticed Palmer and Leda arrive.

She was happily chatting with Walter and Harden, and the mood among them was light and easy.

During their conversation, a few sharply dressed young men came over to say hello to Audrey.

When they saw her, they looked surprised, like they’d just confirmed something.

“Ms. Williams, it really is you! What are you doing here?”

Audrey glanced over at the sound, recognizing a few familiar faces.

These guys were all sons of Cabinda’s top families. Audrey had seen them before at parties, though they weren’t close. They’d even been invited to the welcome banquet her family threw for her.

Smiling mischievously, Audrey raised a finger to her lips. “Shh… let’s keep it quiet.”