The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback (Felicia and Max) novel Chapter 1146

"I am sorry, Mr. Hawthorne. I am not with Ms. Ross and Mr. Milman, so I am unaware of their current whereabouts," Ivy said in a rush, a sudden wave of pressure bearing down on her. "However, they should be returning to the Capital. Ms. Ross is perfectly fine right now, so you have no need to worry." The fact that he called so quickly meant he clearly had someone keeping an eye on things over here. As for Felicia's amnesia, Ivy had no idea how to explain that to Max. She could only hope Felicia recovered her memories as soon as possible. "Ms. Ross and Mr. Milman did not behave inappropriately or overly intimately," she quickly added.

Max did not ask any further questions. Without giving any indication of whether he believed her or not, he abruptly ended the call.

Ivy let out a long breath. Max's emotional state was clearly volatile. He truly cared for Felicia, but with his domineering nature and intense possessiveness, the more he cared, the less room there was for any perceived betrayal. After a long moment of silence, she tried calling Jeffrey again, but the line was busy.

At six o'clock that evening, luxury cars arrived in a steady stream at the hotel hosting the Manning family banquet. It had been over a decade since the main branch of the Manning family had hosted such a grand event. Everyone knew perfectly well that this was not a simple dinner party. Those unaffected by the impending internal power shift within the Manning family were naturally delighted to receive an invitation and attend. For others, however, the invitation felt like a hot potato. They were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether it was safer to show up or stay away.

Many attendees discreetly inquired whether Max would make an appearance. Yet, his whereabouts were impossible to uncover unless he chose to reveal them himself. They would only know for sure once the banquet officially began. Max never materialized, but Daniel arrived at the venue, accompanied by Anthony. Given that their respective circles rarely overlapped, people murmured in speculation about whether a new alliance had been formed.

Jeffrey approached Daniel and initiated the greeting. "Daniel. It has been a long time."

Daniel raised his glass and clinked it against Jeffrey's. "It certainly has."

Jeffrey stared at Daniel, his gaze darkening slightly. "He and Ivy failed to spark a connection, yet he seems to get along swimmingly with Willa. I suppose it is a twist of fate. It seems an alliance between our two families remains highly promising after all."

Daniel was somewhat aware of the history between Willa and Jeffrey. A woman of Willa's humble standing could never truly become a member of the Hawthorne family. It was simply unpresentable. Consequently, Daniel had hoped Luke would minimize his relationship with her. Unfortunately, Luke had been obsessed with Felicia for years, stubbornly refusing to marry. Now that he had finally relinquished that fixation and shifted his attention, the target was not Ivy, but Willa.

Daniel also completely understood why Max had acted as he did previously. Max had pushed forward stubbornly without ever considering if Willa's background was a suitable match for Luke. However, things had progressed to a point where Daniel's opposition was meaningless. If Luke were the type to listen to him, he would not have remained unmarried for so long. Therefore, Daniel's only option was to treat Willa as a member of the Manning family, fully acknowledging her as Jeffrey's sister.