The CEO Gets What He Wants novel Chapter 404

Unsurprisingly, Avery saw Claire at the banquet, too. She was chatting with a group of wealthy ladies while clad in a navy blue embroidered silk gown, her hair tied into a bun. As she spoke softly with the wealthy women, she was the textbook example of elegance.

To be honest, Avery had never seen any woman other than Claire who carried such an extraordinarily noble air.

She appeared refined and extinguished, but she was not arrogant and condescending like the other wealthy ladies. Instead, she was amiable, compassionate, and slightly regal.

For some reason, even though Claire had once treated Avery as her nemesis because of Nicole, Avery had never really hated her. Instead, she felt a strange sense of endearment toward Claire.

“You're so blessed, Mrs. Lambert. Your daughter has grown up in a blink of an eye! She's gorgeous and talented!”

“That's right. Ms. Lambert is gentle, gorgeous, knowledgeable, and mild-mannered. Is she dating anyone?” one of the wealthy ladies ventured.

“You guys are flattering me. Nicole isn't dating anyone at the moment. If anyone has suitable candidates, please introduce them to my daughter,” Claire replied gently.

Claire knew Nicole was a stubborn child.

Nicole was an innocent young lady who had never fallen in love before, and her obsession with Cayden had probably tricked her into believing that the man was the perfect other half for her.

However, as someone who was experienced in terms of relationships, Claire knew that although Cayden was a rare genius, he didn't love Nicole.

It was painful to be in a loveless marriage. Even if Nicole managed to marry Cayden, she would never attain happiness.

As a result, Claire was doing everything she could to assist Nicole in finding a suitable man to get married to. She sincerely wanted her daughter to be happy.

Nicole, who was sitting by her side, seemed upset.

She didn't understand Claire's intentions at all, as she was obsessed with Cayden. The fact that he would never have eyes for her only made her fall harder for him.

To her, all the men present at her birthday banquet could never be comparable to Cayden.

Resentment welled within Nicole as she watched Claire ask the wealthy ladies to introduce a suitable date for her. I knew it. She doesn't want the best for me since I'm not even her biological daughter.

A bunch of negative emotions were swirling within Nicole.

For fear of losing control over her emotions, she quickly sipped on her glass of juice and tried to calm herself down.

Reflected on the glass were two figures approaching her together. It was Cayden and Avery.

Nicole set her glass down as she watched the man she desired but couldn't have walk through the crowd, shielding Avery from being pushed around. He was treating Avery like his most cherished treasure, and the sight of that rekindled Nicole's anger, which had previously been suppressed.

Nicole's gaze was burning with jealousy, and she felt as though she was going to explode.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with William, Cayden brought Avery to Claire before greeting, “Mrs. Lambert.”

Claire stared at Avery in a daze.

The latter was wearing a simple dress. Her light makeup accentuated her exquisite facial features, and her straight luscious hair was now wavy. As she smiled at Claire, her large gorgeous eyes seemed to hold a story of their own.

For a split second, Claire thought she saw her younger self in Avery.

Confused, she shook her head. This girl is Nickie's love rival. Why would I think that she looks like me? That's a ridiculous notion.

At this moment, Cayden introduced Avery to Claire, “Mrs. Lambert, this is Avery, the mother of my two children. She's going to be my wife soon and will be my only wife in this life.”

Claire froze momentarily but quickly regained her senses and smiled calmly. “You don't have to emphasize this to me. Since you and Ms. Rumpley are in love, I'll give you my blessings. Feelings cannot be forced. I understand this better than you youngsters.” She then turned to Avery and continued, “Ms. Rumpley, I didn't mean what I said to you last time. Please accept my apologies. Everyone is a guest here, so please make yourselves at home.”

Avery was surprised.

Claire's attitude toward her had clearly improved. Although the change in her attitude was somewhat related to Cayden's assertiveness, Avery felt that someone like Claire who was protective of her daughter would not change so abruptly just because of Cayden.

Nicole remained silent. However, her thoughts were running wild. Her eyes were filled with tears and jealousy, and she didn't even hear what her friends were saying to her.

Cayden's determined voice was the only sound echoing in her mind right then. She's going to be my wife soon and will be my only wife in this life. The only wife in this life?

Nicole scoffed coldly. His only wife, huh? Cayden, how can you be so sure that Avery will be your wife? You guys might not even get married!

Around half past eight that evening, the Lambert family's banquet officially began.

As the birthday girl, Nicole was dressed like a princess. She stood proudly in the spotlight next to William and Claire.

There was an exquisite twelve-layer cake on the table next to them.

As the precious daughter of the Lambert family, she gladly received blessings from all the wealthy ladies and their sons and daughters. It was a blissful moment for her.

Then, Nicole performed a famous piano piece for everyone.

She was the center of attention as she stepped onto the makeshift circular platform, sat in front of the expensive piano, and started playing, her hands that were wearing white gloves dancing gracefully across the piano keys.

At that moment, she felt slightly nervous, even more nervous than when she went on stage to receive her first acting award because the man she loved was present.

She adjusted her state of mind before proceeding to play the piano.

Although acting was her shortcoming, Nicole was rather talented in music, especially so when she was playing the piece she was best at, Swan Lake.

Everyone applauded when the piece ended. Praises and compliments filled the air.

Cayden was cuddling with Avery as they sat in the corner. He poured her a glass of warm milk while he sipped on his red wine.

“She's good at playing the piano,” Avery commented objectively.

Although she didn't know how to play the piano, she thought Nicole's version of the piece was beautifully and elegantly executed.

Cayden gave no comments as he lightly tapped Avery's nose. “Her playing is good but lacks emotions. She can win in competitions, but it would be hard for her to do more than that.”

Avery smiled but said nothing.

Does this man know everything? Can he play the piano too?

It seemed likely as his comments sounded knowledgeable and convincing.

Meanwhile, Claire felt proud to have such a talented daughter. Nicole bowed politely to the audience, and everyone's impressions of her improved immensely.

Suddenly, Nicole picked up the hem of her gown and walked over to Avery gracefully before saying gently, “Ms. Rumpley, I heard you're also talented at playing the piano. Why don't you play a piece for everyone?”