Chapter 163
Ariel was honestly quite surprised. She had not expected that the highlight of tonight’s event was the announcement of Lucas and Wendy’s engagement.
It somewhat explained why Wendy had asked her to stay around until the end earlier. Ariel wondered if Wendy had considered her as Lucas‘ younger sister and that she was hoping Ariel would give them her blessings.
Lucas stood on the stage and looked down. Despite the dim lights, he found Ariel, who was sitting in a dark corner of the second row.
Ariel was probably quite shocked to hear the news. There was a flash of bewilderment on her face. Yet, it happened for only a split second. Then, those emotions seemed to vanish the next instant.
Lucas fixed his gaze on her. His eyes reflected the various emotions surging through him.
Yet, Ariel merely stared at him expressionlessly without showing any other reactions.
In the end, Lucas smiled nonchalantly and pulled Wendy closer to him.
“We’ve decided to hold tonight’s charity auction in hopes of receiving some good energy for my relationship with Wendy. Once everything’s set, we’ll invite everyone to our engagement party.”
Wendy leaned against Lucas‘ chest shyly and clung to him like a starfish.
Meanwhile, Lucas kept staring in Ariel’s direction. He was hoping to find a hint of shock, sadness, or resentment on Ariel’s face. Yet, she looked absolutely calm.
Lucas furrowed his brows. Ariel should not have remained so unresponsive. With how well he knew her, Ariel should be flying into a rage at this point.
Lucas could not help but wonder if she truly did not care that he was getting engaged. Yet, he quickly dismissed the thought.
He and Ariel had been together for more than ten years. Lucas knew her like the back of his hand. Ariel could let go of a lot of things, except for him.
Lucas was certain Ariel still had him somewhere in the deep recesses of her heart, where she could not seem to completely erase his existence. Ariel must still care about him.
“Congratulations on getting engaged to such a lovely lady, Mr. Sanderson!”
“That’s right. Mr. Johnstone must be really happy with all the good news today, especially since he’s getting someone as capable as Mr. Sanderson to be his future son–in–law.”
Dexter was in a great mood as he responded to the guests‘ congratulatory remarks.
Lucas finally averted his gaze from Ariel and looked down at Wendy. He lightly pinched her waist and grinned. ‘ Thank you. We hope to see everyone at the party when the time comes.”
Ariel dropped her gaze. She realized she seemed to be having a hard time getting used to these happy, lively occasions. She kept getting the feeling that she did not fit in.
Janice observed Ariel’s expression for a while since she was worried. She felt slightly relieved when she noticed how Ariel remained completely unruffled.
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Chapter 163
+25 BONUS
“If you ask me, men are all unreliable! Who do they think they are? Ari, you should be living your life to the fullest potential!”
Janice had known Ariel for many years. She had witnessed pretty much everything that had happened to Ariel over the years.
If it were not because Lucas had gotten into trouble and was sent to prison back then, perhaps things would be different now, especially since…
“Did you tell Lucas about how you tried to block the attack and got stabbed back then?” Janice cast a glance at Ariel’s abdomen and recalled the time when the latter got hospitalized.
“Lucas has been giving you a hard time ever since he was released from prison. You were the one who saved his life, though. How could he be so cruel and heartless…”
Ariel held Janice’s hand and stopped her from continuing.
The situation was rather tricky at the time. Moreover, Lucas was someone proud and conceited. He had made quite a number of enemies before being sent to prison, which then led to the incident.
Ariel still had the scar on her body.
“Mr. Sanderson and Ms. Johnstone will be having their engagement party soon. What about Mr. Larkin and Ms. Stanton, then? When will we be hearing some good news from you two?”
Ariel heard someone saying that and subconsciously raised her head.
In an instant, Jayson became the center of everyone’s attention.
Even Nancy, who was beside him, paused briefly and smiled with resignation. “Shouldn’t the stars of tonight’s event be Wendy and Lucas…”
After saying that, she directed her gaze to Jayson.
Jayson’s mouth turned up in a slight smile. He responded calmly, “It’s a special day for Mr. Sanderson and his fiancée today. We shouldn’t try to steal the spotlight from them.”
The others chuckled and agreed with him. “You’re right. I’m sure good news will come soon since you’ve secured the ring through the auction earlier, Mr. Larkin.” 1
Ariel did not think much of what they were talking about.
Jayson was a careful and meticulous person. He would not share any unnecessary information with the public since they had yet to complete all the relevant divorce procedures. And it was because…
