Chapter 18
The maids made noises of acknowledgment before hurrying off to deal with the gifts.
Enzo didn’t have much of a reaction when he learned the gifts had been returned. All he did was have his people send more over.
Just as Adrian thought the gifts would only be delivered to the Forrest residence, Enzo proved him wrong. He appeared at a banquet with one of the gifts.
The banquet, hosted by one of the Forrest family’s oldest friends, was the first banquet Alyssa attended as Adrian’s wife–to–be. Her red gown matched Adrian’s pocket square, which was the same color. The 25–carat ruby on her middle finger was a birthday gift from Adrian.
She was the target of everyone’s envy and the center of attention as soon as she and Adrian appeared arm–in–arm. Naturally, she also attracted Enzo’s attention as he skulked in a
corner.
A trace of bitterness welled in his eyes when he saw Alyssa smiling brightly amid the crowd. He almost couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her smile.
Once upon a time, Alyssa had loved smiling. It had been bright, warm, and utterly infectious. No matter how bad a mood he’d been in, he would immediately be cheered up upon seeing her smile. However, since he’d rejected her and gotten together with Nadine, Alyssa had only walked on eggshells around him.
Enzo tightened his grip on the gift he’d brought, almost shattering the fragile item with his fists.
Alyssa was one of the banquet’s central figures, so the guests presented her with their gifts. Finally, Enzo slowly started approaching her.
However, before he could say anything, Adrian wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to a private room on the second floor.
Enzo’s expression shifted, and he hurried after them. “Liss!”
Unfortunately, two bodyguards stopped him. The Forrest family’s butler, Andrew Smith, stood before him. “You should know your place, Mr. Slater. You know very well what you’ve done to Mrs. Forrest–Mr. Forrest is already being generous by not doing anything to you because of that.”
Andrew’s words were like a slap to Enzo’s face, making it sting badly. Curious guests watched them–some of those who knew about Enzo and Alyssa’s face whispered about it to others, and their tones made it clear they thought he was a blind fool.
He’d loved and treasured a woman who’d turned out to be a murderer with more than one life on her hands. Meanwhile, the admirer who’d almost died several times due to his torment had turned out to be a poor victim. Now, he wanted to beg for her forgiveness. Did he think things were that easy?
The banquet host finally stepped forward and politely asked Enzo to leave when they saw that things were about to spiral out of control.
Enzo’s expression was hideous, but he knew he was in the wrong. He had no choice but to leave. The cheers and claps behind him only made him seem that much more pathetic.
In the second–floor private room, Adrian held Alyssa close, wanting to cheer her up. He would never have brought her to the banquet if he’d known Enzo would be there. Even if he did bring her, he would have ensured that Enzo had been kicked out beforehand.
It was too bad Enzo seemed determined to win Alyssa back. He’d left everything back home in a professional’s care, even buying a place in Angleria.
Adrian had plenty of ways to get rid of him, of course. However, he had to consider that Enzo was like an uncle to Alyssa. He’d cared for her for many years. Adrian knew he couldn’t do anything to Enzo, if only just because of that.
That was also why Philip had told Adrian not to bother with Enzo when he’d learned Enzo was in Angleria. He wanted to let bygones be bygones; it would be best if none of them owed each other anything.
Alyssa sensed that Adrian was a little upset, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk. So, she merely held his hand tightly.
They sat silently in the private room until fireworks lit up the sky outside.
Chapter 19
