Chapter 204
ter 205
Chapter 205
With that, Vivian rounded up her friends and headed over to welcome Ian and Andrea.
Patrick, Mia, and Miranda exchanged glances, their expressions all telling a different story.
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Ian scanned the banquet hall’s decorations, then shot Mitchell a subtle look, keeping his expression unreadable.
Mitchell nodded and slipped away.
Everyone crowded around Andrea and Ian, flattering them left and right.
lan’s gaze landed on his mother and sister.
Andrea followed Ian’s gaze and spotted Miranda–the old lady herself–and couldn’t resist smirking. ‘So that’s her. Interesting,’ she mused to herself.
Andrea said, “Ian, seriously, don’t get mad. They’re your family, after all. I just wanted to get along with them, maybe make things a little less awkward between us. So I went ahead and asked Vivian to bring them p>
Just as Andrea finished talking, Laura came hurrying into the hall with a big, eager grin. “Andrea, Andrea, I brought p>
But after catching Andrea’s warning glance, Laura immediately changed her tune. “Your brother, Chloe, and the little one were just sitting at home, so I thought they could come and join the party p>
Andrea saw Chloe and Arthur walking in at the door and, pleased with how things were going, casually waved her mom off. “Mom, why don’t you take them and grab something to eat p>
Laura nodded right away, pulling her son, Chloe, and the kid with her as she headed to the side.
Ian’s brows furrowed when he saw Dr. Irvine enter the hall.
The two locked eyes from across the room–at a distance neither too close nor too far–and almost without thinking, Ian unconsciously started walking toward her.
Andrea quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his way.
Bravely, she reached out and hooked her arm through Ian’s, saying to everyone, “Ian, I didn’t expect Dr. Irvine to come either. Let me join you to say hello p>
Without a word, lan brushed Andrea’s arm aside, his face instantly growing cold.
“That won’t be necessary,” he replied.
Arthur leaned in close to Chloe and whispered, “Chloe, did that ugly woman really drag you here just so she could parade her relationship with Mr. Hamilton? ”
Chloe grabbed Arthur and started walking toward Miranda. “Let her show off all she wants. She won’t be
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around for long anyway,” Chloe muttered coldly.
Honestly, Chloe couldn’t care less about whatever fate awaited Andrea.
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But Andrea crossed the line, having her mom, brother, Chloe, and the kid come make trouble right at the Irvine family’s front gate.
Since things had gotten messy, Chloe decided she might as well dive in and join the chaos herself.
Chloe walked over and greeted Miranda, who looked like she was about to explode. “What the hell does Andrea want, dragging us all here?” Miranda snapped.
Patrick shrugged. “Aunt Miranda, we’re already here. Might as well just enjoy the show p>
Arthur tilted his head at Patrick. “Got some inside info, Patrick p>
Patrick reached out and pushed Arthur’s head away.
‘Arthur really is something else, Patrick thought.
He might look like a total slacker, but he’s got eyes like a hawk.
They all hung back, watching Andrea put on her little show.
Andrea stood next to Ian, cleared her throat, and put on her best hostess voice. “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to join me for my birthday party p>
She paused, glanced over at Ian, and couldn’t help but let a smile tug at her lips.
Her gaze drifted over to Chloe and the others. “Ian was actually planning to celebrate my birthday just the two of us, saying he’d make it a day I’d never forget. But I wanted everyone here to share in this special moment with me p>
Chloe stood in the middle of the group, her face perfectly composed, gaze cool and distant–she didn’t bother hiding her indifference.
The guests started whispering among themselves.
“Mr. Hamilton just split from his ex –wife and now he’s flaunting this new girl? Looks like those rumors were spot–on, one guest murmured.
“Seriously, does she think being the side chick is something to brag about? Give me a break,” another scoffed.
“Can you believe she even invited the ex–wife? That’s honestly next–level bold,” someone snorted.
“Honestly, Andrea’s not even in the same league as Ms. Chloe Irvine. Mr. Hamilton sure goes for some weird types,” another added.
Spotting all the gossiping, Laura couldn’t help but go off, sounding like a total drama queen. “Oh, please! If
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Chapter 205
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you don’t know the truth, keep your mouths shut! Andrea is Mr. Hamilton’s First Love, you hear me p>
Chloe backed her up. “That’s right! Andrea graduated from the arts academy, majoring in dance–she’s got the kind of class you don’t see every day p>
At that, everyone clammed up.
Vivian sensed the tension and quickly stepped up to smooth things over. “So, Mr. Hamilton, what amazing present did you get Andrea tonight? How about letting us all take a peek p>
At that, the crowd immediately started egging him on, buzzing with excitement and curiosity.
Andrea noticed that Ian stood beside her, his face unreadable and cold–completely unmoved, as if nothing around him mattered at all.
Unable to hold back, she sneaked another glance at Chloe, a flicker of unease flashing in her
eyes.
With a deliberately sweet and coquettish tone, Andrea piped up, “Ian, didn’t you promise me a birthday gift I’d never forget? Everyone’s dying to know–come on, show it off for us, okay p>
Patrick cracked a mischievous smile. “Come on, Ian, Andrea can’t wait any longer–stop keeping us in suspense and bring out that birthday gift you’ve got for her. Let the whole crowd check it out p>
Arthur, with his good looks and mixed features, swept his sharp brown eyes across the crowd like a radar, picking up every little detail.
He tugged Chloe’s arm, leaning in to whisper, “Chloe, doesn’t Mr. Hamilton look kind of shady to you? Feels like something’s about to go down p>
Chloe nudged his arm off, telling him, “Just enjoy the gossip and keep your comments to yourself p>
Arthur nodded and zipped his lips.
Just then, Mitchell wove his way through the crowd and joined Ian.
Their eyes met for a brief second before Mitchell quietly stepped back.
Ian took out a voice recorder, placing it on the long table beside the cake and champagne tower.
Ian said, his voice cold and detached, “ Your birthday present is all right here on this recorder. Why don’t you play it and see for yourself p>
Andrea stared at the recorder, her smile fading away bit by bit.
She pressed a hand to her wildly beating heart, anxiety gnawing at her as she forced herself to walk over to the table.
Turns out, it wasn’t just any pen–it was a voice recorder.
Andrea instinctively felt dread creeping in, an ominous premonition settling in her chest.
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She studied Jan’s expression, searching for any clue about what he was up to.
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Andrea hesitated, her voice shaky. “Tan, I thought you said you had a birthday gift for me. Why do you want me to open this voice recorder? What is he planning she wondered.
Ian’s face stayed cold and unreadable. “Everything you want is on this recorder. Open it up, listen, and you’ll
find out
Andrea picked up the recorder, but just stood there, hesitating to press play.
Arthur, getting impatient, ruffled his short hair. “Stop stalling, drama queen–everyone’s waiting for you p>
Patrick chimed in, egging her on, Andrea, lan said everything you want is on that recorder. What’s with the holdup p>
Chloe squeezed through the crowd, calling out to Andrea right in front of everyone, Andrea, what are you so worried about? Everybody here’s waiting! Just be brave and play it for us p>
Mia couldn’t help but jump in teasingly, ‘Come on, Andrea, even your family’s pushing you! Hurry up already -maybe my brother is using this super creative way to propose to your
Vivian stepped up next to Andrea, chiming in, “Yeah, Mia’s got a point–maybe Mr. Hamilton’s pulling some big surprise, like popping the question right now. Come on, open it up so we can all be jealous p>
Andrea’s nervousness gradually shifted to excitement, anticipation building in her eyes.
Other than Ian actually proposing to her, she really couldn’t think of any other reason he’d give her a voice recorder in front of everyone at her birthday party.
Andrea flashed Chloe a provocative look, then deliberately pressed play for all to hear.
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