Chapter 61
Lydia Fairchild said no more, her elegant fingertips brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek.
“Hurry up and put the necklace on so you can go out. Don’t make a fool of yourself again p>
Once Lydia left the lounge, Maeve collapsed into a chair, completely drained of energy.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Then came a server’s gentle voice.
“Mrs. Fairchild, are you ready? The banquet has begun, and Mrs. Lydia Fairchild asked me to bring you down p>
Maeve rubbed her face, forcing her stiff, numb body up from the chair.
She cleared her throat and called back through the door.
“I’ll be right there p>
Walking into the bathroom, she fastened the pearl necklace around her neck, adjusted its position, and offered the mirror a smile that looked worse than crying.
This wouldn’t do. She looked entirely too pathetic.
She rubbed her cheeks, adjusting her facial expression until it formed a perfect, flawless curve, then straightened her spine and walked out.
She refused to give anyone another chance to laugh at her.
The banquet hall.
As soon as Maeve stepped into the lobby, Lydia appeared at her side, looking at the pearls around her neck with a gaze of relieved satisfaction.
“You’re a beautiful girl; anything looks good on you. You didn’t absolutely need Zoe’s necklace p>
“That piece is just alright, anyway. Frederick only bought it for her to soothe her emotions, given her pregnancy p>
A cynical smile touched the corners of Maeve’s lips.
Eighty million dollars at an auction just to buy ’emotional support’ for his late brother’s wife.
Letting the media run articles crowning Zoe as the true ‘Mrs. Fairchild p>
Meanwhile, she, his actual legal wife, was left to be mocked and ridiculed like a rat in the gutter.
So this was the kind of dignity the Fairchild family prioritized.
Maeve didn’t say a word, and Lydia didn’t linger beside her for long, quickly moving off to exchange commercial flatteries with the other wealthy socialites.
Grabbed a glass of lemon water, Maeve headed for a quiet corner, only to hear Zoe’s soft voice floating toward her.
“Maeve p>
Maeve felt an instinctive wave of revulsion, She ignored the voice entirely and kept walking, but Zoe stepped into her path, her doe eyes wide with innocence.
“Are you mad at me because Frederick gave me the necklace? I’ll give it to you, just please don’t be angry with him anymore, okay p>
Maeve scoffed, her gaze suddenly snapping to the other woman.
“Then give it to me p>
Zoe instinctively clutched the necklace at her throat. Having been married to Felix for years, their daily expenses had always been subsidized by Frederick. This was the first time she truly owned a piece of jewelry worth eighty million dollars. How could she possibly bear to hand it over?
But seeing Maeve’s serious expression, clearly demanding the necklace, her smile faltered.
Every time Maeve refused to play by the rules, Zoe struggled to keep up her act.
She forced a strained smile.
“Maeve p>
Maeve took a step closer, a half-smile playing on her lips.
“Didn’t you just say you were going to give it to me? What, can’t bear to part with it p>
Her true thoughts pierced, Zoe couldn’t even maintain her stiff smile, her feet involuntarily taking a step back.
“Mommy p>
A crisp, childish voice suddenly rang out, and the tightly coiled tension in Zoe’s chest finally relaxed.
She stroked the necklace one more time, looking over with profound relief as Charlie came sprinting toward them.
He was small but energetic, waving his little hands wildly at the sight of his mother.
But in his chaotic flailing, he accidentally crashed into the towering champagne pyramid positioned right behind Maeve and Zoe.
In an instant, the glass tower collapsed with a deafening crash.
“Charlie!” Zoe screamed in terror.
Before Maeve could even react, a powerful silhouette lunged forward, shielding Zoe and Charlie tightly beneath his body.
Crash p>
The cascading champagne cascaded entirely over Maeve, the sheer force of the impact sending her crashing to the floor.
A mixture of chilled wine and shattered glass bit into her skin; she felt cold and stinging all over.
Struggling to push herself upright, she watched the man who usually cared more about his immaculate image than anything else ignore the alcohol drenching his clothes wrapping his arms around Zoe and Charlie to gently soothe them.
“Charlie, Zoe, don’t be scared p>
“I’m here. It’s okay, everything is okay. It’s over now p>