Chapter 1487
Everyone’s eyes landed on Lydia.
Kylie spoke up first. “Lydia, why don’t you join us tonight?” She was done hiding the truth. More than anything, she wanted people to know Lydia was really their
daughter.
Cameron nodded. “Yeah, Lydia, come with us. If anyone asks, we’ll just tell them everything.”
Lydia glanced at Lucinda, who was watching her with obvious nerves. Lucinda’s hands were clenched into tight fists, and she looked like she might pass out if Lydia agreed.
Just as Lucinda felt her heart about to jump out of her chest, Lydia changed course. “No, it’s fine. I already have plans with friends tonight.”
Kylie and Cameron both looked disappointed.
Blake understood Lydia was on a mission. Keeping her real identity under wraps would only help her right now.
“Alright then, Lydia. See you at the party,” he said.
Lydia nodded. “Yeah.”
Lucinda finally felt her heart settle. That roller coaster ride was over. Lydia had just been messing with her, and Lucinda knew it. She wasn’t fooled for a second.
The Royal Hotel was lit up and buzzing with energy. Outside the entrance, guests in expensive clothes moved in and out, laughing and chatting under the bright lights.
Juna was already waiting at the door. As soon as she saw Lydia, she waved enthusiastically. “Lydia, over here!”
Lydia looked around, surprised. “Where’s your little sidekick?”
Juna rolled her eyes. “I told him not to come tonight. He’s been getting on my nerves.” She glanced back at the crowd. “Besides, with so many rich families here, I don’t need rumors about me and Lincoln. For real, he’s just like a friend to me.”
The two walked into the hotel together.
The moment they stepped into the ballroom, people stopped and stared. Young ladies, all done up and competing in silent beauty contests, froze mid-conversation. The guys, who’d been debating which girl was the prettiest, stopped to look too. Lydia and Juna had everyone’s attention.
“Whoa, who’s that girl? She’s gorgeous.”
“The one in the red dress is Juna Davis, right?”
“What about the one in black? Damn, she’s stunning.”
Lydia had gone all out tonight with her makeup and a new hairstyle. She looked nothing like her usual self, and anyone who’d only seen her online wouldn’t have recognized her right away.
“I swear I’ve never seen her before. Where’s she from?”
“She does look kind of familiar.”
“Familiar, my ass. You just want to hit on her.”
The guys kept teasing each other until one of them noticed someone approaching. “Wait, is that Carter?”
“Holy crap, it is! Isn’t that Lydia, the girl who made headlines with Carter online a few days ago?”
“That’s her, no doubt about it. She looked good before, but dressed up like this, she’s stunning.”
“Too bad her family isn’t that impressive. No way she’s good enough for me.”
“Exactly. She’s fun for a fling, but not wife material.”
In their minds, only girls with both looks and status were worth marrying. If you only had looks, you were just a distraction.
The girls in the room felt the same
way. Seeing Carter go right up to
Lydia made them burn with jealousy.
Some of them looked like they
wanted to storm over and tear Lydia apart.
“Miss Powell, you came all the way back for Mr. Shaw’s birthday, and Carter can’t even bother to spend time with you. Instead, he goes off to talk to some nobody. Can you believe it?”