Chapter 203
All eyes in the room turned toward Evangeline.
Surprise, disbelief, envy p>
She could feel the weight of those stares pressing down on her, and for a brief moment, she froze.
Before she could collect her thoughts, Soren leaned in, his voice low and meant for her alone. “Wait for me in the lounge after this,” he said, his tone cool and detached.
He didn’t wait for a response. Soren turned away, striding toward Poppy.
Under everyone’s gaze, he took Poppy’s hand-a blush flooding her cheeks-and led her to the center of the ballroom.
A number of guests exchanged satisfied glances, whispering to each other while darting looks between Soren, Poppy, and Evangeline.
“I told you, Mr. Fawkes always opposed this marriage. He’s visited Miss Yates every year since she left. Now that she’s back, of course he’d choose her p>
“Still, why did he go to Evangeline just now p>
“Obviously to put her in her place first. She made his ‘one and only’ suffer for five years p>
“Poor thing p>
“Poor? She wrecked someone else’s engagement to get this marriage in the first place-she brought it on herself p>
Evangeline pretended not to hear the familiar barbs and continued nibbling her pastry.
She was only human. Of course their words stung.
In the past, it would have taken her ages to collect herself. Maybe she’d just grown used to it, or maybe she simply didn’t care anymore.
By the time she finished her pastry, she’d regained her composure.
Around her, people waited in anticipation, eager to see what she’d do now that her husband had so publicly chosen someone else. Would she lash out? Break down? Cause a scene?
A minute passed. Evangeline didn’t so much as glance up-she just kept eating. Some onlookers started whispering that she was only pretending to be calm. They kept watching. When Evangeline finally finished, she stood and moved.
“It’s about to go down!” someone murmured, tension rippling through the crowd as they watched her every move.
A few nudged their friends, signaling them to keep an eye on the unfolding drama. Soren caught snatches of the gossip and glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see Evangeline heading in his direction. He frowned, half-expecting a scene.
He had, after all, promised her the role of hostess for this party-but only if she played by his rules. Now, after hurting Flora and starting divorce proceedings, she’d made a mess of things. If he revoked her privilege, she should have seen it coming. Besides, this was his grandmother’s birthday celebration. If she really did try to stir up trouble here, he wouldn’t let it slide.
But then, Evangeline stopped.
She walked over to a server, took a warm napkin, and wiped her hands. She gave the server a polite smile, mouthing a thank you.
Not here to cause trouble?
Strangely, Soren didn’t feel relief. If anything, a discomfort he couldn’t name gnawed at him.
Meanwhile, Glenn had appeared at Evangeline’s side without anyone noticing.
Soren’s brow furrowed and he hesitated, but Poppy tugged gently on his arm and whispered, “Soren, everyone’s watching p>
He snapped out of it, tore his gaze away from Evangeline, and led Poppy to the stage.
Evangeline didn’t avoid Glenn as he approached. Plenty of people already knew she was hosting the UME launch and had joined the company. If Glenn didn’t care, neither would she. Let everyone think what they wanted-she was done worrying about their opinions.
After a few more speculative whispers, the crowd realized she wasn’t about to start a fight with Poppy and lost interest, turning their attention back to Soren and Poppy on the stage.
With the scrutiny off her, Evangeline reached into her clutch and pulled out a neat stack of business cards-ones she’d designed ahead of time, hoping to secure partnerships for UME during the party.