She continued, her voice colder, “Save yourself the trouble. A pretty face doesn’t mean anything when you’re damaged goods. This isn’t the kind of place for someone like you, so why don’t you leave?”
Whitney regarded her with a steely gaze, watching as Tina worked herself into a frenzy. Just as she was about to respond, a familiar scent of dark wood and sandalwood enveloped her senses.
Before she knew it, she was pulled into a firm, warm embrace, and Klein’s voice cut through the tension. “Are you saying my date doesn’t belong here?” he asked, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
Panic surged through Tina like a wave as she flailed her arms in desperation. “Mr. Harris, I was referring to Whitney crashing the party without an invitation! I wasn’t implying anything about your date!” Her heart raced, and her mind scrambled to make sense of the unfolding chaos.
Tina’s mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that Klein’s date was Joanne, the girl she had seen him with earlier. But the scene that unfolded before her was far more shocking. Klein pulled Whitney close, his arm draping possessively over her shoulders in an unmistakably intimate embrace. Tina felt her jaw drop in disbelief, her thoughts spiraling into confusion.
Her mind went utterly blank, and an icy chill gripped her hands and feet. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks: Klein and Whitney were indeed involved in a physical relationship.
She had suspected something was amiss during Grandma’s funeral, but now the evidence was glaringly obvious, right before her eyes.
Klein’s icy stare pierced through her. “What, does my date need an invitation now?” His tone was sharp, laced with disdain.
Oliver erupted into laughter, the sound ringing through the tense atmosphere. “Man, Klein, it seems your reputation doesn’t hold as much weight anymore. How did you let your girl get humiliated like this?”
With a crooked finger, Oliver beckoned Joanne over, who approached with a hesitant demeanor. He slid his arm around her slim waist, a smug grin on his face. “See? I would never allow my girlfriend to be treated like that.”
Tina, who had been radiating confidence just moments before, now appeared on the verge of tears, her bravado crumbling under the weight of humiliation.
Whitney observed her stepsister with a sense of superiority, a mocking thought flitting through her mind. *Pathetic,* she mused.
Then a voice, low and magnetic, whispered in Whitney’s ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Sorry you had to deal with that. Now, escort this woman without an invitation out of here.”
Tina’s heart dropped at those words. Panic surged within her as she thought, *No, I can’t be thrown out! If they kick me out, how will my plan succeed?*
Gathering her courage, Tina turned to Whitney, desperation lacing her voice. “Whitney, I have an invitation! Can you please put in a good word for me with Mr. Harris? I promise I really do have one!”
Whitney stared at her, utterly baffled. *Sometimes I really want to crack open her skull and see if there’s just cotton stuffing inside,* she thought, incredulous. Just moments ago, Tina had been trying to push her out, and now she was asking for help?
Whitney wasn’t a saint; why would she lift a finger for someone who had just tried to undermine her? She gently tugged on Klein’s sleeve, her voice steady as she said, “Klein, I don’t know her.”
Tina’s panic escalated. “Whitney, why are you lying?”
Klein was on the verge of summoning two servers to throw Tina out when, just in the nick of time, Hannah appeared. She had no clue about the brewing storm around her.
Still, she had promised her mother to keep an eye on Tina, so she approached cautiously, “Klein, Oliver, what’s going on here?”
As Hannah called Klein’s name, Whitney’s eyebrow lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
Klein’s expression darkened further. “Do we know each other?”
Hannah had crossed paths with Klein at least a couple of times. Though they had never exchanged words directly, they were not complete strangers. When she spotted the stunning girl beside him, she had instinctively called out his name, but now, with the tension hanging thick in the air, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
She turned to Oliver, her eyes filled with concern. “Did Tina do something to upset you guys?”
Oliver’s irritation was palpable. He was utterly exhausted by Hannah’s puppy-dog eyes, which dripped with desperation. It made his skin crawl.
And that sickly sweet tone she adopted? It was enough to make him want to flee.
However, given that their mothers were close friends, Oliver decided to give her a moment. “Is she with you?”
Hannah’s heart sank, but she managed to maintain a composed facade, forcing a faint smile. “Yeah, she is.”
She added, “Since you brought her, Klein, do me a favor and let this one slide.”
Klein shot Oliver a cold, sidelong glance, as if silently questioning, *Do you really think you have any influence over me?*
Oliver recognized the ruthless streak in Klein and turned to Whitney instead. “Ms. Moore, my company needs a legal consultant. Interested?”
Whitney’s surprise was evident. “Mr. Grant, you’re too kind. Of course.”
Klein scoffed quietly, *At least he knows when to back off,* he thought, patting Whitney’s hand affectionately. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat.”
With the issue of compensation settled, Klein found himself indifferent to the fate of some clown.
Whitney winked at Joanne and left with Klein, leaving Oliver to cast a glance at Hannah filled with barely concealed impatience. “Keep your people in check, or there won’t be a next time.”
With that, Oliver wrapped his arm around Joanne’s slender waist and strolled away, leaving Hannah seething.
As jealousy flared within her, Hannah dug her nails into her palms, her heart racing at the sight of Oliver’s arm around someone else’s waist. It drove her absolutely insane.
Tina’s eyes mirrored the same shade of envy. *How does Whitney get so lucky?* she thought bitterly. *She already broke off her engagement with Carter, but now she’s latched onto someone even better-someone far more powerful than Carter ever was!*
A cold glint sparked in her eyes. *Don’t get too comfortable, Whitney. Once I’m pregnant with Klein’s baby, you’ll be out of the picture for good.*
As the dust settled, Hannah turned on Tina, her anger bubbling over. “Tina, don’t cause me any more trouble, or I won’t cover for you again. I don’t care if your mom asks me to.”
Tina wanted to snap back, but fear held her tongue. “Hannah, I understand.”
Whitney, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding around her, savored delicate bites of her pastry, oblivious to the smudge of cream at the corner of her mouth. She appeared to relish every moment, lost in her own world.
Klein’s gaze burned with intensity as he watched her lips, his eyes darkening with an unsettling desire.
She must have felt his penetrating stare, as she glanced up, confusion clouding her features. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
Without warning, Klein’s cool, dry thumb brushed across the corner of her mouth, and then he brought it to his lips, sucking on it lightly. “Cream,” he said, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “It’s sweet.”
Whitney’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, her heart racing.
Across the room, Dustin observed the pair, unable to stomach their display of affection any longer.
Eric, intrigued, asked, “Does his dad know about this?”
“Who knows?” Dustin shrugged, trying to mask his irritation.
“So he’s serious about her?”
Dustin pondered for a moment. “Seems like it.”
They had never witnessed Klein act like this before. If they believed in such things, they’d swear he had been possessed. “Well, this should be fun to watch.”
Dustin thought, *No kidding. This might turn into one hell of a show.*
Lost in their conversation, neither Eric nor Dustin noticed the server who hurried past them.
“Would you like some juice, sir?”
Klein glanced at the tray held by the server, nodding slightly in response.
The server set two glasses of orange juice on the table-one in front of Whitney, then slowly placing the other before Klein. “Please enjoy, sir, miss.”
Klein narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the server for a moment before lifting his glass and taking a long, satisfying drink.
Whitney watched him, curiosity piquing. “Is it that good?”
Klein smiled, “It’s alright.”
Before long, Klein’s cheeks began to flush with an unusual hue. He stood up abruptly. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Whitney, perplexed by the sudden change in his demeanor, wondered why his face was so red after just drinking orange juice.
Tina, glancing down at her phone, felt a surge of triumph. *It worked,* she thought, her heart racing with excitement.
She pulled the hotel keycard from her bag, her palms slick with sweat as she made her way upstairs.
The first floor was the bustling banquet hall, while the second floor housed numerous private rooms for guests seeking solace.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.