Chapter 19 Attending the Dinner Party

• Clair stayed at Felix's Villa these days to care for me. During this period, I asked him, "When are you returning to Sundew?"
• He smiled and asked, "Are you chasing me away?"
• "I'm just afraid your wife will get angry at you," I said.
• "She is young, so she often fights with me."
• She was indeed younger than me. From what I heard, she was cunning and domineering.
• However, she understood right from wrong, and she would never get mad over anything.
• If she encountered someone like Maria, she wouldn't waste too much energy. Instead, she would immediately send someone to silence her rival. Hence, Clair had few female friends.
• On the other hand, I never cared about such people.
• This was why people could take advantage of me.
• I smiled and said, "She is young, so you must be the bigger person and forgive her."
• As if he remembered something, he smiled fondly and said, "I've never blamed her once."
• He smiled heartily when he talked about his wife.
• "Both of you should get along."
• "Thank you, I hope so."
• I said, "Clair, you should go back to Sundew soon. I'm sure she misses you very much."
• "What about you? I have to stay here to take care of you."
• I smiled reluctantly. "Clair, I have a bucket list to complete, so please give me some privacy."
• I chased him away because I didn't want to waste his time.
• Moreover, he shouldn't be here because he was currently fighting with his wife.
• Clair hesitated and finally compromised. "Then, you will accompany me to a dinner party tonight."
• "Why do you want me to accompany you to the dinner party all of a sudden?" Clair smiled and said coldly, "Maria thinks that she is better than you, so I will let her know who the lowlife tonight is. Ree, don't refuse my invitation. She has to learn about fear. Nicholas spoiled her too much, so she doesn't even have the least bit of respect for you."
• "I don't mind—"
• "I do."
• …
• I was in a bad mood, but I still promised Clair to accompany him to the dinner party. I knew he was trying to avenge me, but I did not want to have anything to do with Nicholas anymore.
• After all, that man would protect Maria no matter what she did. This was his responsibility as her man, not to mention that he loved the woman as well.
• Why should I attend the party to watch him care for another woman?
• I put on light makeup to hide the scars on my face. Then, I changed into a luxurious evening dress and put on a pair of golden high heels. I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking that I was charming and attractive.
• This wasn't an exaggeration. However, I couldn't find another person in the Bryxton who rivaled my appearance and physique. If someone had an exact figure like mine, they would not have a face similar to mine. I had an unmistakable silhouette, dark eyes, and an aquiline nose. I was exquisite, and Maria couldn't possibly rival me. However, Nicholas still loved her.
• I felt ridiculous as I put on bright red lipstick.
• As soon as I put on my makeup, Clair pushed open the door and came in. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw me, and he commented with a smile, "I've always known that you're beautiful, but I never knew you're this delicate. You look like a flawless porcelain doll."
• "Beauty is useless."
• Clair replied, "It's pleasing to the eyes."
• "Maybe. When are we joining the party?"
• "Right now. The party has already started."
• Clair picked up my camel coat and put it on me. When we arrived at the dinner, it was already halfway through the party. The party's host saw Clair and me, and then he greeted us in person, "Welcome to my birthday party, Mr. Norman and Ms. Felix. Thank you for adding some radiance to my party."
• Clair hooked his lips and said with a smile, "Don't mention it, Mr. Gant. Let's cooperate again in the future."
• "Of course. You have given me a big gift, after all."
• Bryxton was dominated by the Felix Family and the Forger Family. At the same time, the Norman Family was the most powerful group in Sundew.
• Back then, my mother was willing to return Clair to the Normans because he had personally requested it. He was an intelligent man, for he knew what he should grasp and what he should leave behind.
• He thought that he was not an honest Felix, so he rejected the splendid future as the heir of the Felix Family from my mother. He needed his own power, as well as a family he could take for granted.
• Returning to the Norman Family was the best choice for Clair.
• Now, everyone was fawning him and Nicholas.
• After all, they were the most influential men in the two cities.
• On the other hand, I was withering.
• I couldn't exactly say that as I chose to leave the competition myself.
• Despite that, most of the guests at the party recognized me.
• However, few talked to me as I was aloof and rarely spoke.
• When we finally got some time together, Nicholas brought Maria close to us. He glanced at Clair indifferently and laughed sarcastically. "Are you Ms. Felix's new lover?"
• I smiled without saying a word as Clair wrapped his arms around my shoulders and turned away.
• "Wait a second, Renee."
• Maria called me, but Clair suddenly stopped walking.
• He turned around and stared at Maria coldly. "What did you call her?"
• Clair's expression was cold, and Maria said in a daze, "Renee."
• His expression changed as he scolded loudly, "Everyone addresses her as President Felix or Ms. Felix in this party, yet you have the guts to call her first name. Is she your close friend? Don't overestimate your value, Maria. Everyone at the party thinks of you as a mere home-wrecker, and I believe President Forger doesn't love you as much as you think he does."
• Her face turned pale. "You little—"
• Clair didn't suppress his voice, so everyone nearby witnessed the spectacle and clearly heard what he said. Everyone knew that he was a self-controlling man who never spoke out against anyone, especially a woman. However, he was immature enough to go against Nicholas' fiancée because of me.
• Nicholas did not change his expression. It was cold, obscure, and enigmatic as usual. In fact, it seemed as if it was not his fiancée who was being humiliated by Clare. Maria grabbed Nicholas' arm to ask for protection. However, he sneered and echoed Clair's words, "He's right. You were disrespecting others, and you've never worried about the consequences. I won't speak for you today, and this should teach you a lesson."
• Maria's expression changed. She probably never expected that the man she trusted the most would not help her.
• I was surprised too, for I thought that Nicholas would protect Maria. People in the high-class society would not take Maria seriously if Nicholas didn't protect her from the public's gaze. Simply put, she had lost her dignity as Mrs. Forger before she even got married.
• Just when I thought the drama would end and the guests would disperse while gossiping about it, Clair decided not to let it go. His voice was like a hailstorm that rained hard on the guests. "Renee Felix is my bottom line. If anyone offends her, I will let them pay, even if the Norman Family gets into trouble. I will never let today's affair rest."
• He then said, "To teach Ms. Hudson a good lesson, the Norman Family unilaterally announces that as long as Ms. Hudson is still related to the Forger Family, the Norman Family will never cooperate with them. Subsequently, any enterprise cooperating with the Forger Family will never cooperate with the Norman Family again, even if it means breaching our contract. I hope Ms. Hudson will understand."
• Clair emphasized the word 'understand'.
• To give a blow to the Forger Family's economy was to attack Maria. This was equivalent to putting the two families from the different cities on opposing sides, and the surrounding small families would get hurt the rivalry. Maria was the factor that escalated this situation, and Clair was forcing the Forger Family to abandon Maria. This was his revenge for me.
• Everyone didn't expect the situation to escalate so quickly, and they never expected that Clair held such high regard for me. I looked up as he took me away from the party with a warm smile.
• He didn't care about Nicholas' gloomy expression at all.
• When no one was around, I sighed and said, "You didn't have to attack her."
• Chair shrugged. "I heard and investigated the drama between both of you. Since she has bullied you, I will never forgive her. You might think it's uncalled for, but before leaving this world, I will let everyone know that you're a force to be reckoned with, Ree."
• As he spoke, Clair choked up.
• He looked at me with red eyes, stretched out his hand, and rubbed my cheek carefully. He said, "Although we haven't met for years, the feeling I have for you still exists when we talk. I am your brother, and you are my sister. After mom passed away, I wanted to come here to find you since I knew you'd be sad. However, you always rejected me, and I didn't know what you feared. How long did you plan on hiding it from me had I not taken the initiative to look for you?"
• What was I afraid of?
• Clair contacted me when my parents passed away, but I refused his kindness. That was because I understood that he had the Norman Family and his responsibilities to care for. I was afraid that I would rely on him as my only support. Moreover, I understood that it would not change the status quo even if Clair visited me.
• I was also afraid that he would leave me after giving me his warmth, so I rejected him.
• I thought I would be overly dependent on him once I started to rely on my brother.
• In the end, I answered gratefully, "Thank you, Clair."
• The venue was brightly lit, but Clair and I were in the shadows. He hesitated for a long time before asking me softly, "Ree, are you sure that your sickness is really incurable?" he asked tearfully.
• "Do you think I will joke about my sickness?"
• He suddenly hugged me in his arms and burst into tears. "I'm sorry. Forgive me for not finding you earlier. I'm sorry, Ree. I'm sorry for your mother, as I never protected you as she asked."
• "Clair, can you do something for me?"
• "Please tell me. Consider it done."
• "I have a friend in prison…"