All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Mark was outside of the bedroom and urged, “Eve, are you ready? Everyone is here.”
“I’m coming!” Shortly afterward, I opened the bedroom door and walked out. When he saw me in the elegant dress, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “My daughter is so beautiful!” Subsequently, he stretched out his hand in front of me.
After some hesitation, I took his hand. When we arrived at the stairs, I could feel everyone’s gazes focused on me. With an elegant smile on my face, I fixated my eyes on Mom, who was greeting the guests.
She was talking to a family, but they did not seem to be from Avenport because they looked unfamiliar. As I walked down the stairs, Mom pointed at me and said something to the dignified-looking man. The next moment, he looked toward me and smiled at me. In response, I nodded slightly.
My gaze swept across the hall, and I realized that many people were present. Moreover, I was familiar with most of them. Benson was downstairs as well, but he looked less arrogant and did not stand beside Crystal. On the contrary, Crystal attended the banquet as the heir of the Tanner family, standing proudly in the crowd.
The Lane family and the Goldstein family were originally business rivals. Even if only one of them came, it was great respect to the Goldstein family. However, everyone from the Lane family had turned up. I saw Christopher placing his hand on where his heart was while glancing at me with a smile on his face. His smile was much more genuine compared to others. The Lane family must have attended the banquet for my sake.
“Welcome to everyone who attends this banquet, and thank you for taking your time to join us. Of course, the star of the day isn’t me but the person next to me.”
Mark pointed at me with a gentle smile and announced softly, “I believe everyone had read the newspaper and heard some rumors. That’s right. Eve is my daughter. I’m heartbroken for not being able to fulfill my responsibility as a father for so many years, so today, I solemnly introduce her to everyone. From now on, Eve is the daughter of the Goldstein family.”
After he finished speaking, there was a round of applause from the crowd. As one of the bigwigs in Avenport, everyone showed him respect.
Since I was the main focus of the banquet, naturally, I would have to do the opening dance. Instantaneously, I wanted to walk toward Christopher, and he was also looking at me. With my current identity, I was finally a woman worthy of him. In one of the most important moments of my life, I wanted to hold his hand and dance together with him in the public as a gesture of love.
“Eve, come here!” When I was about to walk toward Christopher, Isabelle suddenly came over and blocked my way. There was a smile on her face, but I could see the anger that flashed across her eyes. Pointing at the man next to her, she uttered, “This is Tobey Osborn from Horington. He’s a decent man. Would you like to ask him for a dance?”
Although she sounded implicit, as someone who grew up in the Tanner family, I immediately understood the meaning behind her words. She was trying to set me up with him. In an instant, my expression darkened, and the smile on my face faded. Nevertheless, I could not say anything to Mom on that kind of occasion.
“Hi, Mr. Osborn!” I stretched out my hand to Tobey, not to invite him for a dance but to shake hands. The seemingly graceful man held my hand and did not let go. I could feel that his thumb was constantly rubbing the back of my hand with a hint of infatuation.
Thus, I pulled my hand slightly, but he did not let go. While thinking about how ignorant he could be, I got closer to block everyone’s sight and yanked my hand back. After that, I turned my head and caught a glimpse of Christopher. He had already walked to the front of the crowd. Immediately, I stepped forward and wanted to reach out to him.
Just then, Sabrina blocked in front of me and shook her head. I stopped dead in my tracks and glanced at Christopher, only to see him shaking his head as well, telling me not to be too impulsive. Pursing my lips, I fixated my gaze on Zachary. Then, I stood in front of him and stretched out my hand.
On the other hand, Zachary was puzzled and could not comprehend my actions.
