Chapter 125 The Better Half of My Buddy
Chapter 125 The Better Half of My Buddy
Stephanie's POV
I was just about to peel back her little scheme without mercy when the lights in the banquet hall dimmed. A single spotlight cut through the shadows, pooling on the small stage at the center of the room.
Anthony stepped into the beam, his hand clasped around that of his stunning wife, Elara. They moved together with the quiet assurance of people who had shared decades of life side by side.
"Good evening, everyone."
His voice, deep and warm, carried easily through the microphone, reaching every corner of the hall.
"Thank you all for joining us tonight to celebrate our wedding anniversary."
He turned to Elara, and for a moment, the sharp, calculating gleam that usually lived in his eyes softened into something achingly tender.
"Twenty-five years ago, right here, I met the most important person in my life."
He paused, holding her gaze as if the rest of the room had vanished.
"Twenty-five years later, I still want to stand here and tell her - Elara, thank you for choosing me."
Elara's eyes shimmered, her lashes trembling as emotion welled up.
The room erupted in applause, punctuated by good-natured whistles and teasing calls.
Watching them on stage - still hopelessly in love after all these years - something warm and wistful stirred in my chest.
Maybe this was what love was meant to look like…
Not like mine, tangled and suffocating, as if I'd been clawing my way through mud in every lifetime.
"Oh my God… here we go again."
Beside me, Chloe groaned under her breath, rolling her eyes with theatrical exaggeration.
"They do this every year. Same speech, same story. I could recite it myself by now."
Her words dripped with mock complaint, but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her pride and affection.
The speech ended, and the first notes of a waltz floated through the air. The party had officially begun.
"Chloe, Stephanie, come here for a moment."
Anthony's voice called from a short distance away, his hand lifting in a beckoning gesture.
"Coming!" Chloe instantly swapped her smirk for the sweet, dutiful-daughter smile. She leaned in close to me, whispering in a quick, urgent hiss.
"Oh no… it's happening. That greasy guy is coming over. Stephanie, you have to help me get out of this."
Her mock panic made me laugh despite myself.
We threaded our way through the crowd, stopping at Anthony's side.
"Dad, Mom… you two were disgustingly romantic up there," Chloe said without missing a beat.
"You," Elara chided gently, tapping her daughter on the forehead before turning her attention to me. "Stephanie, you look beautiful tonight."
That was when I noticed him - standing just off Anthony's shoulder.
Luke.
Tonight he was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his usual roguish smirk replaced with a polished, almost princely composure.
The moment his gaze caught mine, something bright sparked in his eyes.
He opened his mouth, but Anthony beat him to it.
"Stephanie, this is Luke, heir to the Tucker Pack. His father and your grandfather have been friends for many years."
Tucker Pack.
My stomach dropped.
Luke… He was—
"Hey, my buddy's better half!"
Luke's exuberant shout hit like a grenade, detonating in the small circle around us.
Time froze.
I saw Anthony and Elara's smiles falter, Chloe's jaw drop into a perfect O, and felt the sudden pounding in my temples.
This idiot.
I coughed twice, sharp and deliberate, trying to drag everyone's attention back to reality. Fixing Luke with a smile that was all teeth and no warmth, I spoke slowly.
"Mr. Tucker… what did you just call me?"
Color drained from his face. Whatever easy charm he'd walked in with evaporated under the weight of my glare - and Chloe's, which promised slow and painful retribution.
"N-no! That's not… I misspoke! Just a slip!" His hands shot up in frantic denial, words tripping over themselves.
Pathetic.
"Is that so?" Anthony's gaze moved between us, sharp and assessing, the way a businessman sizes up a deal that doesn't quite add up.
"Stephanie…" Chloe edged closer, her eyes narrowing into a demand for the truth. "What's going on here?"
My headache spiked.
"Nothing," I said evenly, forcing my voice to stay calm. "Mr. Tucker and I met once at a private dinner."
I let the words hang, vague and unhelpful.
No way was I telling Chloe's parents that our first meeting had been in the Alpha of Thorn Pack's private kitchen. That would only invite questions I didn't want to answer.
"Oh…" Chloe drew the syllable out, her expression telegraphing exactly how little she believed me.
Luke, sweating bullets now, fished his phone from his pocket and began typing furiously, as if a text could save him from the mess he'd just made.