Cassidy had arranged for someone to pick up Hailey, but due to a last-minute delay, Hailey had to head to the banquet on her own with Cassidy's invitation. When she finally got there, the attendant stopped her.
Hailey quickly flashed Cassidy's invitation. "This is my friend's invitation. She's the head of the Cooper family! She invited me to come with her!"
The attendant glanced at the invitation and then gave Hailey a once-over, noting her fancy dress but lack of jewelry. Assuming she was just a poor girl pretending to be someone important, he had no intention of letting her in.
As Hailey desperately explained herself, he began mocking her, saying, "This is the Moore family's wedding banquet! It's not for people like you! If you didn't steal that invite, you must have forged it!"
Hailey's face turned red with embarrassment, and the attendant thought he had her figured out, looking at her with even more disdain. "I don't care where you got that invite, but you don't belong here. If that invite isn't stolen, it must be forged!"
Hailey didn't expect being late would cause such a mess. "But my friend really gave me this invite. If you don't believe me, I can call her to come get me."
The attendant laughed. "Someone like you couldn't possibly know anyone from the Cooper family! Last warning, leave now!"
The Moore family's attendant was so rude that Hailey couldn't get through to him. No matter what she said, he was convinced the invite was fake.
With no other options, Hailey called Cassidy, hoping she could come out and get her. However, Cassidy didn't pick up. Hailey tried calling three times, but there was no answer.
The attendant was even more sure she was trying to sneak in. "Leave now!"
Hailey was on the verge of tears. With the Blake family's status, she had no way to attend a banquet like this. Cassidy invited her, hoping she could meet more people and broaden her horizons.
She felt honored to be invited and had checked her outfit multiple times before leaving. But now she was stuck outside.
"If Cassidy finds out I can't get in even with the invite, would she think I'm useless? She gave me a chance, but I can't take it," Hailey couldn't help but wonder.
Deeply upset, Hailey lowered her head to message Cassidy, letting her know she might not be able to get in.
Just as she was about to send the message, she heard a smooth, sexy voice. "What's going on here?"
Hailey looked up and saw a very handsome face, with bright, gem-like eyes that instantly caught her attention. He had a playful smile and a laid-back vibe. A few strands of hair fell on his forehead, giving him a lazy look.
Hailey felt like time stopped, and her phone slipped from her hand, hitting the doormat with a thud, snapping her back to reality. She awkwardly picked up her phone.
Chase smiled at her politely.
The attendant immediately bowed respectfully. "Mr. Bennett."
Chase nodded slightly and asked, "What's happening?"
"Mr. Bennett, this lady somehow got an invitation and is trying to force her way in," the attendant said.
Chase turned to Hailey, who immediately started waving her hands in a panic.
"No, that's not true!" She handed the invitation to Chase and explained, "This is from my friend. I'm really not here to cause trouble! I tried calling her, but she might be busy and didn't answer. I'm really not a bad person!"
Hailey was so frantic she didn't even realize what she was saying, just hoping Chase wouldn't misunderstand her.
Chase took the invitation and looked at it. It was legit. Seeing the name on the invite, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're friends with Cassidy Monroe?"
Hailey nodded quickly. "Yes, Mr. Bennett!"
Chase smiled, handed the invitation back, and told the attendant, "Her invitation is real. Let her in."
The attendant stepped aside without any more objections.
Hailey sighed in relief and quickly followed Chase into the venue. "Mr. Bennett, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I might have had to go back."
Chase just smiled, not taking her gratitude too seriously. "Looking for Cassidy? She should be inside. I can take you to her."
"Really?" Hailey was a bit excited.
Then she realized she might have overreacted and added, "It's my first time at something like this. If you could take me to Cassidy, I'd be very grateful!"
"Of course, it's my pleasure to help a beautiful lady." With that, Chase led her to find Cassidy.
Hailey followed Chase, her heart beating a bit fast. He was very talkative, and everything he said interested her. Within minutes, she was drawn to his charm.
Once inside, Chase quickly spotted Cassidy, who was resting on the side.
"Cassidy!" Hailey rushed over.
"Hailey, you made it! I thought you weren't coming!" Cassidy said happily.
Hailey blushed and shook her head. "I had a bit of trouble at the door."
"Ms. Blake was stopped by the attendant. She couldn't reach you, and I happened to see it, so I brought her in," Chase explained.
Cassidy was surprised and felt guilty. Seeing the missed calls on her phone, the guilt deepened. "Sorry, Hailey. I should have waited for you. I was chatting and didn't notice your calls. Did the attendant give you a hard time?"
Hailey shook her head. "No, Mr. Bennett helped me."
Cassidy was relieved and thanked Chase. "Mr. Bennett, thank you so much for helping Hailey."
Chase just smiled and shook his head. "No problem. It was a small matter. Now that my task is done, I'll take my leave."
Hailey's eyes followed Chase, but when he looked back, she shyly lowered her head. It wasn't until Chase disappeared into the crowd that Hailey felt her heart rate return to normal.
After Chase left, Cassidy nervously asked Hailey if she was hurt and was completely relieved when Hailey said she wasn't. "I'm so sorry, Hailey. I'll be more careful next time to make sure this doesn't happen again!"
"Cassidy, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault." Hailey blushed and reassured Cassidy. After a few seconds, she asked the question that had been on her mind. "Cassidy, who was that Mr. Bennett just now?"