No matter how jealous Eula felt, she had to suppress it deep inside and not show a hint of it in front of Lance. Otherwise, she would face Lance's warning, or worse, the fragile relationship between them could break entirely.
"Are you going to a party?" she asked, knowing the answer already.
She had returned at this moment because a servant from the manor informed her that Lance was taking Deanna to a party.
Deanna smiled lightly and said, "An elder invited Lance and me to his birthday banquet."
"Can I come?" Eula looked at Lance expectantly.
Although Deanna had answered her, she knew that only Lance could decide whether she could go or not. Besides, she didn't want Deanna to shine under the guise of being Lance's fiancee.
Lance met Eula's hopeful gaze with indifference and directly refused, "Do you have an invitation?"
Eula was taken aback by the question. Realizing what Lance meant, she said with some dissatisfaction, "I don't have an invitation, but don't you? I remember most invitations allow you to bring one or two guests."
"I only want to bring Deanna," Lance replied.
In other words, besides Deanna, he wouldn't bring anyone else.
Eula was left speechless by the rejection and felt a pang of jealousy at Lance's blatant favoritism towards Deanna. Why? Why did someone else get to take her place with Lance even though she had known him longer?
Unwilling to give up, Eula tried to soften her tone to change Lance's mind. "I've been in Chiaz for so long and haven't attended a party here. Please take me; I promise I won't cause any trouble. I just want to see how parties here differ from ours."
"If you just want to experience it, I'll call Ollie later to take you. Their parties should be more to your liking," Lance said coldly.
His words left Eula with no room for argument. She could only watch as he and Deanna got into the car and left.
On the way, Deanna was quiet and tense. Lance noticed her unusual behavior immediately and asked with amusement, "Are you angry?"
"Why would I be angry?" Deanna didn't want to admit it.
She was indeed uncomfortable seeing that Eula was still lingering around Lance, hoping for a chance.
Seeing Deanna's awkward expression, Lance laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Eula saved my life once. As long as she doesn't want to leave on her own, I can't force her out."
Hearing this, Deanna understood Lance's predicament. She took a deep breath and glared at him in frustration. "It's all your fault for being too outstanding."
"Aren't you proud? Such an outstanding me is devoted only to you!" Lance raised an eyebrow and effortlessly delivered his sweet words.
Even though Deanna had heard it many times, she couldn't help but blush and mutter, "When did you become so narcissistic?"
"Probably since I met you," Lance said, looking down at Deanna in his arms with a smile. His dark eyes were filled with overflowing tenderness.
Xavier listened to Mr. Mercer's sweet talk without any emotional reaction; he was numb to it by now.
Thus, Deanna and Lance arrived at the banquet venue, still wrapped up in each other.
The banquet was held at a private estate. Although the Shepard family was not as prominent as the Mercer family, they were still well-known domestically, so almost all the invitations were accepted.
In the banquet hall, elegantly dressed men and women chatted softly in small groups. Lance and Deanna's arrival immediately drew attention. After all, their status and appearance made them hard to ignore.
Soon, people who had connections with Lance came over to greet him. During this time, some of their wives invited Deanna for a chat. Although Deanna felt somewhat uncomfortable, she didn't refuse. As the future missus of the Mercer family, socializing was part of her responsibility.
Raphael also noticed Lance and Deanna's arrival. He continued his conversation with those around him while thinking about how to approach Lance.
Later in the evening, after having too much to drink, Lance went to the restroom. To his surprise, he found Raphael leaning against the wall inside. Frowning immediately, he turned to leave.
Seeing this, Raphael quickly stepped forward to stop him. "Wait!" he said as he grabbed Lance's arm.
Lance looked at him with a cold gaze and said sharply, "Let go!"
Intimidated by Lance's imposing demeanor, Raphael instinctively released his grip. He raised his hands and took a step back, saying honestly, "Mr. Mercer, I waited here specifically for you."
Hearing this, a glint of interest flashed in Lance's eyes.