Chapter 9 The Protagonist of the Banquet
Lucas's mother came from the Caldwell family. Though it was just an unremarkable small family now, it was said that hundreds of years ago they had deep ties with the Celestria royal family, but this connection was severed due to war.
Lucas has two uncles. His eldest uncle passed away when he was five years old. His younger uncle, Simon Caldwell, was now the head of the Caldwell family. Ashley Caldwell and Arthur Caldwell were Simon's children.
This clever pair of twins entered their rebellious phase early at age twelve. Ashley dated multiple boyfriends at school, and Arthur found fault with everything - if you said one thing to him, he'd argue back three times.
Because I spent more time with them during their visits, they became quite close to me.
"Bella, is it true that you and Lucas are getting divorced?" Ashley asked.
"Yes, it's true." I nodded, and Ashley's eyes widened in shock.
"Is he going to marry Amelia? That woman with her nose in the air who looks like a vulture!" Arthur asked excitedly.
I nodded, and Arthur clutched his head and wailed. "Lucas must have lost his mind!"
"Bella, don't worry, we'll take care of that Amelia for you!" Ashley pulled out a handgun and made a fierce "killing" gesture.
"One shot to the head!" Arthur said excitedly, "We guarantee the bullet will go right through her body!"
I had a bit of a headache. These troublesome kids!
"Where did you get those guns?"
Arthur said. "Dad gave them to us. He told us to come learn shooting from Lucas."
Ashley pouted unhappily. "But Amelia keeps clinging to Lucas, always bad-mouthing you, and saying we're annoying."
Arthur added, "Today we deliberately burned her new dress with a lighter. She got so mad she left, and Lucas brought us to buy Amelia an apology gift."
"We're planning to buy her a dress and coat it with chili oil. Bella, what do you think?" Ashley asked for my opinion.
"I don't think that's a good idea - the smell would be too obvious." I shook my head helplessly. "I'll take you back."
"We're not going back, we want to stay with you."
"We've already put Lucas on our blacklist!"
Ashley and Arthur made such a fuss that I had to bring them back to my house.
Later that evening Marcus came over. Ashley and Arthur were very interested in my "lover." Arthur yelled that he would defeat Marcus, but ended up getting beaten by him.
After getting beaten, Arthur admitted defeat and said he was switching sides - he now supported me dumping Lucas and being with the more capable Marcus.
He even called Lucas to announce his decision, then hung up without waiting for Lucas to respond. Marcus really appreciated Arthur's style, and they quickly hit it off.
Ashley and Arthur made my life more lively. Soon, my birthday arrived.
From afternoon to evening, private planes kept arriving at Starstream City. Guests kept landing on the helipad at the top of Platinum Haven Hotel.
A long line of luxury cars filled the parking lot, their polished exteriors gleaming under the lights. The scale and brands alone marked the guests as wealthy and influential.
I started getting my hair and makeup done at noon. When I walked out of the makeup room, Marcus, Ashley, and Arthur all gasped.
"So beautiful! Bella is the most beautiful!" Marcus looked at me with a huge smile, taking photos non-stop and sending them to Gale and Brian who were busy greeting guests in the banquet hall.
I cooperated with Marcus's photos, then looked at Ashley and Arthur who had suddenly gone quiet. "What's wrong?"
"We're just thinking. Lucas is an idiot!"
"Lucas is definitely going to regret this!"
I smiled with relief.
I didn't know if Lucas would regret it, but I didn't regret marrying him or divorcing him.
At 6:30 p.m., I walked into the banquet hall on Marcus's arm.
Flowers of all colors covered the walls. Crystal chandeliers of varying heights hung like the Milky Way, casting dazzling starlight. The champagne tower reflected layers of halos, with well-dressed men and women reflected in the liquid.
People's eyes fell on my face - surprised, curious. Many people quietly sized up Marcus. Following the crowd's gaze, I easily spotted Lucas standing with Amelia.
Lucas was the Kingpin of the North, and many guests came because of him. A group of people surrounded him trying to get close, and Lucas was half-heartedly going through the motions. Halfway through speaking, he suddenly saw me and forgot to continue.
I clearly saw his pupils suddenly contract, his Adam's apple moving forcefully. After living together for three years, he had never seen me look so stunning.
At home I was always bare-faced, wearing soft cotton loungewear, as plain as could be. When going out, I liked simple-styled clothes, rarely wore jewelry, and occasionally put on light makeup. If I needed to accompany Lucas to events, I had to be "dignified, graceful, and appropriate." The designers didn't need me to think or have opinions - my dresses and jewelry were always meant to complement Lucas, never too flashy or eye-catching.
Today I wore a black strapless gown. The fitted design outlined my graceful figure. Around my neck was a necklace made of dozens of rubies and diamonds. My whole being radiated elegance, even my hair had a refined quality.
Amelia's face darkened. She tugged at Lucas's sleeve, but Lucas seemed not to notice, his eyes burning as he looked at me.
"Lucas is stunned!"
"Can't help it, Bella is too beautiful, too stunning."
"This must be Lucas's first time seeing Bella like this, right? What a waste of three years!"
Ashley and Arthur chimed in together. Just moments ago in the makeup room they were lamenting that Lucas had missed out on me, but now they were gleefully mocking him.
Lucas finally snapped back to reality. Seeing my arm intertwined with Marcus's, he frowned with displeasure, his sharp eyes suddenly turning to Ashley and Arthur. "You two are asking for a beating? Playing outside for days without coming home, get over here!"
They exchanged glances and walked to his side.
Their unusual obedience made Lucas suspicious. "What are you two plotting now?"
"Nothing. We just haven't seen you in days and missed you so much."
"We want to watch Lucas up close and not miss any of your expressions."
Ashley and Arthur said with fake innocence.
I couldn't help but laugh.
The emotions in Lucas's eyes rippled slightly. He said to me. "Today is your birthday, why aren't you at home? Why did you come here?"
"If you can come, why can't I?" I asked back.
"That's not what I meant." Lucas paused, brushed off Amelia's hand from his arm, rolled up his sleeve, and asked Amelia with some annoyance. "Are you trying to strangle me?"
There were several red marks on his arm - clearly Amelia had used quite a bit of force.
"I, I didn't expect Bella to be so beautiful, I was too surprised." Amelia defended herself, then asked me. "May I ask what capacity you two are attending in? Bella, I heard you have a close relationship with the chairman of Platinum Haven Hotel?"
"Amelia!" Lucas scolded in a low voice.
"Yes." I admitted frankly.
Whispers gradually spread. I let people speculate - the answer would be revealed soon anyway.
But Lucas couldn't stand it. His eyes swept coldly around the room, then he ordered me. "Go home."
I smiled. "If I leave, the party won't have its main character."
Lucas frowned uneasily. "What do you mean?"
At that moment, the general manager of Platinum Haven Hotel walked over and said respectfully to Marcus and me. "Ms. Sorelli, Mr. Marcus Sorelli, Mr. Gale Sorelli says everything is ready. Please come this way."
Lucas's eyebrow twitched. Amelia's eyes widened. "Ms. Sorelli?"