Filed to story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel >>
Harriet turned around in surprise. The moment she saw that it was Hayley, a natural smile appeared on her face. “You’re here too, Hayley.” Hayley immediately wrapped her hands around Harriet’s arm. “You don’t mind that I’m here, right, Old Madam Presgrave? Elliot told me that he missed out on my invitation. I wouldn’t have known about this whole thing if Daniel hadn’t told me!”
“I guess there must have been a mistake,” Harriet replied. Initially, Harriet hadn’t wanted Hayley to be at the event, but Harriet couldn’t do anything since Hayley was already there.
“I missed you so much, Old Madam Presgrave!” Hayley gave the old lady a fond peck on her cheek.
“Which family is this young lady from, Old Madam Presgrave?” one of the ladies in the crowd asked curiously. Hayley quickly replied to the lady with a smile. “I’m also one of Old Madam Presgrave’s god-granddaughters!”
After Hayley finished her sentence, a rather complicated look flashed across Harriet’s face. Harriet could easily tell what Hayley was trying to do. It seems like Hayley is more manipulative than I thought her to be, Harriet thought. Both Hayley and Anastasia stood to the left and right of Harriet, and Anastasia simply continued smiling after hearing what Hayley said. Anastasia could only scoff in her heart when she saw what Hayley was trying to do.
Hayley wanted to steal the spotlight away from Anastasia, and she wanted the crowd to recognize who she was so that they would be more aware of her status in the future. In the public’s eye, anyone who could get close to Harriet had to have a good relationship with the Presgrave Family.
While Hayley wasn’t paying attention, Harriet casually pulled her hand out of Hayley’s arm before addressing both the girls. “Come over here and have a chat with me.” Harriet led Anastasia toward the couch, and Hayley immediately tagged along. She didn’t want Hayley to get all the good stuff.
Harriet initially had some personal matters that she wished to talk to Anastasia about, but she had to put it off since Hayley was just beside them. Harriet ended up asking Anastasia about her work. I’ll find another chance to talk to Anastasia, I guess, Harriet thought.
Harriet asked Hayley how she was doing as well, and Hayley put on her happiest look as she spoke to Harriet. The crowd observed their interactions and wondered, Can Hayley be any more friendly and warm?
Meanwhile, Nigel’s parents had called him over to another room. There was a rich couple sitting inside, and a young, gorgeous girl was sitting beside them. The girl’s eyes lit up when she saw Nigel as she was attracted to him.
“Come over here, Nigel. I’d like you to meet Mr. Johnson, his wife, and his only daughter, Leah. You guys met when you were younger.” Nigel’s father, Jonathan Manson, chuckled as he glanced at the other family’s daughter with a fond and loving gaze.
“Yeah! You guys brought Nigel over during Leah’s 100-day-old party. Nigel was only two years old then! We already had the idea of matching them since,” Johnson’s wife uttered with a sweet smile.
“Exactly! Their age difference is just perfect.” Joy appeared in Brenda’s—Nigel’s mother—eyes as she looked at Leah. Brenda was wholly satisfied with this idea. Both Brenda and Jonathan had Leah as their first choice in mind. Leah’s parents were powerful people in the food industry, and they had a lot of partnerships with hotel businesses. If Nigel took over the business, he’d be able to receive support from Leah’s family. So, the most ideal plan was to matchmake them and unite their families, so that they could both help each other double and triple their revenue!
Nigel would no longer have to worry about a lack of support in his career as he would have an extremely powerful father-in-law! Leah’s parents shared the same thoughts, and they figured that both families would only grow stronger once they combined their resources. Furthermore, Leah’s family wouldn’t have to worry about finding another inheritor for their business because they were satisfied with Nigel’s capabilities.
“It’s been a while, Nigel!” Leah gave him a friendly greeting. This wasn’t the first time they had met each other. They were both club members of some overseas racing club, and Leah had fallen in love with Nigel the first time she saw him. It was love at first sight—she even followed him back to the country after he left. Most importantly, Leah was overjoyed to find out that both her and Nigel’s parents were supportive of the relationship.
“It’s been a while, Leah. Thank you for coming to my grandmother’s party, Mr. and Mrs. Hart.” Nigel spoke in a polite tone.
“It’s our pleasure and honor to be able to attend this party.” The Hart couple had come over just so that their children could meet up during the party. “Why don’t you show Leah to the buffet area for some food, Nigel? Us old ones will be here catching up with each other.” Brenda shot her son a look.
Nigel was exasperated deep down, but he maintained a polite expression on his face. “Okay, Mom.” Nigel brought Leah out of the hall and toward the buffet area. After Leah got some food, Nigel seized this opportunity to escape. “I have other matters to handle, Leah! You enjoy your meal, alright?”
Leah immediately stared at him with a look of disappointment. She had spent the whole day preparing and dolling herself up for the party, yet Nigel barely looked at her. That hurt her heart more than ever. However, when she recalled how both families’ parents were willing to matchmake them, she felt a little better. She had no need to rush since she was going to be the Manson’s daughter-in-law eventually.
“That was Old Madam Presgrave’s grandson, wasn’t he? He looks stunning!” someone uttered. “Yeah, I heard that there have been a large number of ladies from rich families who are circling the two young masters! I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to get married to him and be a part of their family,” another said.
A confident smirk formed on Leah’s lips after she heard the conversations. I’m one of those lucky girls, she thought. No one else will ever have enough power and resources to take Nigel away from me.