The lady was talking to Linus in a whisper when Michael walked up to her with a wine glass in his hand and clinked glasses with her cordially. The lady turned to face him, and they started to talk and joke.
The lady was young, and the golden-yellow evening dress she was wearing made her stand out a lot among the female guests dressed in different colors, like a poinciana that bloomed proudly among the colorful flower bed. Her gorgeous beauty was so aggressive that nobody dared to look her in the eye.
Her eyes still shone with the pride of a queen even when she was talking to Michael. Sophia didnât know if it was because of a comparison she drew or if it was because of Michael himself, but she couldnât help feeling that he lowered himself to an obsequious degree while talking to her.
Michael was undoubtedly proud, but he humbled himself in front of this lady, for she was the one whom he had once chased after but couldnât marry in the end.
âSheâs Lucy Edwards, the eldest daughter of the Edwards Family,â Irene suddenly spoke behind Sophia with a note of chilling jealousy in her voice.
Irene despised Sophia. She had always thought that Michaelâs relationship with Sophia wouldnât last long, for she believed that what he loved about the latter was merely her youthful body and appearance.
As for Lucy, Irene was absolutely jealous of her; she could only be jealous of Lucy since she knew that she was inferior to the latter.
Sophia merely gave a bitter laugh without responding to Irene.
Sophia had seen Lucyâs name on the list of the invited guests long ago.
Lucy Edwards was the eldest daughter of the Edwards Family, but she didnât belong to Faye and Joeâs branch of the family. Instead, she was the eldest daughter of the main branch of the Edwards Family, which was famous in Bayside City for being one of the worldâs richest families. Being 26 years old this year, she held a Ph.D. degree in management science and was the Vice President of the Edwards Group. Besides being a highly intelligent top achiever, she was a well-known iron lady. Being the daughter of the head of the Edwards Familyâs clan and the Chairman of the Edwards Group, she was also her fatherâs indispensable assistant. Being a female businesswoman whose presence was as imposing as a queenâs, she got herself inducted to Bayside Universityâs Wall of Alumni with her capabilities.
She was a million times more competent than Natasha, the idiot. After joining the Edwards Group at 15 years old to learn to manage a business, she carved out a niche of her own at 26 years old and was among the Forbes list of the worldâs wealthiest women.
She was also Michaelâs ex. It was said that she was Michaelâs second fiancée, but her engagement to him had been nullified for all kinds of reasons. Rumor had it that the Edwards Family called off their engagement after she was involved in a car crash, but there were also rumors that the Edwards Family considered Michael unworthy of marrying her. In other words, Lucy dumped him!
Out of the four most prominent families of Bayside City, the Fletchers was a military family; the Winstons ruled the underworld; the Mitchells were influential worldwide; and the Edwards Family was among the richest families of the world. Lucy wasnât as famous as Natasha simply because the former kept a low profile.
Michael and Lucy began dating not long after Irene âlost her memoryâ back then. The pair soon got engaged before breaking up shortly after that, ending their relationship with lightning speed.
Meanwhile, Lucy seemed to be amused by Michaelâs jokes. She pressed her lips into a smile, revealing a beautiful face, thus enabling Sophia to see her face clearly and discover that she bore a striking resemblance to Elizabeth.
Michael stared at Lucy with a trace of sadness and hope in his eyes, as if he saw somebody else in her.
It was as if he wished that Lucy could speak to him a little longer.
Sadly, Lucy and Elizabeth had different destinies despite having the same looks.
How could Michael not humble himself in front of the person who was the very image of Elizabeth, his mother?
âWhat is it? You are jealous of her, but you feel that you can do nothing, donât you?â
Ireneâs frosty voice could be heard. She could still capitalize on the memories of her and Michaelâs tender youth, but what did Sophia have?
Sophia was young and beautiful, but so was Lucy.
Moreover, Lucy had a prominent family background and business management capabilities that would put most women to shame, both of which Sophia didnât have.
Sophia didnât answer Ireneâs words. She lowered her head and gently took a sip of the red wine in her glass, only to find that it tasted bitter.
Irene stood behind her as they jealously watched Michael talking happily to Lucy.
Even so, Irene thought that she herself was better than Sophia. Lucy was the substitute he found for himself after losing her, whereas Sophia was another substitute he found after his engagement with Lucy fell through.
As the legitimate eldest daughter of the Edwards Familyâs direct line of descent, Lucyâs personal wealth was estimated at hundreds of billions. On the other hand, Sophia was but an illegitimate child of a bastard son who belonged to a distant branch of the Edwards Family. Therefore, she had no comparability with Lucy.
Lowering her eyelashes in dejection, Sophia couldnât hear distinctly what Irene said. She knew that Irene and Lucy would be present on this day, yet she humiliated herself by insisting on attending the banquet.
Suddenly, her shoulder was gently pushed by someone, and Michaelâs voice snapped her out of her imagination. âWhatâs wrong, chica? Are you unhappy?â
Only then did she come to her senses and notice Michael standing in front of her without her realizing it.
Irene had left before she realized it, while Lucy was still talking to Linus, and Michael was standing right in front of her.
âHuh?â Only then did she snap out of her daze. âNothing! Have you finished greeting your friend?â
Michael whispered, âYeah. Letâs dance together.â
Sophia stupidly let Michael lead her into the dance floor.
Lucy had noticed Sophia long ago when the latter sat on Michaelâs lap in a sulk.
She wasnât very interested in gossip about stars and celebrities, but she knew that the young lady was Michaelâs wife.
What an irony that he spent money and bought a young bride for himself after being unable to marry me!
Lucy felt that she was insulted, for Michael substituted her with such a woman.
The dance party began, and Michael held Sophiaâs hand and led her into the dance floor. A slow and soothing music happened to be playing, and the ladies and gentlemen on the dance floor slowed down their movements.
Sophia was upset the whole time while she was dancing with Michael. Without saying a word, she rested her chin on Michaelâs shoulder while slowly taking her steps along with the music.
Michael seemed to know the reason for her silence, for he placed his hand on her back and gently patted her twice. âI just went to say hello to her.â
Lucy looked very much like Elizabeth, so he really couldnât ignore her when she stood in front of him.
Michael used to resent Elizabeth for abandoning him and his sister. To him, she could live well even without Theo.
Now that he had learned the truth, he was ashamed of the thoughts he once had, and the feelings in his heart became stronger when he saw Lucyâs face.
He knew that Lucy wasnât Elizabeth. All he wanted was to speak to Lucy so that he could imagine what it was like to speak to Elizabethâ¦
Of course, Sophia wasnât angry just because Michael had spoken to Lucy.
She was just feeling inferior, for she knew that she was inferior to Lucy. Some heights were destined to be insurmountable no matter how hard one tried. So many people worked hard to earn money, yet there would always be only one person who was the richest in the world.
Sophia hooked her arms around Michaelâs shoulders by passing her hands under his armpits and clasping them on his back. Not wanting to speak for the moment, she buried her face in his embrace.
Michael knew that she had been dealt a blow on this day, and the fact that her husbandâs ex was more outstanding than her definitely made her feel even more upset.
He gently appeased her by comforting her, âYou insisted to comeâ¦â
âUh-huh,â Sophia responded without saying anything else.
The two then danced in silence.
Suddenly, Michael left to answer a phone call. When he returned, he said to Sophia, âAbel has something to talk to me about, so Iâll be going back first. Have fun while youâre here.â
The furrow in his brow and the anxious tone of his voice indicated that the matter seemed to be very urgent.