Chapter 279: Chapter 280

“If none of them are available/’ Anna continued, “1’1 have to ask someone from my company to go with me.”

Wayne became increasingly irritated and then inquired, “Huh? You even thought of them? Are you serious? You’re talking about who you’ll bring to the reception with me, Anna/’

Anna’s heart began to race as soon as she heard his gloomy voice.

Wayne rolled over and pressed himself against Anna’s body at that, moment.

Anna reached up and pressed her hand against his chest, saying, “Ah, no! You misunderstood me. | did it because | was worried you’d be embarrassed. After all, I’m asking for your opinion, aren’t I?”

“You want me to pick a date for you, don’t you?” Wayne growled.

Anna felt she had no way of explaining herself to him. She didn’t feel like continuing arguing and could only say, “Well, if you’re not going, Ineed someone to keep me company.”

Wayne bowed his head and stared at her. His muscular body and the quilt made Anna feel like she couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, | didn’t say that.” Wayne said.

Anna became even more upset. She did it because she was worried about him and didn’t expect him to hold it against her. Anna said, “I did it because of you! Why do you blame me?”

She was about to finish when she noticed Wayne staring at her with an aggressive expression. She became even more agitated, turned her head, and said, “Well, you wouldn’t understand that. Feel free to think whatever you want.”

Wayne froze, then rolled over to lie beside Anna. When he tried to hug Anna, she struggled and moved to the bed’s edge and refused to speak to him.

Wayne began to regret what he had just said after reflecting on what had occurred between him and Anna during this time.

He explained, “Thank you for thinking of me, Anna. You know, | don’t even mind being mocked. I’m just worried about our relationship. You could go with whoever you want if we weren’t a couple. But, because | am your boyfriend, | hope | can come with you to the banquet.”

Anna chose to ignore him:

Wayne approached her once more and said, “You know, I’m worried that you might fall for someone else. Besides, attending a dinner party is not as simple as you think. So | don’t want you to go there by yourselt.”

He hadn’t anticipated Anna to continue ignoring him.

Wayne was thinking about what he should say when he heard Anna say, “Where are Matthew and Tammy? Should we bring them along?”

Wayne immediately brightened up and said, “Ryan has plenty of time.”

Anna returned his gaze and said, “Hey! Do you really think of Ryan as your babysitter?”

“Isn’t he?” Wayne raised an eyebrow as if perfectly justified Ryan had frequently stayed by Anna’s side, explaining that he did so to protect her and investigate things. However, Wayne was well aware of What he was thinking.

He thought, Since Ryan took my money, | should treat myself to the services I deserve. After all, he could work as a babysitter, couldn’t he? The reception was held the following evening at 7:30 p.m.

AW reserved the top floor of Birmingham’s most luxurious hotel and laid out a long red carpet in front of it. Many elites of the upper class in town attended that banquet.

AW was in the media business, so, many celebrities were present. Journalists who received invitations were overjoyed, while those who didn’t could only take pictures at the entrance.

Anna and Wayne stepped onto the red carpet hand in hand. Although they smiled for the camera, they kept whispering.

“Look, this isn’t a reception, but a film festival! | understand he wants to make Scott more famous, but does he have to do so?”

Wayne took a moment to consider the venue’s setup before responding, “Actually, he’s doing it not just for Scott, but also for his company. You should know that the film and television industries are very profitable these days. As a result, he wishes to employ Scott in order to attract more customers and gain attention.”

“Huh? Why didn’t he come out with Scott if he really wanted to get attention?” Anna asked.

Randal and Scott were dating, but they kept it a secret. Anna knew they did it because they couldn’t find a suitable time to come out. If Scott suddenly revealed that he was gay, his fans might not accept it for a while.

Anna had no problem with that. However, she didn’t like that Randal constantly had scandals with many actresses these days.

She was disappointed every time she heard the news.

Wayne realized why Anna was complaining about Randal. He and Randal had been rivals since they were children, so he wasn’t about to put in a good word for him.

Scott approached them as they entered the ballroom and asked, “Hey, Anna, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! What took you so long to get here?”

“Oh, the traffic was terrible. Plus, did you notice the red carpet at the entrance? If we wanted to get in, we had to wait in line.”

Anna cast a thoughtful glance behind him. Randal had indeed been following Scott, as she had predicted.

Scott was meaner than Anna. He rolled his eyes at Randal, standing behind him, “Oh, he’s crazy. Okay, Anna, you’re coming with me later. Otherwise, you’re going to meet some jerks.”

“What’s the matter?” Anna inquired, perplexed.

Scott turned to Randal and said, “It’s time for you to answer Anna.”

He sounded as if he was pointing the finger at Randal. Anna chuckled because she wasn’t actually asking Randal.

Randal wasn’t angry but simply said, “Oh, there aren’t that many people in business. It’s better to have one more friend than one more enemy, you know. Anna will definitely know what I’m saying, right?”

“Come on, stop those craps. Why don’t you just say you invited Jacob and Lilian?”

Hearing those two names, Anna and Wayne both frowned almost simultaneously. Furthermore, they both had impatient expressions.

“Ah? Are they also here?” With a frown, Anna asked.

Randal nodded his head. He then looked around but couldn’t find them.

Randal explained, “Yes, they two did come. But, to be precise, they didn’t seem to be here together.”

“They didn’t come here together? Randal, what are you talking about?” Anna asked, puzzled.

Randal had invited Jacob to show his respect for the Palmer Group. AW was a large group as powerful as the Carousel Group.

As a result, small companies like the Palmer Group were eager to attend this banquet.

Anna was well aware that Lilian wasn’t wealthy. So, she had no idea how she could come here unless she was Jacob’s date.

The three of them became perplexed, and then turned to Randal.

Randal touched his glasses and said thoughtfully, “Yes, Palmer didn’t bring his wife with him. And, if I’m not mistaken, he arrived this evening with a young model from our company. More intriguingly, his wife is his brother’s date.”

Anna froze briefly before continuing to frown. She hadn’t seen her ex-boyfriend, Jacob or her ex-bestie, Lilian, who cheated on her with her ex-boyfriend, since their engagement party in six months.

She’d heard later that the two weren’t getting along, but she hadn’t expected them to stop pretending to be a loving couple.