Chapter 873

With that, Quiet Forest sent the coordinates for The Peacock.

At that moment, Lucas was slightly irritated at how Ashlyn was engrossed with her phone.

What is she up to, typing so ferociously on the phone? Can’t she see that I—a good-looking human being—am sitting right next to her? What is going on in the phone that’s stealing her attention away?

Lucas pursed his thin lips into a straight line before breaking into a smirk. He looked at Ashlyn and spoke in a deep magnetic voice. “Honey, does it feel good to humiliate others?”

Ashlyn raised her head and glanced at the handsome man beside her. His suave-looking face was alluring.

In particular, his deep dark eyes were the most striking feature. As Ashlyn looked longer at his eyes, she could only see her reflections in his pupils.

For some reason, Ashlyn’s heart skipped a beat. “Well, not too bad. But my main intention is to see what Dixon is really up to.”

She was still waiting for news from Luigi and the rest. Her men were now planted in various locations within the hotel. They had been instructed to look out for any suspicious characters and to report to her immediately if there were any.

Unknown to Ashlyn, Lucas had also arranged for his men to stand by at the hotel.

Dixon’s every single action would be captured by all those pairs of watchful eyes.

Getting the opportunity to humiliate Mary and Penelope was a pure incidental coincidence.

Ashlyn had not expected that those two women would be present here. When she watched them flaunting their wealth earlier, she lamented that a leopard could never change its spots.

“Those two women are looking to collaborate with Haddock Group. It looks like Yates Group gave them a project to work on, but in reality, they don’t have the authority to manage the project. I wonder what Dixon’s trying to get from them.” Lucas frowned in contemplation. He was pretty sure Dixon would not get involved with Mary and Penelope without reason.

“I’m not sure either. Yates Group is a huge corporation with complex businesses. Unless, Dixon…”

Ashlyn stopped halfway.

Lucas completed her sentence. “Unless, Dixon’s target is Yates Group?”

Just then, all dishes, including a two-tier cake, were served.

The rest were happily mingling with one another, so nobody took notice of Lucas and Ashlyn conversing in soft voices.

“This is our conjecture at the moment,” Ashlyn answered flatly. “Old Mrs. Yates was the one who introduced us to Old Mr. Leno. I’m indebted to her for that. If Dixon’s target is indeed Yates Group, I can’t ignore it and do nothing.”

“That’s understandable, and I agree.” Lucas discreetly held her hand, and a glint of affection flashed across his eyes. “We cannot wash our hands of this. Thank you, Honey.”

Thanks to Ashlyn, Lucas’ condition had stabilized after receiving Old Mr. Leno’s treatment.

He believed that he would be able to recover fully one day.

That would be when he could protect Ashlyn from all troubles and let her live a worry-free life.

Meanwhile, in another private room, the atmosphere was awkward.

Mary did not talk much, which made the atmosphere in the room extremely uncomfortable.

The switch in her mood was apparent after she knew that Lucas had a private room exclusive to him. It was much grander than theirs, instantly making their private room look ordinary.

Penelope, too, looked forlorn; her eyes were reddened, and her head was lowered.

She was depressed that her birthday did not turn out the way she envisioned.

It was already upsetting to be stepped on by Ashlyn, but even her mother was not spared, which infuriated her. Both had been utterly humiliated by Ashlyn, leaving them no dignity whatsoever.

Ashlyn was the root cause of their embarrassment.

Right then, Dixon calmly said, “All dishes have been served. Please help yourselves to the food, everyone.”

He then turned toward Penelope, who was beside him. “Ms. Berry, there’s no need to bother yourself with that woman, Ashlyn. She has always been arrogant and rude.”

Sienna chimed in, “That’s right, Ms. Berry. You come from a noble family background; your grandfather was a count. Given your prestigious Yates name, why do you want to get upset with a country bumpkin?”

Penelope bit her lower lip as she listened to both of them. Her eyes filled with even more moisture at that point.

No matter how others tried to comfort her, Penelope could not shake off the embarrassment and anger felt from being snubbed by Ashlyn. The fact that it happened on her birthday made it worse.

Seeing how Dixon tried to provide comforting words, Jason felt he had to say something as well. After all, he was Penelope’s godfather. “My child, this is not a big deal. Sometimes, we must learn to be magnanimous and not constantly compare ourselves with others.”