Chapter 367

Chapter 367 “Well, this is something else. Mr. Hartley showing up at a dinner with a date? Especially tonight. It looks like this date is pretty special,” a middle–aged man said, his sharp eyes full of curiosity.

“Do you guys think that girl looks familiar?” someone chimed in, tilting their head as they tried to remember At that, the crowd turned to look at Elysia. She definitely seemed familiar like someone they’d seen before.

Suddenly, someone gasped in recognition. “Wait a minute. Isn’t that Ms. Evans? The daughter the Evans family just fou As they processed this, a picture of Elysia began to form in their minds, When they zoomed in on her beautiful, delicate face, they couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked just like the Elysia they remembered. They were sure now; they hadn’t mistaken her for someone else, When they realized who she was, the scrutiny on their faces changed into shock.

‘Could Ms. Evans and Mr. Hartley be planning some kind of family alliance?‘ they wondered. This thought sent little shivers down their spines. If the powerful two families of Durinville and Jorlandia joined together, it would spell trouble for smaller families like theirs.

Panic spread through some of the guests. Their faces turned pale. They forced smiles, trying to hide their discomfort while scrambling for what to say next.

As Elysia wrapped her arm around Zane’s, they stepped into the foyer. Immediately, all eyes were on them.

But after just a moment, the guests quickly looked away. They were just as curious as those outside, but they knew it wasn’t polite to stare. Besides, they could easily bump into someone important here.

Even a tiny shift in expression could catch attention and lead to gossip.

Fabian stood among the crowd with a glass of red wine in his hand, his gaze locked on Zane and Elysia. His eyes were serious and intense.

Next to him, Javier seemed more relaxed. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he chatted casually with people around him.

Noticing the tension around Fabian, Javier glanced over. “What’s going on with you?”

Following Fabian’s line of sight, Javier widened his eyes when he saw Elysia, raising his eyebrows. “Elysia?”

Then he chuckled, feeling at ease again. “You guessed it right.”

The Hartley family sent the Evans family an invitation to their dinner party. Javier was definitely attending. He had originally planned to go to Sivro to pick up Elysia. But just then, Fabian had stepped in and said, “Someone else will bring her.”

Sure enough, someone did bring Elysia.

When Javier found out the person Fabian referred to was Zane, a wave of annoyance washed over him. He just understand why Fabian would let Zane get close to Elysia.

“That’s because Elysia likes him,” Fabian had explained.

That one sentence silenced Javier. It was true; Elysia had feelings for Zane.

couldn’t Despite his reluctance, Javier knew he couldn’t change the situation. Elysia liked Zane, and Javier had opened the door for 1/3 Chapter 367 that. But he had never said he would accept Zane as Elysia’s boyfriend.

Javier thought Elysia was still young and would meet plenty of people in her life. As for Zane, he wasn’t convinced that he would be the one to stay by Elysia’s side forever.

Honestly, Javier didn’t think much of Zane at all. He simply wanted to keep an eye on the situation.

As Elysia stood next to Zane, a waiter walked by with drinks. Elysia reached out to grab a glass of red wine but ended up with a glass of juice instead.

She looked at Zane, surprised. His deep, magnetic voice broke the tension. “You’re still young. You can’t drink alcohol.”

Elysia frowned, feeling a bit rebellious. She leaned closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I may be young, but you did choose me as your girlfriend.”

Zane leaned in slightly, whispering back, “That’s different.”

“Different how? It’s basically the same thing. By your logic, if I’m too young for wine, then you’re basically, what, grooming me?”

Elysia shot back.

Zane raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Hmm?”

“Grooming is also a form of seduction,” she said with a playful smirk.

Zane chuckled, his lips twisting into a smirk. “Thanks, Elysia, for letting me experience the thrill of winning by looks alone. I’m truly honored. Here, I think I’m the best–looking guy in the room.”

Just as Elysia was about to fire back, a bright voice called out to her. “Elysia!”

Turning, Elysia saw a girl standing in front of her. The girl had long, shiny brown hair cascading down to her waist, with soft bangs framing her delicate features. A diamond leaf–shaped hairpin adorned one side of her head.

She stood tall and elegant, her lovely sheath dress giving her an air of grace.

“Who are you?” Elysia started to ask, her curiosity piqued.

With a warm smile, the girl replied, “I’m Lindsey, Jim’s daughter. I’m seven years older than you, so I guess that makes me your cousin!”

“Cousin?” Elysia blinked in surprise.

“Yep! I’ve been working abroad but just got back a few days ago. I’ve heard about you being welcomed by the Evans family, and I’ve wanted to meet you. I just didn’t have the chance until now,” Lindsey explained brightly.

Yesterday, I decided to take a shot and come here. If I hadn’t seen you, I was going to head to Sivro. Guess luck was on my side,” she added cheerfully, a sparkle in her eyes.

Lindsey’s natural charm lit up the space around her. Just one look made you feel an instant sense of calm and happiness.

Elysia rifled through her memories and finally recalled something about Lindsey.

Earlier, she dug into Jim’s background. Jim was married twice. His first wife, Sierra Lampard, was the Shter of a fisherman from a small town. Their marriage was arranged because the Lampard family had a close relationship with Jim’s father, Eamon.

Sierra was naturally bold and strong–minded, which didn’t sit well with Jim. He wasn’t the faithful type, either. Not long after marrying Sierra, he started seeing Ashley on the side.

Jim and Sierra had a daughter together, Lindsey. Ever since Sierra was gone, Ashley had moved in and treated Lindsey 2/3 09:

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Chapter 367 terribly. She would scream at her or hit her for the smallest mistakes.

It got so bad that Lindsey felt she had no choice but to ask Olive for help to escape the country. Life had been really tough for her. Without Olive’s support, she probably wouldn’t have made it this far.

Thanks to Olive, Lindsey eventually found her feet overseas.

Thinking back on it made Elysia realize just how much her cousin had endured.

As the party kicked off. Jocelyn strutted in, wearing the stunning purple vest dress that Elysia had designed. The diamond necklace around her neck caught everyone’s attention, sparkling under the lights.

Jocelyn was beautiful. Even though she was over fifty, she looked like she was in her thirties. Her skin was so delicate and smooth that it looked like a baby’s.

Zane’s father, Felix, walked in beside Jocelyn.

As they made their way downstairs, all eyes followed them with curious glances.

They reached the center of the stage. Felix and Jocelyn shared a few quick words, smiles on their faces. Just then, a server appeared, pushing a large cake toward them.

Spotting Elysia in the crowd, Jocelyn waved her hand excitedly. “Elysia, come here!”

Instantly, every eye turned to Elysia.