Chapter 3
Celine nodded subtly from the side, keeping her expression neutral.
"Ms. Lewis," I said, keeping my voice steady, "I've already submitted my resignation."
"Oh, right, you're getting married," Serena said, her smile as sugary as ever. "Congrats."
She turned and left.
A few seconds later, I overheard people at the table behind me whispering.
"That's the one who's been by Adrian's side for eight years, right?"
"No wonder Serena's upset."
"Honestly, I'd be annoyed too."
I drained the last of my water.
When I set the glass down, my fingertips were trembling.
At nine o'clock, a new face showed up.
It was Nathan Lambert.
I recognized him. Adrian's childhood friend, an investor based overseas. He spent most of his time abroad and only came back once every year or two.
As soon as he walked in, Adrian stood up, and the two of them shook hands and chatted briefly.
Serena also went over to greet him.
Then Nathan's gaze swept across the room, pausing on my face for a couple of seconds.
He suddenly smiled.
He walked over to me.
"Ms. Symons," he said.
He reached out to shake my hand.
"Long time no see," he said.
Everyone nearby turned to stare.
I got to my feet and shook his hand.
"Mr. Lambert, long time no see," I replied.
"The last time we met was at..." Nathan tilted his head, thinking. "Mr. Symons's seventieth birthday party, right?"
I saw Celine's smile falter for a moment.
Serena was chatting with someone two tables away, but her eyes drifted over to me.
"That's right," I replied, keeping it brief.
Nathan nodded, like he wanted to say more, but glanced around at the people nearby and held back.
"Let's grab dinner sometime. There are a few things I want to chat about," he said.
"Sure," I replied.
He walked away.
Celine immediately leaned in.
"Evelyn, you know Mr. Lambert?" she asked.
"Yeah, we've crossed paths at work a couple times," I replied.
"Wait, did he mean Mr. Symons? The one from Symons Group?" Celine asked.
I shot her a look.
"You must've misheard," I said.
She looked skeptical, but the look on my face made her let it go.
Truth was, I wasn't lying.
Edward really was the founder of Symons Group.
And he really was my grandfather.
But nobody at Holt Group knew that, not even Adrian.
The party went on.
Before I knew it, Serena was near me again.
This time, she was surrounded by three or four people, laughing and chatting as they walked past my table.
A woman in a green dress looked me over.
"Is that the secretary?" she asked.
"Shh, keep it down," another woman giggled, covering her mouth.
Serena walked over with a glass of red wine in hand.
"Evelyn, let me toast you again. Think of it as a little send-off," she said.
"Thanks, but I don't drink alcohol," I replied.
"Oh, seriously? Not even one glass? You're really not making me look good here," Serena teased.
She stepped closer.
Her heel clicked against the floor.
"Adrian hasn't said a word, but you, his employee, are acting like you're more important than him," Serena said.
I stared at the wine in her hand, silent.
"Come on," she coaxed, smiling as she pushed the glass toward me.
Then, with a quick flick of her wrist, Serena dumped the whole glass of red wine right on me.
The wine ran down from my shoulder, drenching my black dress.
The crowd gasped.
"Oops," Serena said, covering her mouth with fake concern. "Guess my hand slipped. Sorry, Evelyn."
Her apology was obviously just for show.
Not a single person handed me a tissue.
Celine stood a couple of steps away, her head down, staring at the floor.
I just stood there, wine dripping from my dress, leaving a dark red stain on the marble floor.
"It's fine," I said, my voice steady. "Don't worry about it, Ms. Lewis."
"I'm really sorry," Serena said, shifting to the side. "This dress it's probably not expensive, right? Let me get you a replacement."
Someone snickered.
"Yeah, for a secretary, wearing something like that to an event like this is a bit..." The woman in the green dress didn't bother finishing her sentence.
"Alright, that's enough," Serena said, acting all gracious. "Evelyn, go freshen up in the restroom. There are tissues over there."
When she said "tissues," she sounded exactly like she was ordering a waiter around.
I didn't say a word.
I headed straight for the restroom.
The moment the door closed behind me, I finally let out a breath I'd been holding.
In the mirror, the red wine stain on my black dress was glaringly obvious.
I turned on the faucet and slowly dabbed at the wine stain on my shoulder with a tissue.