Chapter 407
The hall was filled with well-dressed people chatting away with each other happily, embodying the
grace and elegance of the upper-ss society.
Nicole stared at the center of everyone''s attention unblinkingly. Cayden''s face was cold and
mysterious, and he was captivating as always. Meanwhile, ire was linking arms with William as they
stood in the middle with Cayden and Avery nking them. The four of them were like a happy family,
and the sight of that stung Nicole''s eyes.
She waited eagerly for Cayden to notice her, but to her dismay, thetter only had eyes for Avery the
entire time. He stared at her lovingly without sparing a nce in any other direction.
Even though the atmosphere was buzzing in the hall, all Nicole felt was freezing cold. She returned to
her room to change into a more gorgeous piece of clothing.
Just as she had expected, when she reappeared in the hall, she caused quite amotion. She
basked in the rich young men''s praises, enjoying the sensation of being in the limelight.
After turning down several men''s requests to dance with her, she headed straight for Cayden.
Meanwhile, William was chatting with Cayden. As the conversation went on, he grew increasingly fond
of this young man before him, whom he thought was assertive and capable. As such, he was even
more determined to make Cayden his son-inw.
ire, on the other hand, was speaking to Avery softly. She was amazed at how talented Avery was,
and her previous prejudice toward thetter slowly disappeared.
“I''m happy that you came to Nickie''s birthday banquet today!” said William to Cayden,ughing heartily.
As a high-ranking government official, he was naturally aware that Cayden rarely showed up at events
like this. It was evident that Cayden respected the Lambert family enough to make an appearance at
Nicole''s birthday banquet.
Cayden replied casually, “It''s no big deal, Mr. William.”
Noticing that Nicole was standing beside him, William pulled her over to Cayden''s side. He wanted to
create an opportunity for them to spend time together. “Cayden, you have known Nicole for quite some
time now. What do you think about her?”
William had always been busy with work, so he was not as observant as ire and had no idea what
was going on with Nicole''s love life. However, he thought that since his daughter was such a good
catch, Cayden must''ve fallen for her.
Cayden curled his lips into a half smile. “I think Ms. Lambert is a nicedy. She is not for me, though.
I''m taken, and Ms. Lambert deserves a better man.”
Nicole gazed at Cayden''s attractive face as she listened to his outright rejection of her before her
parents. Pain and resentment coursed through her veins as tears filled her eyes. She instinctively
turned her head to the side and tried to hide her raging emotions. Nevertheless, the pain on her face
was so evident that it was impossible for everyone around her to miss it.
William''s face fell when his beloved daughter was rejected in public. He was about to lose his temper
when ire tugged on his arm, voicing gently, “It''s true that Mr. Moore is outstanding, but our Nickie is
an exceptional youngdy, too. But then, feelings can''t be forced. We must leave it to fate. William, theN?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.
youngsters know what they want, so we shouldn''t intervene in their decision.”
Nicole forced a smile upon listening to ire''s words. She lowered her eyes, trying to suppress the
overwhelming emotions within her.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice chimed in, “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Moore.”
Nicole''s heart raced, and her body stiffened when she heard the familiar voice. Raising her head, her
face paled in fright when she saw Roderick appearing before ire and William.
Meanwhile, Roderick was giving Cayden a once-over with a look of disdain and hostility on his face.
So the man Nicole is in love with is this handsome boy toy. What other advantages does he have other
than that gorgeous face?
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Fuller. I''ve heard a lot about you.” Cayden noticed the antagonistic look in
Roderick''s eyes. Surprise shed across his tender eyes, but he concealed it perfectly.
He knew who Roderick was. Hailing from a powerful background, the man was also part of the special
forces. He was known to be devious and cunning with ruthless methods up his sleeves, just like a
deadly snake waiting in the dark to pounce on someone. Cayden usually kept his distance from
someone as dangerous as Roderick.
The two dominant men stood in their ces as they shook each other''s hands firmly.
Cayden''s hand was fair and wless, like an art piece on disy at an exhibition, while Roderick''s
hands had ghastly veins bulging on them like air-dried tree roots.
Even Avery could feel the atmosphere bing tense as the two men engaged in a staring contest.
She tried to hold back the nauseating feeling in her stomach but couldn''t stop herself from frowning in
difort.
Nicole noticed something amiss with Avery and tamped down the hatred within her as she approached
to hold the other woman''s arm, feigning concern. “Ms. Rumpley, are you okay? Are you unwell? Do you
need to rest in a room?”
Nicole was dressed in an oversized butterfly-sleeved nted shoulder dress, and when she patted
Avery gently on her back, thetter felt a tingling pain on her scalp like someone had pulled a few
strands of her hair out.
Cautiousness and suspicion grew in Avery as she stared at Nicole. Thetter gazed at her innocently
with concern evident on her face. Even though Avery knew Nicole was merely pretending to be on
friendly terms with her, she couldn''t say anything for they were in public. She could only wave her
hands at Nicole. “Thank you for your concern, Ms. Lambert. I''m fine. I''m just feeling a little sick, and I''ll
be fine after getting some rest.”
“Sick? Are you pregnant?” The imaginary rm in Nicole''s mind went off. She immediately suspected
that Avery was having morning sickness because she was pregnant.
Avery shook her head. “You''re overthinking, Ms. Lambert. I think I got food poisoning from what I ate
this afternoon. My stomach''s feeling a bit queasy, but I think I should be fine after taking some stomach
medicine when I return home.”
For reasons unknown, she didn''t want Nicole to discover that she was pregnant. She just had a hunch
that if Nicole found out, her baby might be in danger.
Nicole was relieved, though she was still suspicious about Avery''s difort. Thus, she probed, “Your
stomach is feeling queasy, huh? I was down with the same condition a few days ago, so I got some
stomach medicine at the hospital. I still have a few pills left. It''s quite effective. Ms. Rumpley, I''ll get
Ste to bring you some of the medicine. You will feel better after taking them. Ste! Go to the second
floor to get the stomach medicine in my room''s drawer. Ms. Rumpley is not feeling her best. She should
take some medicine to relieve her symptoms.”
Nicole asked the housekeeper, Ste, who was standing aside, to head upstairs and grab the medicine
for Avery. Her tone was authoritative, allowing no room for negotiation.
Avery was nervous about the turn of events. She clenched her fists tightly and remarked, “It''s okay, Ms.
Lambert. I feel much better now, so there''s no need for me to take medicine. I hate taking medicine, so
much so that I would rather suffer than take medicine whenever I get sick.”
Nicole grew increasingly suspicious when she heard that. Her voice was gentle as she insisted firmly,
“No. You can''t do that to yourself. You are a guest at my birthday party. You were feeling fine when you
came, and you should feel the same when you leave. I am responsible for ensuring all of my guests are
well taken care of.”
The crowd beganplimenting Nicole''s attentiveness and considerate nature. Avery, on the other
hand, felt helpless. Being a pregnant woman, she didn''t dare to take medicine without a doctor''s
advice.
Trepidation and anxiety filled her, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat as she watched Ste
walk up the stairs.