Chapter 137


    Chapter 137: Keeping Up Appearances


    Moana


    Edrick showed so much affection for me when he realized that I was freezing up in front of the


    paparazzi, and without a moment of hesitation, he shielded me from the cameras with his body to hide


    my vulnerability and ushered me inside. Once we were safely inside, he led me over to a table and left


    me there while he got me some water. Even though I was still stunned by all of the shouting and the


    shing cameras, I couldn’t deny the fact that my heart felt full of love for the man who always cared so


    deeply about me.


    While I waited for him, I began to calm down a bit and take in my surroundings. The inside of the


    building was a beautiful old concert hall with round tables scattered around, an art deco ceiling, and an


    ornate wooden stage at the front. There was a microphone and a stool sitting on the stage, and it made


    me realize that there must be a live show tonight. I hoped it was aedian; I needed tough.


    But as I sat, I still couldn’t help but notice that people were talking about me. I could hear their whispers


    and their snickers, and as I looked around, I realized that there were many sets of eyes on me,


    watching me like hawks circling their prey. It almost seemed as though they were suspicious of me, as


    if I would steal something or cause some trouble. All I could do was stare down at myp and wait for


    Edrick to return.


    As soon as he returned, he put his arm around me once again. The people whispering about me


    immediately stopped as soon as they saw him, which made me feel safe once more.


    “Thank you,” I said quietly.


    Edrick merely nodded. “Let me know if you need another,” he said. He seemed so nonchnt, but I


    could tell from the way that his jaw was clenched that he was annoyed about something, and the way


    that he held me tightly was almost territorial. Maybe he noticed that people were staring, too, and


    wanted to show them that he would be here to protect me if they tried to say or do anything nasty.


    Not longter, waiters dressed in ck and white uniforms came around and started taking people’s


    orders. There was a limited menu, but each meal was extremely luxurious and decadent. I ordered


    pasta with ms, and when it came out I was awed by how fragrant and full of vor the meal was. I


    had never eaten such exquisite foods in my life; sure, Sophia tried her best to give us a wide variety of


    foods to try, but we never had the money for food like this. As I nced around at all of the other


    women who hardly even touched their meals, I felt culture shocked. I still couldn’t wrap my head


    around the fact that there were people who were so used to this that they didn’t even want to eat the


    food, and I decided then and there that no matter how much Edrick spoiled me, I would never let myself


    forget what it was like to go hungry as a child.


    Once the meals came out, the lights dimmed so that the only light in the room aside from the spotlight


    on the stage were the flickering candles at each table. Then, someone came out on stage to announce


    the show for the night: a celebrityedian.


    While we ate, theedian performed his show and made Edrick and Iugh together. It was so funny


    that I quickly forgot about how scared I was before, and soon I felt as though it was just Edrick and I


    there, enjoying a show together while we had dinner. In fact, with the way that Edrick sat right next to


    me with either his hand or his leg touching me at all times, I really did feel like a real couple on a night


    out. And at one point, I nced over at him to see himughing loudly at one of theedian’s jokes.


    He was even more handsome when he was happy. I loved the way his eyes squeezed shut and the


    way that he tilted his head back when heughed, and it made me smile even more. During those


    moments, I thought that I could see himugh like that forever and I’d be happy.


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    After the show, the lights came back on and people began to stand.


    “Is the event over already?” I asked.


    Edrick shook his head. “Not for a while yet,” he replied, sounding a little disappointed. “Now we’ll have


    to mingle. It’s important for appearances.”


    I swallowed and nodded, feeling nervous as we stood, but Edrick held his arm out for me. As I looped


    my hand through his arm and followed him around while he chatted with people, however, I could tell


    that their smiles were fake and that they kept giving me side nces — especially the women. I felt


    instantly judged and out of ce, and as the time went on, I felt more and more ufortable despite


    being right beside Edrick. However, I quickly learned to put on a fake smile like the rest of them, and


    tuned out all of the boring conversations and instead busied myself with looking at all of the beautiful


    artwork and reliefs carved into the walls and ceiling. Even if events like this would always contain a lot


    of boring chatter between businesspeople, I couldn’t help but think that I was at least lucky to enjoy so


    much beautiful and historic artwork. But I also noticed that many of the other wives seemed to be


    mingling together and talking, and not a single one of them invited me to chat, which honestly hurt quite


    a bit.


    At one point, I needed to use the restroom. I excused myself while Edrick was having a lengthy


    conversation with one of his business partners about market fluctuations or some other boring business


    topic, and made my way over to the restrooms.


    The restrooms were located down a small hallway, which offered a bit of reprieve from the noise of the


    event. I let out a small sigh as I walked up to the door and put my hand out to open it.


    But I stopped when I heardughter and voices inside.


    “How ridiculous!” I heard a woman say. “Who wears green eyeshadow to an event like this?”


    Another womanughed loudly. “Maybe she got too busy ying with her mommy’s makeup before the


    event.”


    Then, a third woman: “No, darling. She’s an orphan. Don’t you know?”


    The other women gasped in unison. “Edrick Morgan is nning on marrying not only a human, but an


    orphan, too? I always thought that there was something wrong with him. Surely a man like that being


    single for this long has some sort of strange fetish or another.”


    My eyes widened as I listened to their conversation. I could handle people talking poorly about me, as it


    was something that I had grown used to as a human in a world dominated by werewolves… But to say


    something so nasty about Edrick made my blood boil.


    Maybe I should have just walked away, but I was too stubborn. I couldn’t stop myself from pushing the


    door open.