Chapter 51: Two Losers

Emerald’s POV

The reception venue was exactly what I expected from a Hugo family wedding.

The ballroom had been decorated in ivory and gold, with enormous floral arrangements, crystal chandeliers and elegantly arranged tables spread across the spacious hall.

What caught my attention was the number of familiar faces scattered around the room. There were business executives, politicians, entertainers, socialites and members of several prominent families, with more of them here than I had seen at the church.

Claire and Laura remained beside me as we entered.

We eventually found our table and settled down. I was looking around the room when Laura suddenly touched my arm.

"Mera."

I turned towards her. "What?"

She pointed towards the other side of the ballroom. "Isn’t that Mr. King?"

I followed her gaze and immediately spotted him. Professor King was standing a short distance away, speaking with another man.

I nodded. "Yes."

Laura’s eyes remained fixed on him for a moment before she looked back at me with a narrowed gaze. "That’s the man from the Exclusive Club, right?"

I knew exactly what she meant. "Yes."

Claire also looked towards Michael. "I remember him."

Laura smiled. "Of course you do. He was the one who stopped Emerald from doing something crazy that night at the Mercer event."

Claire laughed softly.

"And then he had food sent to our room." Laura looked at me with an amused expression. "I still remember how you kept insisting that there was nothing going on between you two."

"There wasn’t."

"I know." Her smile suggested she was not entirely convinced. I decided not to argue with her.

Claire’s attention shifted to the man standing beside Michael. "Who is that other handsome man?"

Laura immediately followed her gaze. She seemed genuinely surprised. "Wait. I know him."

Claire looked at her. "Who is he?"

Laura lowered her voice. "Adrian Blake. He is one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry."

Then she began telling us about his agencies, production company, cinemas, and other businesses.

Laura eventually added, "I’m actually thinking of switching to his agency when my current contract expires in a few months."

"Seriously?" Claire looked at her.

"Yes. I’ve been considering it for a while." Laura smiled. "The opportunities there are much better."

I glanced towards the two men. They seemed very comfortable around each other. From the way they interacted, I could tell that they were friends.

I looked away after I’d seen enough.

Laura turned towards me again. "You should go and greet Mr. King."

I shook my head. "I already greeted him at the church."

"So?" She lifted a brow.

I explained, "I don’t need to greet him every time I see him."

Laura laughed. "Fine."

Claire smiled and shook her head.

I picked up my drink and took a small sip. I couldn’t help remembering what he said to me the previous night.

He had known he would be here.

I glanced towards him once more. Almost as though he sensed it, he turned his head, and our eyes met.

He gave me a small nod. I returned it before looking away.

A few minutes later, Claire and Laura decided to get something to eat. "We will be back," Claire said. "I’m getting you a charcuterie cup."

"Thank you."

Laura pointed at me. "Don’t disappear."

I smiled. "I won’t." Where would I go in the first place?

They walked away together.

I remained at the table, taking another sip from my drink while watching the guests around me. Then I heard my name.

"Emerald."

I lifted my gaze. Kelvin stood in front of me, and Maya was beside him. I hadn’t expected them to approach me, so I just stared at them.

Kelvin gave me a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I didn’t expect to see you here."

I was tempted to ignore him, but knowing the pain in the ass he was and that my silence wouldn’t force him to leave, I replied calmly, "It is a family wedding."

"Of course." His gaze moved over me before returning to my face. "You still haven’t changed."

I didn’t respond to that ridiculous remark. He continued regardless.

"Your family lawyers are still making things difficult. They keep dragging things out, and you’re wasting my time."

I scoffed inwardly. His arrogance triggered me a bit. "I don’t control what the lawyers do."

Kelvin scoffed. "Of course you don’t." His expression hardened. "You’ve always had your family to fall back on. Even now, you’re relying on their lawyers to fight your battles for you."

I turned at him. "If you have a problem with the lawyers, take it up with them."

His jaw tightened. "You are still the same."

I said nothing in return. As far as I was concerned, I was done with this conversation.

Maya finally spoke. "We’ve been busy too... planning our wedding."

I mentally rolled my eyes before throwing my glance at her.

She smiled. "We are taking our time with it. Kelvin wants to give me a royal wedding."

Kelvin smiled proudly. "I want everything to be perfect."

Maya slipped her arm through his. "I told him I don’t need anything too extravagant, but he insists."

I gave her a polite nod. "I hope everything works out for you."

Her smile faltered slightly. She clearly wanted more from me, but my silence was golden.

Thereafter, she continued. "After all, when you find the right person, you should give them everything."

I looked at her for a moment before turning my attention back to my drink. Whatever they had planned for their future was no longer my concern.

Just then, I heard Laura behind me. "Mera"

I turned. She and Clare were walking back towards us, each carrying a charcuterie cup.

Laura’s eyes moved from me to Kelvin and then to Maya. Her expression changed immediately. Claire noticed them as well.

Maya’s confident expression faltered as Laura placed my charcuterie cup on the table. "Are we interrupting something?"

Kelvin’s expression hardened. "No."

"Good." Laura smiled politely. "Because we are back and you two losers need to get the fuck out of our face and go bark elsewhere."

Claire glanced between him and Maya and gestured for them to leave. "Come on."

Maya’s entire face contoured in a frown. She was seething in rage, but no matter what, she wouldn’t dare cause any trouble here.

She stormed off alone.

On the other hand, Kelvin looked at me. He seemed as though he wanted to say something else, but after a moment, he simply said, "Enjoy the wedding."

I scoffed and turned my gaze away.