Chapter 1380:
The guard, eager to end the exchange, just shrugged. “Sir, are you coming in or not?”
Curiosity drew a small audience as whispers rippled through the nearby guests.
Zoie nudged Lawrence and whispered, “Don’t make a scene. The banquet’s about to begin. Let’s go.”
Snorting in annoyance, Lawrence finally opened the car door and stalked toward the entrance with Zoie on his arm.
Spotting a crowd gathered farther inside, Zoie caught someone by the sleeve. “What’s everyone looking at up there? Why is it so packed?”
“You must have missed the news,” the guest replied. “Mr. Stanley, the King of Ships, arrived with his wife just now.”
“Mr. Stanley? Who on earth is that supposed to be?” Lawrence’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He had spent years moving through Klathe’s social circles and could not recall anyone important by that surname.
The guest couldn’t hold back a smug grin. “Wait, are you serious? You’ve never heard of Mr. Stanley? Have you been hiding under a rock? You’re so out of the loop that it’s almost sad.”
Although Lawrence had missed his fair share of the city’s recent gatherings, that didn’t mean he was unaware of the big names around. He shot the man a steely look. “Mind your words. You should watch who you’re talking to.”
Lawrence was confident that people in Klathe’s upper crust rarely escaped his notice. Yet the name Mr. Stanley didn’t fit with any of the real players he knew. Whoever this person was, he couldn’t have been truly significant.
With a dramatic roll of his eyes, the guest scoffed. “Imagine pretending to know everything about Klathe but not even knowing who Mr. Stanley is. Forget it. I’ll go toast to his success instead.”
Without waiting for another word, the guest signaled his group to follow as they disappeared into the crowd, their laughter and chatter trailing behind them.
“Can you believe the Boyd family let that guy in? Doesn’t even know Mr. Stanley. What a joke.”
“I spotted Mrs. Stanley earlier. She looks stunning. No wonder Mr. Stanley treats her like royalty.”
Lawrence’s features turned as cold as stone.
He had made a point of attending Finley’s birthday celebration out of respect for the Boyd family. And after just a handful of years away, he was already being treated as if he were a nobody?
Lawrence was seething with rage. “The Boyd family is letting just anybody in now! They don’t even recognize me. Are they blind?”
Zoie glanced his way and put on a show of concern. “Don’t let them get under your skin, darling. They’re not worth your attention. None of these people even belongs in the same league as the Spencer family. Just ignoring them is best.”
Lawrence scoffed. “Idiots. All of them.”
He scorned those falling over themselves to flatter that Mr. Stanley, without the faintest clue that the most important guest of the night was him.
Zoie gave him a soft smile. “Exactly, they’re fools. I’m going to wander a bit, sweetheart.”
Events like this didn’t come around often, and Zoie had no plans to spend it placating Lawrence when she could be making the most of the occasion. Moving closer to the throng, she suddenly heard someone call out, “Mr. Spencer!” She halted immediately and glanced toward the main entrance. Recognition hit hard when Wesley and Elena strolled in, her whole demeanor shifting in an instant.
.
.
.