“Thank you, though I'm not exactly sure who you are.”
Lucas shot him an expectant look, which had him rolling his eyes. “Vani, this is Lucas Davenport. Our biggest investor. Lucas, this is Evania. My wife.”
"Oh." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I thought you would be old.”
There was a half-second of silence, then Lucas burst out laughing. Callahan closed his eyes briefly like a man reconsidering every decision that had led him to this moment.
Lucas wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “That might be the most honest thing anyone’s ever said to me at one of these events.”
I groaned quietly. “I didn’t mean—”
"No, no," he said quickly, still grinning. "Please don't take it back. It's refreshing," Lucas insisted.
Even Callahan’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Well,” Lucas added, “now that I’ve been thoroughly humbled on my birthday, I think I deserve another drink.”
Callahan nodded. “Enjoy the party.”
Lucas gave me one last amused look. “Nice meeting you, Evania.”
“Nice meeting you too.”
He walked away, still chuckling to himself. The moment he disappeared into the crowd, Callahan turned toward me. "You thought he would be old?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
“In my defense, investors usually are.”
He narrowed his eyes, a hint of humor glinting there. "You could have kept that thought to yourself."
“But then Lucas wouldn't have such a humbling experience.”
He exhaled slowly, clearly trying not to laugh.
Before he could respond, his mother appeared beside us. She looked back to her usual composed and elegant self, though her eyes betrayed how she was really feeling. I tried my best not to laugh when she slipped her arm through mine.
“Come, dear,” she said lightly. “We should take our seats.”
I kept my expression composed, even as I marveled at how perfectly everything was unfolding. Callahan could hardly hide how stunned he was by the whole exchange, which made it all the more entertaining.
Mrs. Sterling led me toward the dining area, where the long table had already been set. Guests were beginning to settle intotheir seats, conversations flowing easily around us. She guided me to a chair and sat down beside me.
I wanted to gloat at how flawlessly my plan was working, but I had to keep this quiet for now. So I just smoothed my dress as I sat down and focused on not making a scene. Across the table, I could feel Callahan’s eyes on us. I turned my head slightly and offered him a small, perfectly innocent smile.
He still looked at a loss for words.
Beside him, I faintly heard Emily’s voice. “Well, she must have cast a spell that backfired spectacularly.”
I kept my face perfectly neutral even though the comment was highly amusing. I hadn’t cast a spell. But if she wanted to believe that was the reason Mrs. Sterling had just voluntarily linked arms with me and seated herself beside me, I wasn’t about to correct her.
By the time dessert was served, I had come to a terrible realization.
Mrs. Sterling had decided she liked me.
Or at least, she had decided she was going to pretend she liked me.
And unfortunately for me, that meant she had attached herself to my side like an expensive, judgmental barnacle.
She smiled at every person who walked by, but her hand kept lightly touching my elbow as if she was afraid I might wander off and embarrass her. I had never been escorted so closely in my life.
