Chapter 103
Stepping out of the hotel, Effie couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief.
Lyman glanced over at her, his voice gentle. “How are you holding up? Getting used to all this?”
Effie managed a small smile. “I’m fine, really.”
He squeezed her hand, his tone warm. “You know, you never have to force yourself to attend these events if you don’t want to.”
As far as Lyman was concerned, his wife only ever needed to be herself.
Effie shook her head. “It’s alright. It’s good to get out and experience new things every now and then.”
He nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”
Hand in hand, they walked away together.
Across the room, Suzan’s eyes had never left Lyman. She watched, stunned, as he and Effie strolled off so intimately.
So Effie had really managed to climb the social ladder.
Suzan’s expression twisted, a tangle of disbelief and resentment. Damn it, how
did Effie get so lucky?
After Mitchell dumped her, wasn’t she supposed to be down and out?
Hmph! That little vixen must have seduced Lyman.
Mr. Etheridge probably still had no idea what she was really like.
Lyman showing up at the Afternoon Tea Social, and leaving with Effie at his side, was nothing short of headline news and gossip spread like wildfire.
After all, Lyman was famous for keeping his distance from women.
Well, except for those old rumors about him and Isabel.
Then again, for a man of his status, having a few women around was nothing out of the ordinary.
The grapevine was buzzing.
Meanwhile, Isabel heard the news almost instantly.
A close friend of hers, who’d been at the Afternoon Tea Social, messaged her the moment it happened-fully aware that Lyman was the man Isabel had set her heart on.
For years, Isabel had turned down every other suitor, convinced that Lyman was the only one for her.
And now he was openly together with Effie, as if daring the world to talk. To Isabel, it was a slap in the face.
What did she lack compared to Effie?
Isabel refused to believe Lyman could truly care about someone like her.
And she certainly wasn’t about to let it happen.
With a furious cry, Isabel hurled her phone onto the bed. Her chest heaved, eyes blazing with rage and wounded pride.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror: sharp, elegant features, a statuesque figure, every inch the picture of a socialite.
She’d always believed she was the only woman worthy of standing beside Lyman. But now he was out there, hand in hand with someone else, shamelessly for all to
see.
“Effie…” Isabel spat the name between gritted teeth, her eyes darkening with malice. “What right do you have?”
“My God, Isabel, what happened this time? Calm down, sweetheart!” Carole rushed in, alarmed by the chaos in the room, and immediately tried to soothe her.
“Carole, I want Effie gone,” Isabel hissed, her anger barely contained.
“Don’t get worked up. That woman’s nothing to worry about. We’ll take our time and handle things smart,” Carole said coolly. Years in show business had given her a knack for reading situations.
Isabel was too emotional to think clearly, and it showed.
She bit her lip, her eyes still burning with resentment. “But Carole, how can I just stand by and watch her take Lyman? What does she have? She’s a nobody-how can she stand next to him?”
Carole sighed, moving to Isabel’s side and gently patting her shoulder. “Isabel, you have to understand-Lyman’s choices aren’t ours to make. If you do something reckless, you’ll only push him further away.”
Isabel pressed her lips together, forcing herself to breathe, to calm down. “Then what should I do?”
Carole’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. “If you don’t have an opportunity to get close to him, then we’ll just have to create one.”