Chapter 152
Harriet’s expression instantly soured at those words.
Effie, that shameless flirt-of course she knew how to wrap men around her finger. And now even Granger was speaking up for her.
An awkward tension settled over the private dining room.
Magee, their class president, hurried to break the silence. “Right, let’s not get worked up. Come on, everyone, let’s have a drink! Enough talking, let’s enjoy ourselves.”
Just then, the door swung open again.
A group of servers entered.
One of them carried an expensive-looking bottle of red wine, presenting it with a respectful nod. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an ’82 Lafite. Please enjoy.”
Another server stepped forward. “Here we have fresh Australian lobster. Bon appétit.”
A third placed a steaming casserole on the table. “And this is our house specialty, a slow-braised delicacy…”
The servers set down platter after platter of lavish food before making a graceful exit.
For a moment, the room fell silent as everyone stared in disbelief.
What on earth…?
All eyes turned to Magee.
He quickly shook his head. “No, I didn’t order any of this.”
After all, this was just a class reunion-most of them working regular jobs. Who would splurge on food like this?
Now everyone glanced at Granger. After all, he was the son of the wealthy Morgan family; if anyone might have done it, it would be him.
But Granger shook his head too. “I thought about ordering some things, but I hadn’t even called the server yet. And now all this is here?”
Magee frowned, puzzled. How could this be? Did the servers bring the dishes to the wrong room? Maybe they belonged to the party next door?
With that thought, Magee quickly called over a server to ask.
The server smiled politely. “Sir, these dishes were indeed ordered for your room. They were specially requested by Mr. Etheridge’s assistant, and I should mention your bill has already been paid.”
No sooner had those words left his mouth than the whole room erupted in astonishment.
Sarah was the first to react, her voice trembling with excitement. “Did you say Mr. Etheridge’s assistant? As in, Mr. Etheridge from The Etheridge Group?”
The server nodded. “Yes, that’s our company’s Mr. Etheridge.”
Sarah all but beamed. “Then it must have been at Mr. Etheridge’s request!”
Harriet echoed, equally surprised, “Sarah, it must be because Mr. Etheridge knew you were here. After all, you’re dating his top assistant.”
That seemed to explain everything.
Just then, Effie’s phone vibrated. She glanced down to see a message from Lyman: “Mrs. Etheridge, are you having a good time? I’m next door for a business dinner.”
Effie hesitated, surprised by the coincidence. She typed back, testing the waters: “Did you order the food?”
Lyman replied right away. “Yes, I asked Luther to take care of it and paid for everything. Have fun! If you want to check out the club later, I can arrange it.”
Reading his words, Effie felt a sudden warmth bloom in her chest.
So he’d been looking out for her all along.
“No need. I’ll just go home after dinner and wait for you,” she replied.
Honestly, she could hardly wait to see him again.
“I’ll come pick you up later, then?” Lyman offered.
He wanted her classmates to know that they were already married.
“We’ll see. Aren’t you busy with your business dinner? Focus on that first,” Effie answered.
“Alright.” Sensing she wasn’t refusing him, Lyman couldn’t help but smile.
Nita, watching from the side, said nothing.
Did Sarah really think Mr. Etheridge ordered all this for her? The nerve!
How ridiculous.
But Nita kept quiet. When the truth finally came out, Sarah would get what was coming to her.