Chapter 26
Effie paused, caught off guard, and turned around. A tall man stood not far away, his tailored black suit fitting perfectly, sharp features set in an expression both cool and enigmatic, his gaze so deep it seemed to see straight through her.
Lyman.
Her heart skipped a beat-no, several. Of all moments, she hadn’t expected to run into him looking such a mess.
“Lyman.” Effie offered a small smile, trying to keep her voice steady and composed.
Nita, standing beside her, stared in disbelief.
Wait-what?
Was this really the infamous “prince” of Neo-Arcadia, Lyman Etheridge himself? The man who ran the entire Etheridge family? And he knew Effie?
This was unreal.
Before Nita could process it, Lyman was already at Effie’s side. He took her hand, his brow creasing with concern. “What happened? Why are you soaked?”
Effie knew there was no use hiding the truth; if she didn’t tell him, he’d find out anyway. She sighed. “It was… just a little accident.”
Nita blurted out, “Accident? Suzan pulled you into the pool on purpose!”
Lyman’s expression darkened. Someone dared to mess with her? Did they have a death wish?
Not wanting anyone to learn about her relationship with Lyman, Effie brushed it off. “It’s fine, really. I already gave her a piece of my mind.”
She quickly changed the subject. “This is my good friend, Nita. Nita, this is Lyman.”
“Miss Nita, pleasure to meet you,” Lyman greeted her politely.
Nita was so stunned she could barely speak. The man before her was strikingly handsome, with refined features and a quiet nobility about him. Good grief, when did Effie meet someone like this? She was definitely going to interrogate her later.
“Mr. Etheridge, nice to meet you!” Nita managed, a little breathless.
Lyman nodded, then turned to Effie. “Let’s go home.”
Effie hesitated. “Aren’t you supposed to attend the dinner?”
He glanced at her dripping evening dress, his tone gentle but firm. “No, I’ll take you home to change first.”
Effie looked down at her bedraggled state and agreed softly. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Nita watched all of this, eyes wide, mind reeling. She tugged Effie’s sleeve and whispered, “Effie, what’s going on between you two? You seem awfully close…”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Effie’s face as she tried to come up with an answer, but Lyman spoke up before she could. “Miss Nita, Effie is my wife.”
“What? Wife?!” Nita nearly shouted, her eyes going round as saucers. Was she hearing things?
Effie blushed furiously-she hadn’t expected Lyman to just announce it like that.
Once Nita recovered from the shock, she grinned and gave Effie’s shoulder a playful nudge. “Well, well, Effie! Keeping secrets from your best friend? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
Effie smiled sheepishly. “We’re keeping it under wraps for now. There’s stuff going on at the company, and I don’t want any extra drama.”
Nita drew her fingers across her lips as if zipping them shut.
Lyman noticed how close Effie and Nita were. “Miss Nita, let us give you a ride home.”
“No need, I drove myself,” Nita replied quickly.
With that, Effie followed Lyman out of the ballroom.
Nita watched them go, unable to stop herself from sighing in admiration. What a
perfect couple—they looked absolutely made for each other.