Chapter 171 An Unexpected Guest
After Freya finished delivering the gifts, she saw the friends and relatives of the Marshall family coming forward one by one to wish Sarah a happy birthday.
While everyone chatted, more guests arrived.
Worried that Freya would get tired, Sarah asked her to sit on the side and rest.
So, Freya held a cup of tea and watched as people came in to pay their respects.
The guests were all prominent figures in Vroria, including several masters in antiques and calligraphy. Freya’s grandfather had a cheerful personality and made many friends while still alive, so the Marshall family had always had a good reputation in Vroria.
Freya listened as the butler recited the list of gifts and presented them to her grandmother to inspect.
As more people arrived, she began to feel sleepy and quietly covered her mouth as she yawned.
“Old Mrs. Marshall, Mr. Chris Holland from the Holland family and Radley from the Monaghan family have come to pay their respects.”
Freva was startled and looked toward the door.
Since most of the people in the room were the Marshall family’s relatives, they had also heard about Radley and Freya’s divorce.
Then, all eyes turned toward the door.
Braxton frowned and stood up while Ryan did the same.
Both of them stared at the people walking in with unfriendly expressions.
The first to enter the room was Chris. He forced himself to walk forward and whispered to Radley beside him, “Half of the people in this hall are glaring at us. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been so disliked, and it’s all thanks to you.”
Radley remained calm. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Freya sitting beside Sarah.
She looked charming in her red dress with a loose hem covering her bulging belly.
The red color made her fair skin even more radiant, and her black hair was put up with a stick shaped like a tree branch with a large ruby to imitate a cherry.
Her clear and bright eyes were now fixed on him.
Radley smiled gently while Freya pursed her lips and tightened her grip on the cup.
In the meantime, Sarah frowned when she noticed the interaction between Radley and Freya.
She loathed the other because he had betrayed her granddaughter.
However, due to the guests present, she held back her anger as she had no reason to act out. After all, they were here to congratulate her.
“Chris Holland from the Holland family. I wish you a long and healthy life.”
Chris put away his usual playboy demeanor and respectfully congratulated her.
Then, he presented the gift he had brought–a small jade statue.
The Marshall family and the Holland family were both prominent families in Vroria, and their companies. were business partners as well. Sarah smiled and said, “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Then, she looked at Radley.
“Radley from the Monaghan family in Caltun. I wish you a bright future and a forever harmonious family.” Radley also wished the other
Sarah pursed her lips and took a few seconds before reluctantly saying, “Thank you, Mr. Monaghan. Please
have a seat.”
On the other hand, Freya was holding tightly onto her cup. The gift Radley brought was a chess set made from top–quality red agate. People in Vroria loved playing chess, so Radley’s gift was quite appropriate.
However, Freya knew red agate was a type of valuable quartz that was worth thousands of dollars per gram. Making a whole chess set from them would…
She pursed her lips and didn’t say anything.
Radley glanced around the room and went straight to sit beside her.
Once he did, the people around them reacted differently. Most of the guests left after congratulating Sarah, and the invitation to sit was only a polite gesture. Therefore, many were shocked that Radley actually took a seat and even sat in the seat reserved for family members.
Since it was such a joyous occasion, no one said anything, but everyone had different thoughts.
Freya also had mixed feelings and took the opportunity to lower her voice and ask Radley, “Why are you in Vroria?”
With a calm expression, Radlyer answered, “I came to discuss details about a project with the Holland Group. When I heard about Old Mrs. Marshall’s birthday banquet, I thought since you’ve taken care of my grandmother for so long, I should return the favor. So I came with him.”
Is that it?
Freya stared at him in confusion and saw he had a calm and composed expression on his face.
Then, she picked up the teacup brought by the servant and took a sip.
While looking at Radley’s stunning side profile, Freya couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but she felt her heart skip a beat and quickly looked away.
Soon, the butler announced at the door, “Old Mrs. Marshall, Miss Isabella Parker from the Parker Group has come to congratulate you.”
Freya and Braxton both looked toward the door.
Isabella had always had a bubbly personality, and since the Porter Group had a branch in Vroria, most of the people in the room knew her.
“Madam Sarah, I wish you happiness, good health, and all the best!” Isabella said cheerfully, bringing a
cheerful atmosphere to the room.
Sarah smiled and said to her close friend beside her, “This is Miss Porter from the Porter family. She and Freya get along well.”
Beaming, Isabella said, Madam Sarah, this is my gift.”
While saying so, she proudly presented the vintage painting she had worked hard to obtain.
Sarah praised it several times and sincerely invited Isabella to sit down.
Isabella happily turned around, but her expression froze the moment she saw Braxton.
Then, she wanted to sit next to Freya but saw Radley sitting beside her.
Shocked, Isabella looked at Freya with widened eyes, wondering what was going on.
On the other hand, Chris was sitting beside Radley, and there was an empty seat next to Chris.
Still holding a grudge against Christ for tricking her yesterday, Isabella narrowed her eyes and sat down.
“Mr. Holland, what a coincidence. We met again.” Isabella said through gritted teeth.
Chris, who usually acted like a big shot, was particularly gentlemanly and elegant today. He felt a little uneasy and smiled faintly, “It is quite a coincidence, Miss Porter. Please have some tea.”
Squinting her eyes, Isabella chastised, “Chris Holland! I will find a chance to get back at you for tricking me yesterday.”
Chris pursed his lips and whispered, “Would you believe me if I told you it was Radley who ordered the driver to drive away?”
After scoffing, Isabella retorted, “Trying to push him under the bus?”
Although Chris and Isabella were at odds with each other, they both came from prominent families and had been taught etiquette since childhood.
Both of them had faint smiles on their faces, which made it seem like they were just having a quiet conversation with others.
Freya quietly glanced at the two and then at Braxton. Oh, my, his expression looks like it’s made of ice!
Since there were a lot of guests there, Freya gradually felt tired as she sat there.
Radley noticed that while sitting beside her. “Do you have to stay here until this ends?”
Nodding, she replied, “It’s unethical for the family not to be fully present while others come to wish Granny.”
After hearing that, Radley frowned and then heard her add, “It’s almost done anyway, and the banquet will start at 12 p.m., so I just have to hang on for another hour.”
Radley turned his head to look at her and pursed his lips, his eyes filled with distress.
Seeing that she had almost reached the end, Freya looked over and saw Isabella’s conversation with Chris was still “in full swing.”
Then, she saw Braxton’s expression was almost as cold as ice.
In the meantime, Ryan would occasionally glance in her direction while frowning, seemingly very displeased with Radley.
As for Melissa, she had long since become impatient and kept changing positions as though the seat under her was made of pins.
Freya also glanced at Sarah and noticed she seemed tired as well.
At that moment, the butler’s loud voice came from outside the room.
“Mr. Ernie Porter from the Porter family has arrived.”
That announcement startled everyone in her room, and everyone from the Marshall and Kaufmann families instantly became upset.
Ryan stood up abruptly. “How dare he come here?”
