Chapter 392: The Best Dancers Will Get A Mystery Prize
Michael’s brows furrowed when he saw Yonina’s hand on his thigh.
Yonina whispered, "Cameras are everywhere."
Michael was obviously aware of this fact.
Since they were already there, he knew he must put on a good show.
He lowered his head to Yonina’s level.
He had a smile on his face, and his mouth movement suggested that he was saying something.
Once again, the frenzy started in the comments section.
"Who said Michael Lucas and Yonina Collins are on bad terms? Look, Michael Lucas was smiling. He actually smiled!"
"Seriously?! Why do I feel the happiness oozing out of the couple?"
"Me too!"
"Actually, both couples looked so good together - Michael Lucas with Yonina Collins and Todd Lewis with Wendy Stewart. They are all so good-looking!"
"Both of them are so despicable! A leopard will never change its spot. Did you forget how he and Yonina Collins got together? How dare he treat my Wendy like that!"
Over an hour had passed. The press conference had finally ended.
At his conclusion, Christian announced, "The press conference has now ended. Once again, thank you for taking the time to be here tonight. Before we go, I would like to invite the guests seated in the first two rows to come up to the stage for photo-taking."
A photo-taking session was a necessary part of any event.
Todd reached out to help Wendy up. He asked concernedly, "Are your legs numb?"
Wendy shook her head.
Once they were on the stage, Wendy and Todd moved to the corner. They had no interest to be in the limelight.
Unfortunately, Christian had no intention to let them off so easily.
He looked at Todd and Wendy and shouted across the people between them, "Ms.
Swift, Mr. Lewis, why did you stand so far off? Please come over here to the middle."
"It’s okay. We will just stand here," replied Wendy coldly.
"Ms. Swift, this is going to make me look bad if you insist on standing there. You are such distinguished guests. How can I let you stand in a corner?" Christian persisted.
Wendy felt a little frustrated This Christian really didn’t cut her any slack.
Without any change in her expression, Wendy walked towards the center.
Todd naturally followed.
Eventually, Wendy was standing next to Michael again.
Yonina, on the other hand, was squeezed to the side, to an obscure corner.
It took a while for the guests to find their positions on the stage. The stage was too small, to begin with. The fact that she had been sitting for too long and wearing heels, Wendy lost her balance and almost fell to the side when being squeezed.
"Be careful!"
Todd and Michael were standing by her side. When they saw that she was falling over, both reached out at the same time to stabilize her.
Both her hands were being held up. But Wendy was so shocked by what happened that her heart was racing away.
Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure.
She shook her hands a little, signaling to them to let go.
"Thank you." Wendy looked straight ahead, ignoring the looks of the others.
"Does Michael Lucas still have feelings for Wendy?"
"Of course. Just now Michael Lucas’ expression showed that he was genuinely concerned for her."
"If someone was about to fall next to you, the normal reaction is to reach out and hold the person. If it were me, I would also do the same."
"I thought it was quite normal too. This is what a gentleman would do."
Another frenzy of comments.
The event finally ended with the photo-taking session.
...
The press conference was followed by a cocktail reception.
Wendy didn’t like such events, but she knew this was unavoidable.
So, she hid in a corner by herself where there were lesser people.
It was a busy and noisy night. Top business leaders were busy exchanging drinks and networking with one another.
Wendy picked up her drink and observed the crowd with little interest.
Everyone was wearing a smile but really, were they truly happy?
Surely, Christian was the happiest tonight.
Todd walked over with his wine glass in hand. Seeing Wendy by herself, he teased, "Hello beautiful, are you here alone? Do you mind if I add you as a friend to my contact list?"
Wendy decided to play along, "Sure. Let me delete your contact first then add you back?"
"Better not then." Todd walked to Wendy’s side and leaned back to watch the crowd together. He lifted his wine glass to his lips, and on a more serious note, he commented, "If you are feeling uncomfortable, let’s go back soon."
Before Wendy could respond, someone approached them.
It was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was all smiles as he walked over and had his name card ready in his hand. "Hi, you must be Mr. Lewis and Ms. Swift. I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Wayne Dixon, and I’m from WY Fashion Enterprise."
WY Fashion Enterprise?
Wendy seemed to have heard of it before. It was not an international company, for sure, but seemed to be doing well in Lake City.
She nodded her head in acknowledgment and took the name card that was offered.
She politely greeted, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dixon."
"Mr. Lewis, here you go." He passed another card to Todd.
"Both of you are such famous people in the fashion industry. I really hope that we can work together in the near future," Wayne went on enthusiastically.
Certainly, both HG Enterprise and Lewis Design Company were much more famous than WY Fashion Enterprise.
But such receptions were meant for people to get to know one another and start to network.
When Wendy first got into HG Enterprise, she also had to attend such events, like Wayne Dixon, and made friends with all kinds of people.
Wendy shuddered at the memories of her first two years.
Nothing in this world came easy. Success came with hard work.
Back to Wayne Dixon. Now was certainly not the right time for him to exchange name cards.
In other words, Wendy was in dire straits now. How could she possibly work with him?
All she wanted now was for HG Enterprise and DR Group to go bankrupt soon.
"Sure, if there is a chance, let’s work together," Wendy replied out of formality.
"Thank you, thank you. May I propose a toast to you?" Wayne asked.
Wendy took a sip out of her glass out of courtesy.
Although she was hidden in a corner, people still approached her from time to time.
This was understandable since many would certainly want to connect with the two big shots in the fashion industry.
Wendy saw yet another person coming towards her and couldn’t help but sigh. She then quickly composed herself and smiled.
Just as she was about to take a drink, she saw Christian coming from the other side.
"I’ve been looking for the two of you," said Christian, "So, you have been hiding here.
Shall we have a drink together?"
"Sure, let’s do it together," replied Wendy, looking at the person who had wanted to drink with her.
"How can we do it together?" Christian asked. "Go ahead with this drink. We can do it again later."
Wendy couldn’t control her expression upon hearing him. She looked crestfallen.
....
Todd put himself between Christian and Wendy and said, "Ms. Swift is not good at drinking, and she had a bit too much today. She is a woman, after all, so her ability to drink is not there. Here, let me drink with you. Then, I will have to bring Corrine back to rest."
Todd finished the wine in one gulp.
Before Christian could say anything, Todd already put his glass down and put his arms around Wendy’s shoulders. He said, "Sorry, Mr. Lucas, we got to make a move first. Please have an enjoyable night."
"The night is still young, and Ms. Swift doesn’t look drunk at all," Christian stopped them. He had no intention of letting them off so easily.
Wendy played along with Todd and put her hand on her head, "I really cannot take it already, Mr. Lucas. Next time, if there is another opportunity, we will surely have a drinking session with you."
Wendy didn’t wait for Christian’s response. She quickly turned and walked off with Todd.
As she made the turn, she spotted Michael standing in a corner.
The moment their eyes met; Michael turned away.
Suddenly, loud music came on. The host excitedly announced, "Coming up next, grab your dance partner and start dancing away! Mr. Lucas promised that the best dancers will get a mystery prize!"
What? A business reception turned into a dance party?
Wendy couldn’t help but turned to look at Christian.
What exactly was he thinking?
But this had nothing to do with her.
Wendy paused momentarily and continued towards the door.
Just then, Christian caught up with them.
"Ms. Swift, may I have the honor to have a dance with you?" Christian had somehow found a stalk of rose and presented it to her.
He bowed as a sign of invitation.
Wendy was totally speechless.
This Christian was obviously trying to pick on her.
The crowd began to turn their attention to them.
The lights and the cameras too were on Wendy.
Christian was the star for tonight. And the first person he asked to dance with was Wendy. The cameras would most certainly be following them.
All Wendy wanted to do at this moment was to bash him up.
Unfortunately, the cameras were on her. She could only bear with this nonsense.
There was no way she could leave now.
Todd came to her rescue. He reached out to the waiter nearby and took a stalk of rose from him. He smiled and did an invitation pose too, "She is my girlfriend. Her first dance must naturally be with me."
"But this is just a reception. Surely you don’t need to be in a relationship to dance together?" Christian protested. "Besides, wouldn’t it be awkward for you if Ms. Swift decides to have the first dance with me even after you have said all this? Even if it is not me, you will still be embarrassed if she chose someone else."
His gaze turned to Michael Lucas.
That’s right. He had purposefully arranged for this segment.
He wanted to know what Wendy would do.
He knew his own standing.
Wendy would surely not be willing to choose him.
But this was his show, and he was also the first to invite her for a dance.
For courtesy’s sake, she should agree to him.
But even if she rejected him, it was fine with him. He wanted to see how Michael would react.
Didn’t he want to prove to the world that Yonina and he were on good terms and were a loving couple? He didn’t even want to admit that he hit her to the media.
Christian’s plan was to stir up news that their relationship was on the brink of a breakup.
