Simon, who was shocked to see Carla, asked Harry anxiously, "Harry, w-what's going on? Why's Carla with Mr. Giblo?"
However, the latter was so focused on looking at Carla that he did not hear whatever Simon was saying.
There was an unfathomable gaze in the man's eyes, one that was a mixture of heartache, regret, and a sense of impending loss.
"Harry… " Alia walked over with Lola and said to the man softly, "Lola and I will be heading back first."
"Alright." That was what Harry had been hoping for.
"Everyone, please keep quiet!" The emcee announced on stage, "Mr. Giblo, our host, has arrived. I shall now declare the start of the charity auction. Everyone, please take your seats!"
All the guests proceeded to sit down in an orderly manner.
Harry and Simon took their seats while Alia led Lola towards the exit discreetly. Just then, the door was suddenly shut, and the spotlight shone on the two women.
Caught in the act, both women looked awkward and embarrassed.
The rest of the guests were all looking at them with contemptuous looks on their faces. Someone even asked in a low voice, "Which family do they belong to? Where are their manners?"
"Obviously, they're just bumpkins. If that's the case, they should have stayed at home instead of being such an embarrassment."
"Exactly!"
Harry immediately covered his face with his hands, feeling extremely reluctant to let the others know that those two women were his family members.
Simon smiled awkwardly at the other guests as he took quick strides towards Alia and Lola. "Why are you two still standing here? Quick, return to your seats now."
"We wouldn't have come if we had known this would happen, " Lola mumbled to herself, feeling annoyed at the situation.
"Keep quiet. Isn't this already embarrassing enough?" Alia had experienced her fair share of ups and downs in life, so she was not particularly fazed. She bowed apologetically and said, "My apologies, everyone, this girl isn't feeling well. We wanted to leave quietly to not create any disturbances to the event. We did not realize the auction had already started."
"Mam, we have a lounge where you can rest, " a waiter informed Alia softly.
"Oh, she's fine now. We're good. Haha… Thanks!"
Alia dragged her daughter back to their seats, and the both of them sat down soon after, their faces flushing.
Lola noticed that Harry had been staring at Carla, who was seated at the front row, all the while. In contrast, he did not seem to care about her predicament. She was boiling with anger. Just as she was about to lash out at him, Alia stopped her from doing that.
"No matter what happens tonight, you must control yourself. Do not let your emotions take over. Otherwise, we won't just be embarrassing ourselves – we'll be bringing shame to both the Whytes and the Staytons. Even worse, you might incur Harry's wrath, and he might not take you out anymore if you get on his bad side."
"I can't accept this, " Lola said through gritted teeth. "All Carla Wigston did was cozy up to a man. Who does she think she is… "
"Relax and stay calm. We don't know that for a fact yet, so don't get angry and jump to conclusions!" Alia reprimanded Lola while trying to suppress her voice. "Do you think a high and mighty man like Mr. Giblo would be interested in a second-hand good? Especially one who has already given birth to three children? She's merely attending an auction with him. That doesn't mean anything."
"You have a point, " Lola replied as a twinkle suddenly appeared in her eyes. "I bet Mr. Giblo isn't aware of her background yet. I should tell him… "
"Stop right here!" Her mother quickly held her back. "I really wonder how I gave birth to a stupid girl like you. Can't you use your brain a little?"
"What's wrong?" Lola replied indignantly.
"Are you really asking me that?" Alia frowned. "We're not supposed to be the ones alerting Mr. Giblo to such information. If we do that, he wouldn't have a good impression of us."
"What shall we do then?" Lola was confused.
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
Alia turned to look at the two men beside her. One of them was her husband, while the other was her son-in-law. Both men had their full attentions on Carla – they could not be bothered with her and Lola.
Alia felt a flicker of irritation at that observation, but she knew that she shouldn't let her personal feelings spoil the grand scheme of things.
"Let's just watch the auction quietly first and go with the flow."
The woman stared at Carla's figure as the corners of her lips curled up into a cold and wicked smile.
"When did Carla get so chummy with Mr. Giblo?" Simon asked Harry again.
"She's working at Divine Corporation and is Mr. Giblo's employee, " the latter answered as he finally retracted his gaze. However, he was still feeling bothered. "I'm going to the washroom."
The man got up and buttoned his suit before casting a stern look at Lola and warning her, "Don't stir up any trouble!"
He stalked off after saying that.
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