Chapter 327
Chapter 327
Hayley pushed Zara into the hotel lobby.
Bette shot them a glance, then moved away from Daron and took a seat at the main table.
As Hayley pushed Zara past Daron, she whispered, Take your seat, Daron.”
Daron nodded. “Okay.”
He made his way to the main table and took a seat beside Harris.
Hayley wheeled Zara over to Daron’s side and signaled for a chair to be taken away.
After all, Zara didn’t need a chair. She was already in her wheelchair.
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Just as the waiter was about to take the chair away, Daron spoke up in a calm voice, “No need. Leave it there. Someone else will be joining us soon.”
The waiter didn’t object and simply adjusted the chair.
Zara sat in her wheelchair, leaving an empty seat between herself and Daron.
Everyone from the Zamora family was already seated.
Someone else was still expected.
Clearly, the person Daron mentioned was Marina.
Hayley’s face stayed perfectly neutral, not a trace of anything unusual.
She quietly took her seat next to Zara.
Zara stayed quiet as well.
At the Zamora family’s main table, she barely ever got to say a word.
Some of the Zamora Group’s top brass were still trickling in. It wasn’t until everyone had finally settled in that Marina joined her colleagues at the executive table.
Only after the last seat was filled did Marina head over and sit down with her team from the executive office.
She had just taken her seat when a waiter came over, leaned down beside her, and spoke quietly. “Ms. Finley, Mr. Zamora asked you to move to the main table.”
The waiter’s voice was low, but Bella, sitting right next to Marina, still overheard and glanced at Marina in surprise.
Marina replied in a soft voice, declining the invitation, “No need, I’d rather stay here.”
The waiter hesitated, a trace of uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
Marina kept her voice low, “It’s better if I stay here. Mr. Zamora will understand.”
The waiter nodded and made his way back to the main table.
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Marina didn’t even look over at the main table, so she totally missed how stormy Daron’s face got after the waiter told him she’d turned him down.
Harris saw the whole thing and asked, voice low, “What’s wrong?”
Daron didn’t answer.
Bette had a pretty good idea what was up and glanced over at Marina.
She saw Marina get up from her seat and head toward the entrance.
Not long after, Marina showed Daron’s aunt, Seliv Zamora, and her family into the room.
Garret had gotten seriously injured last month and had been laid up at home recovering ever since.
That was why none of their family showed up at this year’s annual party.
Everyone just figured they wouldn’t be coming.
Marina led the three of them over to the main table.
Harris, who had been looking a bit stern just moments ago, immediately broke into a smile.
“Oh, you guys are here? How’s Garret’s recovery going?”
Garret walked over without waiting for anyone and sat down next to Daron, looking completely relaxed.
“Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Harris. I’m pretty much back to normal now,” he said.
Harris nodded. “Glad to hear you’re almost fully recovered.”
“Seliv, Casey, come on, have a seat.”
As soon as Harris finished speaking, the waiter brought over two more chairs and set the table for them.
Seliv took the seat next to Bette, and Casey sat down right beside her.
The table, which was meant for ten, got a lot tighter with three more squeezed in.
Just then, Matthew spoke up, “Zara, you always sit at the side table every year. Why are you at the main table this time?”
Zara looked uncomfortable at being singled out and quickly said, “I’ll head over to the side table right away.”
Zara’s seat was always meant to be at the side table.
Matthew’s daughters were also at the side table.”
None of them were part of the Zamora Group’s inner circle.
Hayley probably figured Seliv’s family wouldn’t show up this year, so she brought Zara to the main table.
Normally, Hayley would sit at the side table.
Matthew knew how much Daron respected Hayley, so he wouldn’t dare single her out and risk getting on Daron’s bad side.
But Zara was a different story.
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Zara was just Hayley’s adopted daughter. She wasn’t actually part of the Zamora family.
He wasn’t afraid of offending her.
Hayley got up right away and said quietly, “I’ll go with Zara to the side table.”
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Seliv lightly took Hayley’s arm and said, “Come on, Hayley, you can stay right here, it’s really not that crowded. Let Zara move to the other table and chat with the younger girls. Stay with us and keep me company.”
Hayley smiled and shook her head, her tone gentle as she replied, “Don’t worry, this is how it’s always been.”
“Besides, I already know Jordan and Taylor pretty well, so I can catch up with the two of them too.”
Seliv started to say something else, but Hayley didn’t give her the chance and just wheeled Zara over to the next table.
Seliv’s expression got pretty awkward.
The way Hayley left like that, it kind of made it seem like Seliv had just stolen her seat.
Bette glanced over and said softly, “Aunt, you really don’t need to feel awkward. This is how it’s always been.”
It’s just that this year, Hayley decided to join the main table.
She always stuck to the side table before, but this year she even brought Zara along to the main table.
Matthew was never one to let people cross the line, so he called her out without a second thought.
Bette really couldn’t stand Hayley.
First, it was because of Zara.
Second, the Blanchard family had already done plenty for Zara, but she kept asking for more, even though she’d promised the Blanchards she wouldn’t. She started playing dirty tricks behind their backs.
Even though the Blanchard patriarch, Durif Blanchard, never liked getting involved in the Zamora family’s business, he’d kept a close watch on Daron’s growth over the years.
So none of Hayley’s little tricks ever slipped past him.
Back when Daron was still single, Hayley’s little schemes didn’t really matter.
But now that Daron’s married, the Blanchard family absolutely wouldn’t let Hayley keep pulling those irritating stunts.
Seliv nodded and took the seat next to Bette. As they started chatting about work, she casually asked Bette if she could design a new piece of jewelry for her.
Bette nodded, agreeing to help.
Garret sat down next to Daron, instantly picking up on the bad vibes coming off him.
He craned his neck, peering at Daron’s face, and joked, “Hey, Daron, why the long face? Not happy to see me or what?”
Daron replied, “I’m not.”
Garret shot back, “Come on, you totally do.”
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He’d been around Daron for years. No way he couldn’t tell when Daron’s mood shifted.
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Bette just smiled knowingly and leaned in to whisper to Garret, “Seriously, Garret, don’t worry about him. It’s not your fault.”
Garret wasn’t one to get caught up in drama. He just nodded and instinctively put some distance between himself and Daron.
He still wasn’t fully back to normal, and honestly, he was a little worried Daron might mess with him if he was in a bad mood.
Honestly, he wouldn’t mind milking his recovery for a few more days at home.
Daron didn’t say a word, but when he looked up, he couldn’t help shooting a glance over at Marina.
After Marina led Seliv’s family to the main table, she slipped back to the executive table and sat down without drawing any
attention.
Seeing her laughing and chatting so easily with her colleagues, Daron’s mood soured instantly.
Harris shot Daron a look, his face unreadable, then picked up his fork and placed the first piece of meat into Daron’s plate.
“Zamora Group did well this year. I hope you can deliver results just as good next year,” he said.
Daron snapped out of his thoughts and replied calmly, “Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll do my best.”
Harris gave a nod and invited everyone to dig in.
With that, everyone finally picked up their spoons and started eating.
Daron popped the meat into his mouth, but he couldn’t help glancing over at Marina again.
Marina didn’t even look their way once the whole time.
His chest felt tight, and just like that, Daron had zero appetite left.
Bette noticed the shift in Daron’s expression and smirked, digging into her food with relish.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
