Chapter 23

The woman stared at me, then snatched the juice. ‘Thanks, Miss Vance.’ ‘No worries,’ I said, smirking as I grabbed Yvaine’s arm and pulled her away. Behind us, the chatter died. Yvaine hissed, ‘Your stare just turned her skin fifty shades darker.’ I chuckled. ‘I know their type. Keen to yap behind your back, yet freeze solid when you look them in the eye—especially in public.’ We drifted towards the dessert tables—two twenty-metre feasts of cakes and champagne. With no immediate threat of juice assassination, I snagged a mini éclair and shoved it in my mouth. The gossiping ladies hovered nearby, eyes flicking between us and their empty glasses. Wisely, they switched targets and moved on to the Laurent family’s heir. ‘A few years back, the Laurents didn’t even acknowledge that grandson of theirs. Didn’t give him a single share. Nada.’ ‘And yet he went off overseas and built his own company. Bigger than Laurent Global Holdings, from what I’ve heard.’ ‘Yeah, and I heard Edouard Laurent go