Chapter 42

Heather moved gracefully through the crowd, confident and composed. She looked radiant. When had Heather begun to shine like this? In truth, Devon had long forgotten—before marrying him, Heather had always been like this. Esme glared at Heather with resentment. Who would have thought that this wretched woman would steal all the attention tonight? Just then, several women walked past her without even noticing her existence, bumping into her hard and making her stumble. Esme twisted her ankle and collapsed straight into Charles' arms, grimacing in pain. Charles reacted as if shocked by electricity, quickly helping her up and then stepping back. Esme glared furiously at the group of women. "Are you blind? You ran into me!" The group of women turned around and swept an indifferent glance over her. "Who's that?" "Oh, she's just Mr. Harlan's little girlfriend." "I thought she was someone important." "Let's go already. Dr. Lovegood is surrounded again. If we don't hurry, we won'