CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: MISTRESS AND PARAMOUR

Patrick Rhodes originally wanted to retort with "Who are you?", but seeing the other person’s exceptional attire, he dared not speak carelessly.

Lilian Young saw that this lady was also unfamiliar and took the initiative to ask, "May I ask who you are..."

"I am Faye Finch, the owner of The Wellness Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Claire Shaw’s expression instantly changed, but with so many people around, she dared not show any signs of guilt.

"All the supplements from The Wellness Pavilion are my proprietary formula and aren’t sold to just anyone. In the past month, I’ve only sold them to Serena Jennings."

Upon hearing Serena Jennings’ name, Lilian Young was the most surprised one.

Caleb Lockwood’s chiseled face, however, revealed little emotion.

"Serena Jennings said a friend’s mother was hospitalized due to a fright and needed some calming, health-boosting supplements. I didn’t expect it was referring to Mrs. Lockwood."

The mention of "a friend" by Faye Finch stirred waves in Caleb Lockwood’s deep eyes.

His grip on the wine glass tightened.

Lilian Young forced a smile, "Those supplements are indeed effective, truly living up to the reputation of a global brand."

At this moment, Arthur Lockwood came over, proudly saying, "Ms. Finch, Serena is our Lockwood family daughter-in-law, she is so filial."

Only when they heard this from Mr. Lockwood did Caleb Lockwood’s high school classmates realize he was already married.

"Eh?" Faye Finch raised an eyebrow, "Then is this Miss Shaw the mistress President Lockwood found outside?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s gaze at Claire Shaw immediately turned strange.

Claire Shaw tried her best to remain calm, her palms painfully clawed by her own nails.

"Ms. Finch’s words are rather harsh." Caleb Lockwood coldly explained, "Claire is my high school classmate."

Seeing Caleb Lockwood speak up for her, Claire Shaw’s smile regained some confidence.

"I’m sorry, that was a misunderstanding on my part." Faye Finch apologized verbally, but her face showed no sign of regret, "Mainly because, in my understanding, married men shouldn’t be overly intimate with other women, so it’s not my fault for misunderstanding."

Caleb Lockwood opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Arthur Lockwood took over the conversation, "Ms. Finch is right, it’s all Caleb’s lack of propriety, it’s my failure in teaching him right."

Although Faye Finch is just a nutritionist, her family background is quite extraordinary, and she is well-connected in the business circle. Arthur Lockwood considered it a great fortune to have invited Faye Finch today.

Faye Finch originally did not want to come.

But knowing Serena Jennings was the Lockwood family’s daughter-in-law, she thought she might see Serena there.

Serena Jennings was quite surprised to see Faye Finch at The Lockwood Estate.

She was about to leave, but seeing Faye Finch made her stay a little longer.

After perfunctorily talking to Arthur Lockwood, Faye Finch immediately went over to find Serena Jennings.

The two of them walked to a spot away from the party for a private conversation, and from an outsider’s perspective, they seemed very familiar with each other.

"Are you really not planning to go back to see your parents? They said they miss you." Faye Finch advised earnestly, a stark contrast to her earlier confrontation with Caleb Lockwood.

Serena Jennings’ expression was colder than ever.

She was silent for a long time, then gave a mocking smile.

"I have only one mother, and she is in a nursing home that I often visit."

Faye Finch hesitated before changing the subject.

"That Caleb Lockwood..."

"I’m filing for divorce with him."

Noticing Serena Jennings didn’t want to discuss Caleb Lockwood further, Faye Finch gave Serena’s shoulder a pat, like a caring elder.

Since realizing Faye Finch knew Serena Jennings, Claire Shaw noticed the frequency and length of Caleb Lockwood’s gazes toward Serena Jennings increased.

"Caleb..." she clung to Caleb Lockwood’s arm with both hands, "I’m sorry... while at the hospital, I didn’t know those supplements were from Serena. She didn’t leave a name. Although I suspected it might be her, Aunt Lilian was angry and frail then. I was afraid that mentioning Serena would upset her more. Caleb, you won’t blame me, will you?"

With reddened eyes, Claire Shaw lowered her head.

"You even lost your job to care for my mom, how could I possibly blame you? I’m grateful to you instead."

With those words from Caleb Lockwood, Claire Shaw rested her head on his arm, relieved.

"But Serena is really capable, to be acquainted with the owner of The Wellness Pavilion. I heard The Wellness Pavilion has recently gotten quite close to the Nash Group, maybe it was introduced by the new president of Starlight Media!"

Listening to Claire Shaw, Caleb Lockwood noticed Serena Jennings, having finished her chat with Faye Finch, was now proactively seeking out Justin Nash and began a conversation with him.

Caleb Lockwood used his thumb to rub the base of his wine glass.

After a moment, he gave Claire Shaw an alluring smile and said, "Would you like to dance?"

On the other side, when Serena Jennings proactively approached him, Justin Nash was flattered.

After their rumors hit the trending searches, he was so busy he ran himself ragged. Eventually, the rumors were clarified, and the attention died down.

Justin Nash hadn’t dared to meet Serena Jennings personally; he feared she would blame him for deliberately hiding his identity.

Serena Jennings had received Justin Nash’s explanatory message on WeChat on the night the hot search appeared.

Justin Nash confessed to her that he was the eldest son of The Nash Group.

He originally had a younger brother, but he committed suicide during his rebellious youth, envious of Justin’s future inheritance of the family business.

Justin Nash felt very guilty, so he abandoned his identity as a Nash heir.

He volunteered at juvenile detention centers, hoping to help wayward youths and make up for his inability to help his brother.

Now, his return to Nash Group was indeed sparked by meeting Serena Jennings.

To Justin Nash, only with sufficient status and position could he possibly win Serena away from Caleb Lockwood.

Otherwise, Serena would forever see him as an immature kid.

Serena Jennings still wasn’t quite used to Justin Nash in a suit and slicked-back hair, although the new look indeed made him much more handsome than before.

"Let’s go, let’s dance."

Justin Nash took Serena’s hand and led her into the dance floor, but Serena halted.

Following her gaze, he saw Caleb Lockwood elegantly dancing a waltz with his arm around Claire Shaw’s waist.

"Forget it, let’s not dance."

Knowing Justin Nash cared about her feelings, Serena Jennings shook her head with a smile, "It’s alright, let’s just dance."

She took the initiative to hold Justin Nash’s hand, and his face turned red immediately.

Caleb Lockwood, while holding Claire Shaw in his arms as they danced, subtly observed Serena Jennings.

He never knew Serena could dance, and quite well at that.

Beside them, Lucy Warren sidled up to Lilian Young and whispered, "Isn’t Serena behaving too improperly? At a party full of big shots today, some of whom know she’s Caleb’s wife, she dares to openly dance with another man. And recently, wasn’t there gossip about her with that man too? In my opinion, that gossip must be true. Lilian, you can’t ignore this!"

Lilian Young’s face turned ugly, glaring at Serena with malice.

The Lockwood Group managed to regain some stock value through the business deals secured at this party.

At FY, Serena Jennings has now been promoted to the team leader of the PO series, with Heather Monroe having been dismissed by Peter.

Claire Shaw was fired due to absenteeism, and Chantelle Stone and Megan Ross, who originally sided with her, could only keep quiet and bear the outcome.

Today, Peter brought Serena Jennings big news.

"The Lockwood Group has officially entered the jewelry industry, launching a new brand called LC to directly compete with us."

Even before this news was officially announced, Serena Jennings had already heard the gossip at the company.

It was said that the CEO of the Lockwood Group founded the new jewelry brand to court a woman.