THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 387: Congratulations Is Not Out Of Place

Her gaze shifted between him and the woman hanging off his arm, taking in the situation with cool detachment. "George," she replied with a nod, deliberately ignoring the hint of challenge in his smile.

Seeing Lauren’s casual response to George. Steffan, leaned back in his chair with a composed expression.

Unlike the tense energy that usually radiated from him whenever he saw him, George noticed that, tonight, there was something different in the way Steffan carried himself.

He saw how Steffan met his gaze with a faint, confident smile of his own.

"Dr. Rosse," George acknowledged with a slight nod, his tone respectful but laced with a trace of irony.

"Mr Wellington," Steffan replied smoothly, tilting his head slightly as if assessing him. "It’s been a while."

"Indeed," George responded, his eyes flicking toward Lauren and then back to Steffan. "You seem to be enjoying the evening."

"Very much so," Steffan said, his tone light but edged with subtle possessiveness. He casually placed his hand on the back of Lauren’s chair, his fingers brushing against her shoulder. "It’s a special night, after all."

George’s gaze darkened slightly, though his smile didn’t falter. "Of course it is. It’s Lauren’s big moment, and she deserves nothing less than to be celebrated." He emphasized the word "celebrated" with a glint in his eye, clearly implying something more.

Lauren’s gaze alternated beyween the two men. "Thank you, George. I see you brought a guest?" She raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity, her tone laced with a hint of amusement.

George’s expression didn’t waver as he introduced the woman on his arm. "This is Isabella. She just got back to the city after a long vacation."

Isabella flashed a charming smile at everyone at the table, though there was a flicker of wariness in her eyes as she glanced between Lauren and Steffan.

George, by the way, noticed that Isabella’s smile appeared forced and lacked the usual warmth it had when she was talking to him.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’ve heard so much about tonight’s event and of course, about Lauren’s incredible achievement."

Lauren returned the smile, but there was a razor-sharp edge to it. "I’m glad you could join us, Isabella. It’s always nice to have more people celebrating the spirit of competition."

The conversation continued, laced with the kind of subtle jabs and veiled compliments that only people well-versed in social dynamics could exchange.

Steffan, far from being pushed to the sidelines, remained comfortably engaged, his demeanor calm yet unmistakably protective of Lauren.

It was as if he knew exactly how to navigate the tension without losing his cool, which was a far cry from their previous encounters.

Lauren, on the other hand, couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at her lips as she watched her staff struggle to process the scene unfolding before them.

For months, they had whispered and speculated about her and George, convinced he was the better man for her after Steffan’s supposed abandonment.

They’d painted a neat picture in their minds of how Steffan had moved on with his new doctor colleague, leaving Lauren behind.

But now, confronted with George arm-in-arm with another woman, while Lauren sat comfortably with Steffan by her side, the narrative they’d concocted shattered into pieces.

’What’s really going on?’ Lauren could almost hear their unspoken questions, and the confusion brought her no small amount of satisfaction.,

However, despite her outward calm, Lauren’s mind couldn’t help but wonder about what game George was playing tonight?

He rarely did anything without an agenda, and bringing someone completely strange to an event he knew all eyes would be on him considering his newly revealed identity, seemed too deliberate to be a coincidence.

The George she knew has always been cautious, never committing publicly to anyone. Yet here he was, flaunting this mysterious woman as if daring people to make assumptions. Why was he suddenly going all out tonight?

Anyways, whatever his plan was, Lauren wasn’t going to let it affect her mood tonight. She was sure he would explain whatever it was when the time comes.

As the conversation circled back to lighter topics, George’s attention remained fixed on Lauren. He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering just enough for only her to hear.

"You look radiant tonight, Ren. You’ve always had a knack for commanding attention, but this..." He let his gaze sweep over her dress, his admiration apparent. "You’ve really outdone yourself."

Lauren returned his gaze with an equally enchanting smile. "Thank you, George. I think I’ve just learned how to surround myself with the right kind of energy."

There was a fleeting glimmer of something unreadable in his eyes before he chuckled. "Is he the ’right energy’ you’re talking about?"

She tilted her head slightly and met his challenge with a defiant whisper. "What do you think?"

"I suppose congratulations are in order then," George said smoothly, his tone betraying little emotion.

"Oh, absolutely. And thank you, darling," Lauren replied cheekily, her smile holding a hint of mischief.

George shook his head at her, amusement tinged with something more inexplicable in his expression, before straightening back up.

"Well, I won’t take any more of your time. Just wanted to drop by and say hello." His eyes briefly flicked toward Steffan, who remained silent but watchful.

"Enjoy your evening," George added before taking Isabella by the arm and guiding her away, heading toward another cluster of guests.

The tension at Lauren’s table eased as they left, though Lauren could still sense the curious gazes from her team. They clearly had questions they were dying to ask but knew better than to do so in front of Steffan.

Horatio, however, when he saw someone else engage Steffan in a conversation, couldn’t resist and leaned in, seizing the slight chance he got as soon as he felt that Steffan wasn’t paying attention,

"So... what’s going on with everyone?"

Lauren smirked. By ’everyone,’ she understood that Horatio meant, she, Steffan and George bye she still feigned ignorance.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn’t think George would show up with a date and you... here with our... runaway doctor," Horatio pointed out.

"Neither did I, but it’s not really my concern who Grorge hangs out with." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Really? But weren’t you two..."

"We’re just friends, Horatio. Anything more than that is what you all made up in your heads."

Horatio looked unconvinced. "You always say that, but anyone can see he’s deep into you."

Lauren felt helpless against such deep seated convictions. How else will she convince them?

Maybe if they knew that George was just her cousin and that they were somehow closer than ordinary cousins, they’d let her be.

But George had warned her severally not to reveal their ties to people. He loved how mysterious their relationship was and intends to keep it that way until it was absolutely necessary to reveal it

Thus, she could only say, "George knows my heart has always belonged to Steffan and he’s cool with that."

"Is that so?" Horatio’s voice carried a note of skepticism. As a man, he knew whether George was sincerely cool with that or not, but he wasn’t going to press any further. He was sure with time, everything will be revealed.