"Come, let me show you to your seat." Mrs. Zeller didn't even give her daughter a chance to chat with Claire.
She enthusiastically ushered her toward a table.
"Thank you," Claire replied, not refusing the gesture.
It was quite serendipitous where Mrs. Zeller decided to seat her.
Aside from Skylar, the table was filled with the younger generation of the Zeller and Dalton families.
Claire didn't recognize a single one of them, save for Skylar, who was waving excitedly at her.
"Claire, knowing you're Melissa's daughter... you have no idea, your mother used to be the belle of Cabinda..."
If there hadn't been other relatives arriving, Mrs. Zeller probably would have held Claire hostage in conversation until the food was served.
Once Mrs. Zeller finally walked away, Skylar leaned in. "Look at this setup. This is the most high-end banquet I've ever been to."
She kept her voice low. Her family wasn't poor, but they certainly weren't wealthy enough to dine on Michelin-star cuisine every day.
Right now, she felt entirely out of her depth.
She was terrified that the people at their table would overhear and mock her.
It wasn't that Skylar couldn't handle being laughed at; she just didn't want to embarrass Claire by association.
She could handle looking foolish, but her sophisticated roommate shouldn't have to suffer for it.
"Then make sure you eat plenty later," Claire said, completely unbothered.
Booking a private hall like this wasn't cheap; eating a lot was the only way to get their money's worth.
Skylar nodded eagerly. She was definitely going to stuff her face.
Sitting on the other side of Skylar was Yanis Mercer.
Yanis was one of Zara's few genuine friends.
He had arrived early too, though he didn't look particularly thrilled to be there.
Hearing Skylar's whisper, he couldn't hold back a soft laugh.
"What's so funny?" Skylar really liked Yanis's face, but being laughed at by someone she admired definitely stung.
"I just think you're quite cute."
In Yanis's circles, there weren't many girls quite like Skylar.
Zara had told him that Skylar had a crush on him.
But she never actually made a move.
Every time she saw him, she just secretly swooned over his looks.
Yanis understood perfectly well that this girl just liked his face, not him as a person.
"I..." Skylar's face instantly burned red at his words.
She had absolutely no idea how to respond.
Yanis just chuckled to himself.
He then took the liberty of introducing the other people at the table to them.
The Dalton family had a smaller presence, while the Zeller side brought a lot of relatives.
There was another key host sitting at this table: Silas Zeller.
Silas was Zara's cousin, currently a student at Metropolitan University.
He was one hundred percent supportive of his cousin's engagement today!
Even though Reid was older than both Preston and himself, Reid had the most impeccable reputation in their entire social circle.
Reid's sheer excellence made the rest of them feel utterly inadequate by comparison.
Because of that, Silas hadn't voiced a single objection to this union. In fact,
Z was celebrating the f
that.
Shatched Preston??
Otherwise, why would the Dalton family have agreed to compensate his cousin with
their most outstanding grandson?
Hearing Yanis offer to make
introductions be Gfaire the
Silas eagerly took the
floor
roommate Zara is always talking about. I'm her cousin..."
Well, so much for Yanis. Silas had totally stolen his thunder.
With Silas making the introductions, everyone quickly realized these two were Zara's roommates.
Since they were close friends with the bride-to-be, no one tried to make things difficult for them.
Besides, neither of the girls was hard on the eyes.
Claire was undeniably stunning, and despite her low-key outfit and total
Kofjewelry, anyone cook?
tell she was raised with old money content
As for Skylar, she just looked adorable. Even if she was a little naive, no one felt the need to mock her.
The younger generation of both families had been strictly warned by their parents
not to stir up any trouble today.
That is, except for the fashionably late Zoe Zeller and Preston Dalton!