"Then I'll walk you out. Let's head to the hospital first."
Larkin patted himself on the back. He was always such a helpful guy.
"There's no need for a hospital. I just twisted my ankle."
The beautiful woman looked down at her ankle.
It was slightly flushed.
Larkin followed her gaze, admiring her incredibly slender legs and delicate ankles
that looked absolutely stunning in her silver heels.
"Ankle that pretty shouldn't be left to swell. We definitely need to get it checked out."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take care of everything."
"My last name is Wade. Just call me..."
"Larkin," Jocelyn said, her expression a picture of pure sincerity.
Larkin paused. She looked so young, he had fully expected her to call him Mr. Wade out of respect.
But using his first name worked too.
His gaze grew heavier with implication, though Jocelyn pretended not to notice.
"Let's go. I'll help you out."
If Xavier had been there to see them, he would have instantly realized this limping woman was the same Jocelyn he had just sent off in a cab.
Jocelyn had refused to leave empty-handed and slipped back into the hotel.
She had originally staked out the restroom hoping to reel in Dane.
But she was self-aware enough to know when to pivot.
If Dane was out of her league, she just needed to pick another wealthy target.
She had been observing Larkin earlier in the ballroom.
He had brought his wife, a woman who wasn't exactly turning heads-she was quite heavy.
Jocelyn had overheard that Larkin was a major investor in the entertainment industry.
Men like him were always looking for a side piece and were notoriously generous with their wallets.
Using him as a stepping stone, she might just land a lucrative break in showbiz.
Jocelyn's plan was simple: further her career as a star, or at the very least, secure her spot as a pampered mistress.
While older men lacked the glamour of the young heirs, they possessed a crucial advantage.
They weren't on a tight leash.
They could shower a woman with as much cash as they pleased without needing Mommy and Daddy's approval.
Financial freedom meant bigger payouts.
Unfortunately, Jocelyn missed one glaring detail-if a man got rich at
this age and still hadn't traded in 179
his,
wife for a newer model, was the wife really that powerless?
In other words, was he truly an easy mark?
Was it possible that while he had no parents hovering over him, his wife held the purse strings?
Claire had spotted Larkin and Jocelyn clinging to him on her way to the restroom. Infidelity was practically a spectator sport in high society.
Still, considering Larkin was married to her distant cousin Regina, she stepped out
to find Ophelia and quietly filled her in.
"Stay out of it. Go find Yolande and the others."
Ophelia immediately turned around and relayed the gossip to Regina.
Ophelia
with Larkin. This was a Churchillet xo Bernes thoroughly disgusted
family gala, and he had the audacity to ditch his wife to go prowling.
Even if Regina was older and had lost her figure, she was still the mother of his children and the
woman who had
wil their life
alongside him.
People were tribal like that; they always defended their own.
She completely forgot that Regina had just been bragging about sneaking out for a good meal.
Sure enough, Regina's polite smile didn't waver. "That Larkin is impossible. Acting
up at a Churchill event-how tactless."
"I'll have a serious word with him later."
Ophelia blinked, feeling like Regina had entirely missed the point.
Claire hadn't just done Regina a solid.
She casually tipped off Xavier, too.
"Xavier, I think the date you brought just left on another man's arm."
What?
Which date?
Xavier froze.
Just then, Lillian walked over with Serena after finishing their rounds of introductions.
"What date? That Thorne girl?" Lillian sneered, visibly annoyed at the mere mention of her son's plus-one.