Chapter 395: Chapter 395

Like Murray, Shelby was glad when the car pulled up. Her ears were about to get destroyed with all the details that Ava had shared. However, she was shocked! She never knew that her younger brother was such a romantic! It also felt as if she had watched a romcom after listening to Ava’s interaction with Rocky. At the same time, she was happy for them.

Shelby had thought once or twice about the person who would date her brother. Though Ava nor any of her friends had been part of the potential list, Shelby thought it better Ava than anyone else. This especially held true for the fact that Rocky had come into a lot of money and had Ian’s backing, too.

Another crucial thing was that Ava was best suited to handle Clara more than anyone. One would wonder why Shelby was thinking of their relationship in the long-term setting. This was for the simple fact that Shelby knew both of them like the back of her hand.

Rocky would never have started that relationship with Ava if he did not want to see it through to the end. Lastly, Shelby had seen him smitten with Ava for as long as could be. She had thought it was just a boyhood crush that he would grow out of. From the looks of things, Rocky had fallen hard.

To top that up, Shelby also knew that if Rocky managed to move the very sane and realistic Ava over, then there was nothing she could do but wish them the best of luck. She looked at Ava’s beaming face and dreamy eyes as she talked about Rocky.

"Do you like him that much?"

Ava nodded, and Shelby sighed,

"I wish you guys the best of luck, Ava.... However, if you break my baby brother’s heart...."

"What do you take me for, Shelby?"

"We’ve arrived, Her Highness!" Murray interrupted them.

Ava quickly alighted from the car, but Murray beat her to it by opening Shelby’s door for her.

"I will never dream of hurting Rocky, Shelby," Ava whispered from Shelby’s back. Her voice was laced with disappointment, reassurance and many other emotions. Just as Shelby knew her brother and Ava, Ava also understood Shelby the most and she took no offense at the question. Shelby, more than anyone, loved her brother the best! This was just as Shelby stopped abruptly and then remarked,

"Royston? What are you doing here?"

The small-framed Murray, almost adolescent in appearance, moved swiftly to position himself between his mistress and the towering, lanky figure before her. His slight stature should have rendered him inconsequential and laughable, but it didn’t. Murray did not say a thing, but his presence was enough to intimidate Royston.

It would have been a ridiculous situation, but it was just that; no one was in the mood to laugh at anything then. Murray did his job seriously and only those that had not previously met him, would underestimate him. There was something about the way Murray carried himself—shoulders squared, head tilted just so—that sent a ripple of unease through the Royston, who was obviously taller.

Murray’s sharp, unblinking gaze cut like a blade, and his presence, though diminutive, felt like a wall of stone impossible to bypass. The irony of this whole situation wasn’t lost on anyone: a man who barely reached the other’s chest now exuded an authority so palpable that it rooted the Royston in place. It was as if the Murray’s very existence declared, "This far, no further," without him actually saying it.

In fact, Royston had not seen Murray because he would not have approached Shelby had he not seen him. Royston was one of the few people, who had come to experience the ’real’ Murray. Royston would have been shocked out of his wits, had he come to know that the Murray that terrified him was just 10% of the real one.

On sight, everything that Royston wanted to say, disappeared. Shelby made no attempt to side-step Murray to talk to Royston at all. After knowing that Royston had solicited the services of a witch to get close to her, Shelby was very disappointed in him.

"Little sister, who is this handsome young man?"

Aliya’s voice sounded from behind them as she walked over. Her car had arrived just a few minutes behind theirs. Seeing them standing there, all protective of Shelby from this person, a glint passed over Aliya’s eyes before disappearing.

Like Shelby, a single maid followed Aliya as well. The person walked up to Ava and bowed lightly to her.

"No one important," Shelby replied and then turned to Aliya,

Aliya nodded as Shelby sidestepped Murray, and then the two walked off with their attendants behind them.

Ava and the other girl hurried forward and presented the invitations at the door of the place before the two mistresses got there. Therefore, Shelby and Aliya walked in without pausing at all. Just before they entered the restaurant, Aliya looped her hand through Shelby’s.

Shelby may be welcoming, but Ava was very much aware of what Aliya was trying to do.

Ava sighed, ’This is something that Shelby must traverse on her own....’

"Are you new here? I have never seen you in the estate," Ava asked the other person.

"Yes, Miss... I only started about three weeks ago,"

Ava nodded, but she couldn’t help thinking, ’Was this person brought in to replace that bitch who tried to harm Rocky?’ Ava was not sure, but she had only asked this because, it was rare for the Thornston estate to send out a novice maid new person. Ava did not talk to this person again throughout their time in the restaurant.

Shelby and Aliya ended up walking hand in hand into this plush restaurant.

When Shelby had heard of a ’tea party’, her mind had gone to what she had read in books, like a British tea party, like:

A restaurant with lots of decorative greens or a garden that had been transformed into a picturesque tableau of refinement. That was exactly what this was, just of a more grandeur scale with plusher settings. The whole restaurant seemed to have been reserved for this event. It was bathed in the soft golden light of a late afternoon as all its glass windows had been opened to let in the light and the air.

A long, elegantly draped table stretched beneath a sprawling oak tree suspended from the ceiling. She had no idea how they did this, but the tree’s branches cast delicate patterns of shade over the pristine white linen while its roots glowed like strands of light. Fine china teacups and saucers, adorned with intricate floral patterns, were arranged neatly alongside gleaming silver teaspoons and tiered trays brimming with delicacies.

The air carried the mingling scents of freshly brewed fruit teas and the pastries. Plates of finger sandwiches—cucumber, smoked salmon, strips of ham and fingers of sausages as well as bedevilled eggs—sat alongside scones, piled high with clotted cream and some fruit jam. Petite cakes, macarons, and biscuits of all shapes and bite sizes added splashes of pastel pinks, yellows, and greens, their delicate appearances almost too beautiful to disturb.

In fact, Shelby would have been awed out of her mind a few months back, but this was her daily life in the Thornston mansion, and Shelby knew without tasting that these delicacies would never be on par with Ava’s!

Guests, mostly ladies, in lavish dresses mingled with effortless poise. The theme had been set and followed strictly! Flowing dresses and wide-brimmed hats adorned with flowers. Many ladies in attendance had a maid as well. Laughter and polite chatter rippled across the gathering, blending harmoniously with the gentle clink of porcelain and the chirping of sparrows.

The entrance of these two temporarily halted all the conversation as they looked at the two women, who had come in with arms looped around each other.

"Is that the new Mrs Thornston? I love her dress!" Someone whispered.

Shelby’s dress of choice was a stylish, vintage-inspired outfit. It was a white dress adorned with delicate black floral patterns that added a touch of elegance to her look. Not that she needed it. The dress has a cinched waist, emphasizing her silhouette, and flared out into a playful A-line skirt with a layer of black tulle peeking out beneath, giving it a 1950s flair of a sort.

She did not wear much and accessorized this with black strappy high-heeled sandals and simple, yet sophisticated, earrings. Shelby’s hair had been styled to match this vintage wear as well. It had been made wavy and neatly styled. On this day, her bangs had been combed back and styled as part of the hair. It would be the first time that many people had seen Shelby without the bangs.

The hushes of the room stretched longer as all eyes lingered on Shelby. Shelby was more than used to this. Even though she had tried to stay simple, Shelby’s body was a whole wealth of pheromones, and there would never be anything simple about her looks, ever!

Shelby flashed a confident smile as and took one step forward. This broke the trance of all in the room.

Their hearts beat dramatically as people struggled to pull their eyes off of Shelby.

’I am glad that my man is not here!’ This thought occurred to most of the women at the same time.

This was the main reason why most women detested Shelby. They found it hard to be genuine with her because of her looks and their jealousy.

Just then, someone asked,

"Who is the black-haired beauty by Mrs Thornston?"

’Beauty?’ It was ridiculous that someone would call Aliya a beauty when she was by Shelby. There were no two ways about the fact that Aliya was also too beautiful for her own good.

But compared to Shelby, Aliya was nothing. Despite this, some of the women felt that they could boost their own morale by placing someone on the same pedestal as Shelby. They did not like Shelby, but they had to tolerate her because of their business interests. Shelby was a Cinderella in their eyes but her family was shitty. The only reason, she was welcomed and fawned on was because of her association with the Thornstons!

This was exactly what Aliya had wanted. The people there mostly knew of Shelby and not her.

Aliya let go of Shelby’s arm, now that her objective had been met, she smiled at the guests just as the person who had invited her spotted her from the back,

"Miss Aliya, you made it!"

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