One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 31: The trap

Lena and Sylvia went in. They were offered drinks; Lena declined, while Sylvia took a glass and started talking with other attendees, drifting away from Lena. Lena felt lost and alone. She didn’t know how to behave in a social circle, but she decided she wouldn’t ignore anyone polite who tried to talk to her. Later, Lena called a waiter and took a glass of champagne to calm her nerves.

She had never liked drinking, but Raymond had taught her the different kinds of wine and how to drink slowly without harming herself. Tonight, she planned to drink only one glass until she went home.

"First time?" a voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Yes... can you tell?" Lena smiled wearily.

"Yes, I can tell just by how stiff you look," the woman chuckled.

"So, where is Mr. Black? I thought he would accompany you to this party. A shame he didn’t come with you."

Lena’s eyes darkened. She should have known this woman had never been interested in her but Raymond.

"Such a shame indeed," Lena replied coldly, no longer willing to entertain women attracted to Raymond. If they wanted him, they should go to him directly.

"My name is Stephanie," the woman said, extending her hand. Lena shook it out of formality.

"Lena," she responded curtly.

Stephanie chuckled softly. "You are an interesting one. I can see why he’s so interested in you."

Lena raised her brow, and Stephanie chuckled again.

"I’ve known Raymond for three years," Stephanie continued, "and I’ve been trying to get him to invest in my family company, but I’ve never managed a meeting with him, let alone a contract. But when you came into the picture, he awarded us a contract after we helped him stop rumors about you online."

Lena’s eyes widened. She was surprised to see how far Raymond would go to protect her.

Stephanie chuckled again. "You’re really cute. I hope we can be friends in the future. I invited you here to introduce myself, and I’d love to hang out later."

"I’d love that too," Lena said, accepting the verbal invitation, and they exchanged numbers.

"Try mingling,.you’ll find the social circle entertaining, and maybe even meet future collaborators.

"Stephanie left, and Lena decided to follow her advice, only to be stopped by the last person she expected: her father, Mr. Smith.

Lena tried to ignore him, but he held her hand, stopping her.

"Lena, please talk to your father for a while. I know

I’ve wronged you all these years. I really want to make amends," Mr. Smith said sincerely.

"Since you left home, it’s never been the same. I regret it deeply. Tell me how I can make it up to you."

Lena was angry, shocked, and exasperated all at once. She wanted to walk away, but she was afraid of causing a scene. Her mind raced. She knew her father would rarely ask for forgiveness even if he was wrong, so she suspected he was plotting again. A dark glint passed through her mind, but she didn’t let it show.

She quickly replaced her weary expression with sadness, pouting. "Father... it’s not that I don’t want to come home. I’m just scared that outsiders might take advantage and bully me." Lena put on a pitying look. Mr. Smith’s eyes twitched with disgust, but he had to pretend,.something Lena noticed."Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will dare to bully you again," he replied curtly.

"Tell me what you want me to do to make you come back home," he asked.

"I want Ashley to move out of our house.

She is not your biological daughter; she took my fiancée. You should avenge me," Lena said sulkily, pretending the issue didn’t involve Mr. Smith, as if she didn’t nearly die from him almost beating her to pulp because before Raymond intervened.

Mr. Smith was shocked, anger flashing in his eyes, but he kept calm, which surprised Lena.

"Your father will do as you say," he thought. The plan was more important than Ashley. If he sacrificed her now, he could apologize later.

Lena smiled brightly, elated. She had truly captivated her father’s heart for a moment, though he laughed inwardly. This girl is always too easy to fool. A few soft words, and she forgives instantly.

"Let’s celebrate. I’ll ask Selena, your stepmother, to make dinner tomorrow to mark our peace, and Ashley will move out tonight."

Lena merely nodded, already tired of the conversation. The auction will begin soon. Her gaze drifted to the door, wondering why Raymond hadn’t arrived yet.

Mr. Smith took advantage of her distraction. He called a waiter over, took two drinks, and handed one to Lena. She nearly dropped the nearly empty glass in her hand, then took the second, not suspecting anything. They clicked glasses, and she took a sip, missing the glint in his eyes.

Soon, warmth spread through her body, and she felt the need for fresh air. Excusing herself from her father, already bored with the conversation, she ran into the trap he had set. Lena found Sylvia and whispered that she needed to use the restroom, then hurried to the bathroom near the auction hall

Lena ran into the bathroom, heat flooding her face and body as it spiked without warning. She turned on the tap and splashed cold water over her cheeks, desperate to cool down, but the sensation only worsened. Water streaked through her makeup, smearing it until she barely recognized her reflection. Looking like a mess was the least of her worries. Her temperature kept rising, breaths breaking into short, labored gasps.

Her gown had become a disaster, rumpled and half-loose from constant tugging as she tried to steady herself. Fingers trembling, she braced the sink and lifted her head.

The woman in the mirror startled her. Her eyes were misted, darkened with an unfamiliar, unsettling sensuality. Heat coiled low in her body, a restless want that made her thoughts scatter, her mind teetering on the edge of panic. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Lena swallowed hard. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, or what had triggered this sudden storm, only that something was terribly off. Staying here was not an option. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene, or worse, to embarrass Raymond and herself.

With shaking hands, she reached for her phone. Whatever was happening, Raymond needed to know. Now.