Falling for my ex’s uncle novel

Chapter 21: The charity auction was packed with Nifelheim City's elite, a gathering of power and influence. As I was about to head to the VIP section, a commotion erupted behind me.

"Austin? What are you doing here?" someone called out. "Hail, some fancy guests in Nifelheim City."

"I thought I'd stop by," Austin replied smoothly. He stood tall in a tailored suit, exuding effortless charm. His sharp features and deep sea eyes gleamed under the lights, drawing attention from all around. Beside him stood a woman in a pink dress that accentuated her slim waist and curves. She stared at Austin, a flicker of surprise in her gaze.

"Austin? Never seen him before, but he's quite the looker," she murmured, pressing her lips together. "Pity. Guys like that rarely come around." The woman beside her quickly corrected her, "Don't be ridiculous. He's the heir to the Herrera Group."

The first woman was surprised. "You mean the Herrera Group! The one from Newton City?"

"That's the one."

"Too bad he's taken," the second woman replied. The woman in the pink dress shifted her gaze to the woman standing next to Austin. "Her? She's nothing special," the second woman commented. "They've been together for six years, his first love. Apparently, he dotes on her. She was even the campus beauty queen. But honestly, she's not as stunning as people claim. Probably just exaggerated gossip," a slow smirk curled on the pink-dressed woman's lips.

"Six years and still no wedding? Doesn't sound like true love," her companion nudged her playfully, a knowing smile playing on her perfectly made-up face.

"Wait, don't tell me you're interested in him?" She didn't reply, but just then, a young man strolled over, his eyes flicking between the two women.

"You've got it all wrong. That woman beside Austin! She's not Laurel," he explained.

"Then who is she? They seem... close," a woman asked. The man took a small sip of the red wine in his hand, glancing at the two women beside him with a smile.

"She's the Herrera family's adopted daughter. Austin's foster sister," the pink-dressed woman scoffed. "They don't look like siblings." She glanced my way then, a sly glint in her eye. I merely smiled and nodded in silent agreement.

"No wonder he hasn't married his longtime girlfriend yet. I heard Laurel is a bit of a loner and rarely attends social events. But maybe that's not the whole story," the man pushed aside.

"Let's be real, if you want to marry into a powerful family, you need to be their equal," a man next to her nodded, deep in thought.

"True, Laurel's family background isn't the best. But she's not just a pretty face—she's brilliant. If she hadn't followed Austin to his university, she could've easily gotten into Harvard. She basically downgraded herself to be with him," as his words hung in the air, the man tilted his head, and by chance, his gaze landed on me, standing next to the woman in pink. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

"Gideon, weren't you also in the same grade back in high school?" a woman asked. As the man frozen in disbelief, the woman standing next to him suddenly wore a cold, frosty expression.

"Gideon," she said sharply. "Haven't you seen enough beautiful women abroad?" Gideon Hawke quickly shook his head, "Hey! We had been in neighboring classes in high school, but I remembered him for a different reason—he once sent me a love letter."

More importantly, he was Lora's best friend. After graduation, the two had studied abroad together, much to Encar's dismay. I could still recall Encar sulking for an entire week when he found out Gideon had gotten into the same university as him.

"That bastard did it on purpose," Encar had grumbled. "Now I'm stuck in his shadow forever." To be fair, Encar was taller and better looking, and after high school, he even dyed his hair a striking shade of red. He had an easy confidence that made him stand out, a stark contrast to Encar's brooding. "Like hell, he's using me as a shield to escape," Encar had muttered before stealing an entire tiramisu cake my mom had made for me.

Now, standing before me, Gideon looked mildly embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and shot me a sheepish grin. I eyed his dyed hair, suppressing a sigh. It seemed Encar never quite managed to reform him, but Gideon, in turn, had transformed Encar completely.

"Laurel! What are you standing around for? Come with me," Angela suddenly appeared at my side, gripping my arm while the two beautiful women stared at me with suspicion. I turned sharply, my heart skipping a beat as I frowned at her.

"Angela, was Gideon on the client list you gave me yesterday?" She raised a brow, then handed me a glass of red wine.

"Why wouldn't he be! A notorious playboy like him? I'd be more surprised if he wasn't on it. Although, if you'd given Gideon a chance back then, maybe you wouldn't have been deceived for so long," my grip tightened around the glass.

"If what happened that night was linked to the missing surveillance footage, then the man who entered my room must have known me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to erase the evidence. A stranger would have just claimed it was a mistake. The worst that could happen was paying a fine—no need to destroy all traces of their presence. Gideon? Could it have been him that night?" I recalled his stunned expression upon seeing me earlier. Or was it panic? Once a seed of doubt is planted, it takes root and spreads.

"Laurel, you're a married woman now," Angela discreetly squeezed my arm.

As if on cue, Austin strolled over, arm in arm with Rosemary. His gaze softened as he looked at me, his tone warm and affectionate.

"Laurel, is your hand feeling better?" As if nothing had happened yesterday. Typical. Every argument we had ended the same way—if he spoke first, I always let it go. Not because I wasn't hurt, not because I wanted to ignore it, but because I knew that if I pursued it, all we'd get was another fight and an unhappy ending. I swirled the wine in my glass and forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

"Good. I'm relieved. My mother really likes that ruby," he mentioned.