Chapter 83
Gloria smiled as she held Matthew in her arms and softly ruffled his hair.
“That’s a good boy. I’m here now.”
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at her with widened eyes, then to Nicole.
The two looked so alike that it was hard to tell who the real Mrs. Spencer was when they stood beside
Hayden.
The atmosphere became so suffocatingly awkward that it left everyone at a loss.
Nicole’s hands, which were hanging at her sides, slowly curled into fists, and her desire to look at the
sketch vanished completely.
She thought the evening would go smoothly, and that Hayden and Gloria wouldn’t take things too far.
Clearly, she had placed too much faith in human decency.
The sketch and the banquet had all been lies.
Meanwhile, Matthew’s behavior made her feel sick to her stomach.
Nicole closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again to look at the trio, her gaze was ice–cold and
laced with pure hatred.
“Gloria, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to come?”
Hayden instantly drew Matthew over to his side and looked at Nicole worriedly. He lowered his voice to explain, “I didn’t know Gloria would wear something so similar to you-”
But before he could finish, Nicole cut him off and asked, “Ms. Ashford, are you Matthew’s mom now?”
“No, it’s not like that. I’m his godmother,” Gloria answered with a bashful smile. “Didn’t you know that Matt asked me to be his godmother? Regardless, it doesn’t matter. Today is your day, and I’m here to
congratulate you and Hayden.”
She tugged at her dress and straightened her posture with the grace of a hostess. “It’s a coincidence that we both wore the same thing. I guess that’s fitting, considering we’re both Matt’s mother.”
She smiled at Nicole with a bright grin that seemed sweet and innocent, as if she had no ulterior motives.
However, Nicole caught the smug glint in her eyes.
Neither Matthew nor Hayden had told her about making Gloria the child’s godmother. Were they planning to kick her out of the family forever?
Nicole remained calm and composed in front of everyone. She then took a step back and placed some distance between herself and Hayden.
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“You came right on time. I’m not feeling well, so I won’t be staying any longer. Since you’re Matthew’s godmother, why don’t you take my position as Mrs. Spencer and entertain the guests?”
Before Gloria could even respond, Nicole turned and went upstairs.
The air in the room grew thicker with discomfort in an instant.
No one could tell if Nicole truly didn’t care or if she was furious. But one thing was for sure–Gloria had
intentionally stolen the spotlight.
Hayden’s expression darkened as he fixed a sharp glare on Gloria. Without saying a word, he turned and followed Nicole upstairs.
“Wait…” Gloria opened her mouth to call after him, but he had already left.
She remained in the garden with Matthew, uncertain of what to do next.
Nicole was supposed to be devastated, not calm and indifferent. Hence, Gloria bit her lower lip and
forced herself to remain calm before turning to the guests with a smile.
“Dinner is now served. Please enjoy.”
No one responded. The guests quickly took their seats in silence, afraid of getting dragged into the Spencer family’s bizarre drama.
Meanwhile, Nicole opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. Just as she was about to get her clothes from the closet, she saw someone lying in her bed.
The fury she’d held in since earlier felt like it was about to snap.
She walked toward the bed and shouted, “What are you doing in my room? Get out!”
Olivia was awakened from her sleep and sprang up in bed. It was then that she realized the banquet had started, and no one had come to wake her.
