CHAPTER 46: NOT GOOD WITH ALCOHOL

Guardian.

She had always been avoiding this fact.

For over a year, almost every day, someone would mention this man who seemed like a demon to her.

Lost in thought while holding the bouquet, she only snapped out of it when Samuel waved his hand in front of her.

Lifting her chin, she beamed a brilliant smile at him.

She was about to go on stage to accompany Samuel in a dance.

At this moment, her heart was as chaotic as a pot of mixed porridge.

Hadn’t she learned manners and dance for so long just to be able to showcase them in front of him one day?

No matter what, she could not let herself be looked down upon by that person.

"You Beauty, it’s almost time for you and Senior Samuel to go on stage.

Are you nervous?"

Hannah looked at her with envy and jealousy.

This was a good thing that many professional dance students in the school couldn’t get.

Now it had fallen into Beauty’s hands.

Who allowed her to have a backing?

Apart from Laura of Marson’s family and Samuel of Luna’s family, the two young ladies, hardly anyone dared to bully Beauty, let alone oppose her.

Samuel was sitting in a chair, wearing a white suit, with a silver-white piano in front of him.

This piano was very valuable.

Many people had only seen it in magazines, let alone touch it with their hands.

"Wow!

As expected, the Piano Prince is really worthy of his name!

Samuel, we love you!"

Girls in the audience were screaming and cheering as if they had been injected with a chicken-blood-like energy boost.

With graceful ballet steps that moved in sync with the slow and sometimes fast piano music, Beauty, dressed in a white ballet outfit, looked like a graceful butterfly.

Her toes lightly bounced on the floor, and her long, proportional legs swayed slowly with the rhythm of the piano music.

The white ballet shoes landed on the ground as lightly as snowflakes.

At this moment, the audience below the stage was mesmerized, and Lucas’s eyes were intently focused.

A faint smile appeared on his face, only to disappear as quickly as it had come.

Sitting on the other side, a man in a blue tailcoat, his eyes slightly raised.

A sly smile appears at the corner of his mouth: "Is this the girl you adopted?

She’s grown up well, look at this figure, only 19 years old and already stunning.

Looking at these long legs, she could even play at international fashion shows."

Lucas seemed quite satisfied with Drake evaluation.

Anyhow, she was also someone he had personally nurtured.

He slowly said: "Indeed, she has transformed from an ugly duckling to a swan with wings."

Seeing Lucas’s proud expression for the first time, Drake looked at him with a devilish smile.

Lightly pinching his chin, he whispered: "You wouldn’t be scheming something, would you?

Are you planning to raise a white swan just to strip its feathers and have it for dinner?"

His thigh was pinched hard, causing him to frown in pain.

While under the flashes and cameras from the media, he still had to maintain his gentlemanly image, smiling at the camera with an air of confidence.

How would Tyler, dancing on stage, know of the bustling scene happening below?

His mind is fully immersed in the dance and rhythm of the performance.

The thousand horses and soldiers racing in his heart, yet he must maintain an outward appearance of calm.

The music ceases, and applause thunders through the room.

Samuel elegantly steps forward, extending a hand to Beauty, and they take a bow together.

Under the warm glow of the stage lights, they appear as a pair made in heaven.

The light graced Beauty’s face, making her seem as ripe as a persimmon that one couldn’t resist but take a bite, to savour its taste.

Lucas’s sharp brows furrowed slightly, with no discernible emotion on his face.

Beauty’s gaze unconsciously fell onto him.

Upon catching a glimpse of his icy stare and stern demeanor, she immediately let go of Samuel’s hand, and gracefully made her way backstage.

All performances had wrapped up, and the school had requested that outside of the students who had performed today and were allowed to stay for the banquet, all other students must leave the premises.

Beauty was dressed in a white floor-length gown, and what was even more frightening was her choice of footwear - the girl who never wore high heels had chosen to wear a pair that was ten centimeters high in order to match up to Samuel’s height.

It was as if she was walking on stilts.

"Miss Beauty, the gentleman has asked that you join him at the Board of Directors table for dinner", the assistant approached and took a measured look at her.

Her usually calm face betrayed a hint of surprise and incredulity.

No one had expected that in just almost two years, Beauty would undergo such a transformation.

She was no longer the tomboy they had known - she had blossomed into a beautiful, delicate woman.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had dined with Lucas.

It had probably been during the Halloween Festival.

He must have been concerned about her being alone in such a large villa and decided to keep her company for a meal.

Feeling a cold sweat in her palms, she found herself still filled with anxiety and unease upon facing Lucas again after all this time.

With the assistant, she approached the central table that could accommodate thirty people.

Among all these people, she immediately spotted that handsome face, cold as ice.

"Mr. Marson, it’s been a while."

Originally, she wanted to say, "Uncle Marson, long time no see," but she held back the ’Uncle’ considering there were so many people present.

She never expected that her first words to him after their reunion would be ’long time no see’. "It indeed has been a long time.

You’ve grown much taller, and even more beautiful," Lucas spoke softly, like a snowflake falling onto the ground.

If she wasn’t close to him, listening intently to his every word, she might only see his lips moving, not knowing what he said.

The others looked at Beauty with admiration, especially Drake, who was sitting beside Lucas.

He scanned Beauty for a couple of seconds, elegantly swirling the wine in his glass.

He lightly tugged at the corner of his mouth and commented, "As expected from one nurtured by Lucas, truly refined and courteous."

Beauty nearly choked on her own spit and inwardly smirked.

Seemed like he didn’t see her wrestling with Laura.

If he got a glimpse of that scene, he’d probably bite his own tongue off.

After all these years, she still hadn’t learned how to drink.

Under Lucas’s intense gaze, she filled her tall glass with Milk.

She stood up, glanced up and smiled: "Today, I would like to thank all the board members for their hospitality.

I cannot drink alcohol, so I would like to propose a toast with this Milk instead."

With that, she tipped her head back and downed the entire glass of Milk.

The thick milkshake almost stuck to her throat.

Drake watched her with a look of amused anticipation.

Then he turned his face towards Lucas’s ear and said leisurely, "It seems like your training is not good enough!

She can’t even drink alcohol, how are you going to take her out in the future?"

"I’ll teach her," Lucas answered.

Lucas still had that aloof expression on his face, but his gaze slid over to Beauty for a moment.

It sent a chill down her spine, making her wonder if she had said something wrong.

The others at the table held Lucas in awe and promptly picked up their glasses to drain the

red wine in a show of respect and admiration.

Their flattering comments came one after another, making her feel like climbing under the table.

Even though she hadn’t consumed any alcohol, she felt slightly intoxicated.