Chapter 5 Lydia‘POV

The man curved his lips into a wicked smile. "What do you think, my dear Miss Lydia? You're so clever, and yet you still haven't figured out who I am. Are you playing dumb on purpose?"

My breath caught in my throat. The lights in the room suddenly switched on, and I could see the brooch even more clearly now.

It was definitely the Levitt family crest.

A wild thought flashed through my mind.

Could this man actually be the head of the infamous Levitt family?

No. That was impossible.

I had been completely drunk at the bar that night, and when I said I'd pay for him, he hadn't objected at all.

If he were a Levitt, how could he have let me humiliate him like that?

I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and said, "You're lying to me. There's no way you could be..."

Before I could finish, footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Mr. Levitt, the dinner is halfway through. You may make your appearance now."

My body trembled slightly. The last thing I wanted was for whoever was outside to know I was in here.

The man watched me with obvious amusement, then suddenly turned the door handle and opened it.

I stared at him in disbelief, nearly crying out in shock.

But he used his broad shoulders to block me completely from view.

The attendant saw the man and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Levitt, everything downstairs has been arranged according to your instructions. You may head down whenever you're ready."

"Understood. You may go."

Hearing the attendant's words, I finally believed that this man was indeed Levitt.

There was no other explanation for why the attendant would show such deference upon seeing him.

But still...

Levitt turned around and looked down at me with a faint smile. "Want to ask me why I agreed to sleep with you last night?"

My cheeks began to burn again. I cleared my throat twice to ease the awkwardness, then shot back, "You already knew who I was, didn't you? You slept with me on purpose."

Levitt's slender, well-defined fingers brushed across my cheek.

His voice carried a deliberate seductiveness. "My dear Lydia, I slept with you because I like your body, not because of who you are. We were a good match in bed, weren't we?"

I turned my face away and remembered why I had come here in the first place. "When exactly are you going to delete my photos?"

Levitt smiled like a cunning fox and pulled me by the waist, lowering his head to kiss me.

He was a skilled kisser. Within seconds I had completely surrendered, my body going limp against his chest.

By the time he let me go, I was breathless and gasping for air.

"Lydia, you love having me fill you up too, don't you? So why suppress your own desires? I can make you far happier than that fiancé of yours ever could."

Whatever desire I had felt moments ago vanished completely. I wiped my lips, which were slightly swollen from his kiss, and glared at him. "Shameless."

Levitt ran his fingers lightly through my hair and said in a coaxing tone, "Go on downstairs. As long as you behave, I promise I won't release that photo."

I wanted to argue, but given who he was, I had no choice but to head downstairs.

Ivor was standing with his mistress. At first glance, they looked like a strikingly well-matched couple.

I had no interest in going over there and making things awkward, so I stood off to the side in a corner.

Hector, seeing me standing there with no apparent sense of the situation, spoke up in irritation. "Lydia, you are such a disappointment. Your fiancé is right over there, and you can't even compete with some woman from outside."

I frowned in displeasure. "Don't put me in the same category as a woman like that. Ivor is the one who's been unfaithful. I am not going to marry him."

I made my position clear once again.

Malo put on a show of sympathy and took Hector's arm to soothe him. "Hector, that's enough. Ivor showing up with another woman must sting for Lydia too. As long as Ivor doesn't call off the engagement, just let it be."

Hector let out a cold snort and stopped looking at me.

The man from upstairs finally came down. He was dressed in a black suit that made his composure appear even more assured.

He carried an air of commanding authority around him, imposing without even trying.

"Welcome, everyone, to my charity dinner. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Levitt Simon. I am the head of the Levitt family and the host of tonight's event."

The room erupted in murmurs.

No one had expected the head of the Levitt family to be this strikingly handsome.

And this young.

Simon swept his gaze across the room and finally let it settle on me.

A sense of unease washed over me immediately.

I quietly shifted a step back. Just as I was about to slip away from the dinner without drawing attention, Simon spoke again from the stage.

"Tonight's charity dinner serves not only as an introduction of myself, but also as an occasion to make one very important announcement..."

He paused deliberately, drawing out the suspense for everyone in the room.

Then the spotlight from the venue swung directly onto me.

It pulled me out of the shadows and exposed me in full view of everyone present.

"I would like to introduce to all of you my partner, Miss Lydia."

The room erupted in shock once more. Every eye turned toward me.

Curious stares, scrutinizing looks, disdain, and even envy — there was no shortage of any of them.

Hector, who had not wanted to be seen near me just moments ago, now wore a face full of smiles and looked at me with undisguised delight.

"Lydia, when did you and Mr. Levitt get together? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I looked at his two-faced expression and felt too disgusted to say a word.

I turned my gaze back to Simon, my mind full of questions.

Why was he saying this?

Since when had I become his partner?

"Lydia and I fell for each other at first sight. We have feelings for one another. I know she has an engagement with Ivor, but it appears today that Ivor has found someone new as well." Simon continued, his eyes filled with what appeared to be affection toward me.

Only I knew that beneath all that apparent tenderness lay a reckless indifference and an endless streak of mockery.

If I had known this man was this dangerous, I never would have picked him that night.

The arm Ivor had wrapped around his mistress went rigid for a moment before he quickly pulled it away.

The woman, whose belly was just beginning to show, looked like a startled deer, her eyes wide with alarm as she pressed herself closer to Ivor's side.

"Since Ivor has found someone he loves, I can now be with Lydia without any reservations. In that sense, I suppose I owe Mr. Ivor my thanks."

Ivor was too stunned to say a word.

The dinner ended, and I followed the crowd out of the banquet hall.

But at the curb, Ivor came striding over and blocked my path.

He grabbed my arm without a shred of courtesy, his tone harsh. "Lydia, what is the meaning of this?"

I looked at him with cold indifference, my expression distant. "Didn't you just hear everything? Now you can finally make things official with the mother of your child. Aren't you happy?"

Ivor had no answer for that.

He glared at me, his fingers digging hard into my arm. "You shameless woman. When did you manage to get your hooks into Levitt? You think just because you have the Levitt family behind you, you can throw me aside? Don't even think about it."

A sharp pain shot through my arm. I looked at the venom on his face, wrenched my arm free, and slapped him without hesitation.

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