My CEO Bestie And Me

16, Failed engagement 2

Ben frowned as he saw that Remy had disrupted Anthony's engagement to Clara. His fists clenched; this was the moment he had been waiting for and wanted to confirm.

He looked away and caught Emma's gaze. She stood to the side, hurt after witnessing him dance with another woman. But Ben quickly averted his eyes; he had told Emma countless times that he wasn’t in love with her and that their relationship was purely physical. Why couldn’t she understand that his heart belonged elsewhere? Frustrated, he left the event hall as well.

Most of the staff invited by Anthony had witnessed the drama unfold and were left wondering if the birthday celebration was still ongoing or if they should head home.

Anthony stepped into the living room of his family mansion, feeling overwhelmed. He couldn't believe that Clara would actually cheat on him while pretending to love him. He had given her everything she wanted, yet she still made him look foolish by kneeling in front of everyone to propose.

"What if Remy hadn't told me the truth?" Anthony thought to himself, unable to endure another moment in front of his family. He felt embarrassed and saw the disappointment etched on everyone's faces after he had rushed out to confront Remy.

"s**t!" Anthony cursed under his breath, pacing the living room in frustration as he contemplated his next move.

"Anthony, you need to go back into the hall and finish the birthday celebration. You haven't even cut your cake or made a wish yet. Please, son," Mrs. Beatrice urged as she entered the room. She had confirmed with the security staff that only Lerisa and Clara had left the house earlier.

She was disappointed to learn that Lerisa had left before Anthony had a chance to make a wish or cut his cake—a tradition she had hoped would continue.

"Lerisa used to be here whenever my son made a wish. I was hoping Anthony would see in her eyes how much she genuinely likes him and tell us he wants to marry her, but no..."

Mrs. Beatrice frowned, recalling the handsome man she had seen dancing with Lerisa.

"No, Mom. I can't go back there now. Not after embarrassing myself in front of our guests. I loved Clara, and I never expected her to cheat on me," Anthony replied sadly, still heartbroken.

"I never liked Clara. I thought she was just your friend, not realizing you were dating her. If you had told me before that you wanted to propose, I wouldn't have allowed it. Clara isn't wife material; she's a wayward girl. Don't you see how she dresses?" Mrs. Beatrice remarked, knowing that her husband was still with the guests in the hall and trying to encourage Anthony to rejoin the celebration. Anthony hadn’t even cut his cake yet.

"Hmm... Is it alright, Mom? Just dismiss the guests and tell them the celebration is over," Anthony said, turning to head back upstairs to his room to rest for the night. It was April 30th, the end of the month.

Mrs. Beatrice refused, "No, Anthony. You need to finish your birthday celebration first. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you again. You need to make a wish, and everything will be fine. Please, my son. Unless you want me to be unhappy." She looked serious, causing Anthony to pause and reconsider.

"But, Mom, I can't stand in front of the guests right now. I'm still embarrassed."

"They understand your reaction and can't blame you for how you handled it. But punching Remy was uncouth, and you will need to apologize to him later. But first, come with me," Mrs. Beatrice said, walking up to Anthony and gently pulling him by his left hand to follow her, despite him being taller than her.

"Mom, I'm not a kid, and I'm not happy right now," Anthony protested, but she ignored him and continued pulling him along. "I know, Anthony, but just finish the birthday celebration, and afterward, we can discuss what happened earlier in the hall, okay? Shall we go now? It’s getting late," Mrs. Beatrice said, finally releasing Anthony's hand as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

Anthony glanced at the living room clock and saw it was almost 9 PM. He took off his red coat and sighed, "Alright, Mom. Let’s go."

Anthony returned to the event hall with his mother, his expression still serious. He first apologized to the guests present for his earlier behavior and offered an apology to Remy’s mother, noting that Remy had already left. He then proceeded to cut his birthday cake and made a wish for a happy and peaceful life ahead, hoping for many fruitful years to come.

After blowing out the candles, the guests applauded him, and the celebration continued with the presentation of birthday gifts. His mother’s maid distributed white vests and diaries to the guests as a token of appreciation for attending his 30th birthday party.

"Where’s Lerisa?" Mrs. Antonia finally asked Martha, realizing that Lerisa was missing from the hall.

"I don’t know, Mom, but I saw her dancing with a tall, handsome man," Martha replied.

"Which handsome man?" Mrs. Antonia glared at her younger daughter for describing a man as handsome.

Martha smiled, "I don’t know his name, Mom! What do you expect me to call him?"

"Ugh, call him whatever you like, but not handsome. So where is your sister?" Mrs. Antonia pressed.

"Let me call her phone first to see where she is," Martha replied.

"No need. Aren't you holding the birthday gift that Lerisa bought for Anthony? It's getting late, and all the guests are leaving now. Why not give it to Anthony on Lerisa's behalf and then call her afterward?" Mrs. Antonia suggested.

"But Mom, Lerisa should be the one to present the gift, not me," Martha protested, frowning at her resemblance to Lerisa.

"I know, but I doubt Anthony will ask you about Lerisa now that he's upset. Please, just go and give him the gift while the others are presenting theirs. We need to leave soon, or do you want us to sleep here? Once it’s 10 PM, the estate gate will be locked," Mrs. Antonia stated, sounding hurt. She felt bad after seeing Anthony propose to Clara, the young woman who had just broken his heart.

She understood now why Lerisa had told her earlier not to dream of Anthony becoming her son-in-law; Anthony already had someone else in his life.