I was forcibly ordered by my brother to attend as a representative of the Taylor Family. By the time I dragged my feet to the venue, more than half the guests had already arrived.
To my surprise, I ran into some familiar faces beside the Thompson Family patriarch.
Michael, with his arm around Sarah's slender waist, stood beside the old man, holding a wine glass. As half of Zeroth City's elite and wealthy business people took turns greeting the patriarch, the two of them naturally blended in, gaining recognition in the process.
Michael, claiming the title of Walker Family's son-in-law, never left Sarah's side for a moment.
The moment he saw me, the smile on his face froze.
Instinctively, he loosened his grip around Sarah's slender waist.
As for Sarah, when her gaze followed Michael's and landed on me, her expression changed slightly but only for a moment. She then calmly leaned close to Michael's ear and said something.
Without waiting for me to greet Mr. Thompson, Michael walked straight toward me. Ignoring the startled gasps from others, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to a corner by the staircase.