Chapter 10 First Anniversary Banquet

A long red carpet led all the way from the entrance of the WH International Hotel to the banquet hall.

On all sides, there were colorful ribbons and balloons, and even though the banquet was held on the fifth floor of the hotel, Jade had booked three whole floors in order to welcome all her guests.

The sixth floor was reserved for leisure and entertainment, and the seventh floor was a place for guests to rest and relax.

At the entrance of the banquet hall, there was a red banner, and on it, the words read, "Weston and Jade's 1st Anniversary."

When Tracey saw those words, she felt a dull pain in her heart, even though she tried her best to control herself.

Her thoughts were a mess, and the harder she fought, the more tangled they became.

Of course, she was no fool. She had expected Weston and Jade to date, or to even get married, but knowing something and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things.

She and Weston seemed to live in the same city, when in fact, they lived in two entirely different worlds.

Feeling cold, despite the heating in the hotel, she wrapped herself in her jacket tightly, and walked into the hall.

Immediately, she noticed several people she recognized. After all, she was once Weston's wife, so she naturally met them all. However, after she went to prison, they pretended not to know her at all.

They had all come to fawn over Jade, but when they saw Tracey, they couldn't help but surround her like scavengers.

"Wow, isn't this Mrs. Xiao? Wait! I'm sorry. Ex Mrs. Xiao. Look at my terrible memory," a girl named Daisy Chen said. She was a good friend of Jade's.

"Tracey, you are so shameless. How dare you show up here?"

"If I were her, I would never come here. Why would she come here and make a fool of herself?"

The gossip was coming in waves, unstoppable, but Tracey stood her ground, ignoring them and trying to stay calm.

"Actually..." Daisy said, looking at Tracey. She was bothered by Tracey's calm expression.

"She has a different reason for being here today. We have all been invited, but she is here to make money."

Then she pushed Tracey slightly and asked, "I'm curious. How much did Jade give you to come here?"

"Yes. How much?"

other women chimed in as well.

However, before Tracey could say anything, there was a sound at the door to the banquet hall. Everyone looked over immediately, including Tracey.

The next moment, the door was opened, and Jade and Weston walked in, arm in arm.

Jade was wearing a white off-the-shoulder evening dress, its long hemline trailing behind her. A pink diamond shone on her neck, reflecting the crystal light, and the long tassel earrings moved slightly with her each step.

She had a small but extremely satisfied smile on her face as well.

Next to her, Weston was wearing a handmade black suit, which hugged his tall, strong body perfectly. His chin was slightly raised above the straight collar of his white shirt, and his thin lips were compressed into a straight line. His black eyes, dark as ink, gave off an indifferent sheen.

It was as if a noble and elegant king had entered the room.

It was only an anniversary party to celebrate one year of their love, but the couple looked as if they were about to get married in a glorious wedding ceremony.

"Mr. Xiao and Miss Song truly are a perfect match."

"Yes, they are! I heard that Mr. Xiao organized the whole banquet himself, to show Miss Song just how much he loves her."

"Well, this time, they are celebrating their first anniversary, but next time, it might be their wedding!"

Each and every remark was another dagger to Tracey's heart.

As she walked, Jade looked over her guests, enjoying their gazes and praise, but her eyes were looking for a particular someone.

When she finally spotted Tracey, she stopped searching and smiled even more brightly.

Tugging at Weston's sleeve, she whispered something to him, and he immediately looked at Tracey. The next moment, the couple was standing in front of her.

"Tracey, I'm so happy that you are here," Jade said, holding Weston's hand. With her other hand, she pulled on Tracey's jacket. "It's so hot in here. Why don't you take off your jacket?"

Tracey didn't reply at all, so Jade continued, "Don't get me wrong. I just knew you needed money so I arranged this to help you. That is all.

I hope you don't mind."

"Jade, you are really too kind. Have you forgotten what she did to you?" Daisy said angrily, rolling her eyes.

"Daisy. Let bygones be bygones," Jade scolded her, with a reproachful glance.

"Okay, okay. I shouldn't have said that," Daisy said grumpily.

The next moment, Jade waved to a waiter and instructed him to take Tracey's jacket, but when the waiter walked over, Tracey stood still, with no intention of taking her jacket off. Someone said, "Forget it. She's just a cripple. We're not interested anyway."

"That's right. It would only hurt our eyes."

From then on, it was as if that first remark started an avalanche. In a domino effect, everyone shifted their attention to her physical defect and started talking about it.

"She's here to sing, so let her sing. What if someone says we bullied a disabled person? I don't want that to ruin my reputation."

Jade, however, pretended that she had only just then realized the situation she put Tracey in. "I'm sorry, Tracey. I didn't think it through very well," she apologized.

"I just thought you would look beautiful in that evening dress, but I forgot about your legs..."

she continued, but she couldn't hide the mockery in her eyes.

Tracey stole a glance at Weston, but from the moment he walked in, he simply stayed silent, ignoring everyone's rude behavior. He didn't want to get involved in their bullying, nor did he want to protect Tracey.

Lowering her head, Tracey slowly unraveled the belt on her jacket, while everyone watched in expectation.

When she finally took off the beige jacket and handed it to the waiter, the crystal light filling the hall sprinkled her body softly, transforming her skin into a pool of light.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused solely on her.