HEIRESS REBORN: MARRYING HER EX-FIANCÉ-Chapter 61: An unexpected guest

At that instant, Freya couldn’t help but sigh in relief in her heart. Whatever or whoever prompted the sudden rise in murmurs just arrived at the right moment.

At least she wouldn’t have to give a response.

With a grateful heart, Freya’s eyes searched for the source of murmurs. Her smile shone much brighter than before, but it froze halfway at the familiar face of her cousin. He was escorting an unfamiliar young lady whose presence undeniably commanded attention, especially with her unique outfit for the banquet.

Freya found the young lady oddly familiar, though she couldn’t immediately place where she might have seen her before. But that wasn’t the important part.

Her cousin was the one who had her deep thanks? Freya almost shivered in disgust and immediately curbed the fleeting appreciation she felt for his arrival.

’’Bitch...’’ Her ears pricked at the nearby murmur and questioningly glanced at Arabella, who had a deep frown and a sharp glare in her cousin’s direction.

Did Arabella hate her cousin? No, that couldn’t be possible.

Freya was aware that her cousin and Arabella had never interacted with each other or whatsoever. Arabella was never one to associate herself with her good-for-nothing cousin.

That only leaves the unfamiliar young lady whom Arabella must have likely insulted now.

Why was that, though? Freya was curious.

’’President Kingston attended with Young master Easmond?’’

’’Doesn’t it seem like they are in a relationship?’’

’’But the rumors....’’

’’Rumors can only be rumors.’’

Freya’s ears were sharp to catch the surrounding murmurs. The names President Kingston and Young miss Kingston that popped out one after the other froze her in place.

The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

’Then the woman with cousin....’ There was a reason why she found the face of the young lady oddly familiar.

Before Freya could fully piece the puzzle all together, her cousin headed her way once with the rumored young miss once he spotted her. His expression was smug, as always.

"Indeed, my eyes are good," he commended himself, his tone dripping with self-satisfaction. "If I hadn’t seen your face, I would never have found you in this crowd, cousin. It wasn’t easy, you know."

Freya’s eyebrows twitched at his words.

His eyes are good? Not easy to find her?

Wasn’t her cousin indirectly implying that her appearance was dull—despite being the celebrant of the event?

Freya forced herself to stay calm at her cousin’s snarky remark, though irritation prickled beneath the surface of her calm demeanor.

’’Why else wouldn’t you find me, cousin?’’ Her smile returned as bright as before. ’’We are family, aren’t we?’’ 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This was one of the reason why she disliked her cousin. He had no qualms in exposing the fragile relationship in their family to outsiders.

’’Family?’’ Her cousin cocked her head slightly. His face looking thoughtful, as though her words were problems to ponder about.

’’I wonder if we truly are, Freya.’’ He then uttered with a meaningful stare.

The intensity of his gaze quickened Freya’s breath, and she unconsciously averted her own gaze with a fleeting guilty expression.

’’I-It’s a pleasure to meet you finally, President Kingston.’’ So as not to seem strange in the eyes of the spectating guests, Freya quickly focused her attention on the rumored Young miss Kingston.

The famed President of the prominent Kingston corporation.

’’I can’t thank you enough for leaving behind your busy schedule to attend my birthday banquet.’’ She welcomed with an amiable smile.

’So this is the rumored President Kingston.’

Freya’s gaze studied the young lady in the light blue suit. Unlike Arabella, who carried herself with a visible air of arrogance, this woman seemed different. She had barely spoken a word since her arrival, yet her presence was impossible to ignore—striking and undeniable, just like when she had entered the banquet hall, escorted by her cousin.

Though Freya harbored a small grudge against this young lady for choosing to associate with her cousin over her, it couldn’t be denied that the latter’s unexpected attendance would undoubtedly boost the prestige of her birthday banquet and her reputation.

The President Kingston known for avoiding banquets and social events, arrived at the birthday banquet of the Easmond family’s Young miss.

Freya could already picture the rumors that would circulate after this banquet.

However, Freya was too absorbed in herself and overlooked a mistake that she made just now.

Her words indirectly targeted Arabella fuming by her side. The atmosphere also became awkward around them.

Sienna, on the side, heard her daughter’s words and immediately panicked in her heart. Her daughter was usually smart and did not need her help in interacting with other and forming friendly relationships.

Why did she make such a blunder just now?

The clash between the Young miss Kingston and the First Young miss wasn’t a secret. The scandal on social media was the evidence.

The Easmond family could afford to offend the First Young miss Kingston, but not the Young miss Kingston, who was also the President of the Kingston corporation and indirectly the head of the Kingston family.

Sienna wanted to help her daughter, but she didn’t want to humiliate her daughter indirectly. Especially in the presence of many eyes.

On the other hand, Lucinda stood by and watched the whole scene without a word. She was already thinking of using Ayana’s attendance at this birthday banquet to suppress the attacks against her daughter on social media.

Speaking of her daughter....Lucinda threw worried glances at her daughter, hoping that the latter wouldn’t suddenly blow up because of those words.

If only Arabella had involved her in the former scheme right from the start. Perhaps she wouldn’t be suffering from the scandal. Her husband was also heartless.

How could he force their daughter to attend this banquet when her reputation wasn’t currently the best?

Her disappointment deepened as she flicked her gaze to her husband in a discussion with some of his acquaintances. He would rather attend this banquet to keep face than worry about their daughter’s well-being.

’’....You should thank Matt rather than me, Young miss Easmond.’’ Ayana suddenly spoke up. ’’I don’t normally attend banquets. If it wasn’t that I owed him a favor, I wouldn’t have bothered to come, and just send a gift like I have done in the past years.’’ She corrected the likely misunderstandings that some particular people might have.

Ayana didn’t need a second to guess that Arabella was the owner of the stinging gaze on the side of her face. In any case that she would see another article of her attending a stranger’s banquet over her family’s own, it would be best to make the reason for her attendance clear.

’’O-Oh...’’ Freya’s smile almost faltered as she understood what those words were implying to her.

She, the celebrant was not the reason for the attendance. Rather, it was her cousin. The known good-for-nothing young master.

’’It seems I misspoke. Apologies, President Kingston.’’ Her smile became a bit strained, losing its former warmth.

’I guess this is the reason Arabella can’t stand her. She doesn’t hold back her words.’

Her thoughts continued. ’Just like cousin.’

Was it because of her powerful identity that she could be this blunt? Indeed, there was no one who would be silly to offend someone like her.

’’None taken, Young miss Easmond.’’ Ayana calmly accepted the apology. She then acknowledged Lucinda’s and Arabella’s presence, respectively. ’’Good evening, Aunt, Arabella.’’

Her calm demeanor was as though nothing had happened in the past days.

The sight irritated Arabella so much that she could only stifle her anger, knowing that she was powerless to do anything.

’’Hmph!’’ she scoffed, turning her head away in defiance.

’’Yes, good evening.’’ Lucinda could only muster up a small smile at the mastermind responsible for her daughter’s predicament. Unlike the past, where she could plaster a perfect smile on her lips, her smile came out a bit strained at the moment.

Ayana did not recognize the other woman with Lucinda, so she did not bother with the latter presence and threw a glance at the man with her.

Matt told her earlier that he wanted her to meet someone at the banquet. She guessed the someone in question must be his parents.

Matt understood the meaning of the glance and then met Freya’s gaze with a sly grin.

’’If you need me cousin, I’ll be entertaining my sister-in-law.’’ He said casually, before guiding Ayana away from the group.

From start to finish, Ayana did not spare Liam any glance, as though his presence was irrelevant.