Chapter 399 The Engagement Announcement

Chapter 399: Chapter 399 The Engagement Announcement

The word “engagement” left Charlotte’s lips.

Rose’s gaze drifted towards Ryan.

He stood among the crowd, tall and composed, his presence as striking as ever. His expression remained cool and unreadable, giving nothing away.

Rose quickly looked away.

“Congratulations.”

Charlotte glanced at her. “Thank you. I hope you mean it.”

“Miss Mercer, you’re overthinking it.” Trevor’s voice was calm as he spoke. “The congratulations Rose offered today is something you owe her in return.”

Charlotte’s brows lifted.

“We’re getting married soon, so Miss Mercer should congratulate Rose and me as well.”

Charlotte looked at Trevor before breaking into a smile.

“You’re right. Yours really is the bigger celebration.”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

She didn’t linger. After a brief nod, she turned and walked towards Ryan.

Rose didn’t spare them another glance.

She noticed several people approaching Trevor, clearly eager to speak with him, and said, “Go and talk to them. Don’t worry about me.”

Trevor nodded.

“I’ll come and find you in a bit.”

“Okay.”

Rose made her way to one of the lounge areas and sat down.

Not long afterwards, Alicia emerged from the crowd.

The Taylor family members had also arrived one after another.

“Rose, why did you separate from us?”

Alicia sat down beside her and naturally linked their arms together.

Rose’s brows drew together for the briefest moment.

Ever since discovering Alicia’s true identity, something inside her had shifted.

She no longer wanted to become too close to her.

Yet Alicia continued to treat her with warmth and affection. If Rose pushed her away too obviously, it would only make her seem cold and unreasonable.

“Where’s James?” Rose asked.

“He got held up. Jordan is here too.”

Alicia looked around the bustling hall.

“It’s so lively tonight. Miss Mercer must be very popular. I suppose everyone is here for her.”

“Pretty much.”

Rose used the excuse of getting herself a drink to quietly withdraw her arm.

“It’s because the Mercer and Knight families are about to announce their engagement. That’s why they’ve made such a grand occasion of it.”

Alicia paused.

“An engagement?”

She looked surprised.

“Why wasn’t that mentioned on the invitation? Rose, are you reading too much into it?”

Rose gave her a puzzled look.

“The two families have already arranged the match. If this isn’t an engagement announcement, then what is it? Are they simply going through the motions and playing house?”

Alicia was momentarily speechless.

Then she quickly smiled.

“You’re right. I was being too simplistic.”

She hesitated before adding, “It’s just that when I saw you here, I didn’t think of it that way. I suppose you really are more magnanimous than I imagined—standing here calmly while Mr. Knight gets engaged to someone else.”

Her gaze searched Rose’s face.

“Rose, do you really not love Mr. Knight anymore?”

“Otherwise, what should I do?” Rose asked calmly. “Throw a tantrum and cling to him?”

She rose to her feet.

“There are plenty of important things in life. Love is the least of them. You should focus more on yourself.”

“Rose, I—I didn’t mean it that way...”

Rose merely nodded.

She had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Then she noticed Grace had arrived.

Several members of the Knight family had already glanced in her direction more than once, but Rose ignored them all and walked straight towards Grace.

Alicia remained where she was.

Her gaze drifted towards Ryan and Charlotte.

Charlotte’s appearance had genuinely surprised her.

She was a true heiress from a prestigious family—beautiful, poised and confident. Very few women could compare with her.

If the two families publicly announced their engagement tonight, everything would be settled.

Even if Rose regretted it afterwards, there would be no turning back.

Alicia’s fingers tightened around the hem of her dress.

After a long moment, she finally stood.

By then, the guests had already gone through several rounds of toasts.

People moved constantly throughout the hall, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

Alicia picked up a glass of red wine and walked directly towards Ryan and Charlotte.

“Mr. Knight, Miss Mercer, congratulations to you both.”

Her eyes were filled with sincerity.

Charlotte recognized her immediately.

After all, Alicia was the only person at the previous gathering who had directly asked whether she and Ryan were officially dating.

“Not asking about our relationship this time?”

Charlotte’s voice was cool, carrying her usual hint of arrogance.

Alicia smiled awkwardly.

“I didn’t know before. But now that I’ve heard you’re about to get married, I thought I should offer my congratulations. Please don’t take it the wrong way, Miss Mercer.”

Her manner was so sincere that Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly.

She studied Alicia’s face.

A youthful face, large bright eyes and pronounced dimples that appeared whenever she smiled.

For some reason, Charlotte suddenly thought of Rose.

Rose had dimples too—though hers were shaped more like little pear pits.

“Mr. Knight, I’d also like to toast you.”

Alicia raised her glass towards Ryan.

Ryan lowered his eyes.

His gaze briefly settled on her smiling face.

Then, for two seconds, his eyes lingered on the dimples at the corners of her mouth.

Only two seconds.

But Charlotte noticed.

A flicker of something unreadable crossed her eyes.

“There’s no need to toast me.”

Ryan calmly declined.

Alicia froze.

She clearly hadn’t expected him to refuse so directly.

She awkwardly shifted the wine glass in her hand.

“Ah... I’m sorry. I only wanted to wish you both well.”

She hurriedly raised her glass, searching for a waiter to return it to the tray.

Perhaps because she was easily embarrassed, she became flustered and uncertain after being rejected.

As she turned around, she accidentally collided with a waiter passing behind her.

The wine in her glass lurched.

Before anyone could react—

Splash.

Red wine spilled directly onto Ryan’s arm.

His black suit jacket remained mostly unmarked, but the white shirt visible beneath it was stained a vivid crimson.

Charlotte’s expression immediately darkened.

“Why are you always so careless?”

Her tone carried unmistakable reproach.

“His clothes are stained now. How is he supposed to make the announcement properly?”

Alicia’s face paled.

Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to...”

Ryan, however, showed no anger.

He merely gave Alicia a brief, indifferent glance.

Charlotte was the one whose mood had deteriorated.

The two families had agreed to make the engagement announcement publicly in half an hour.

Now Ryan’s clothes were stained.

Would they still have enough time?

It felt like an ominous sign.

And Charlotte hated that feeling.

“I’ll go and change.”

Ryan said nothing more to Alicia.

He didn’t blame her or scold her. To him, the accident seemed hardly worth mentioning.

Charlotte could only nod, though her expression remained cold.

Alicia stood there uneasily.

“Miss Mercer, I’m sorry if this has affected your mood. If you’re upset, I can leave right now.”

Charlotte turned and gave her a cold, piercing look.

“If you’ve done something wrong, admit it. Don’t stand there looking aggrieved as though someone’s bullying you. I’m not falling for that.”

With that, she turned away.

She clearly had no intention of wasting another word on Alicia.

Alicia pressed her lips together.

Charlotte really was as haughty as the rumors suggested.

Her words had been sharp, leaving no room for anyone to save face.

Alicia lowered her gaze and took a deep breath.

She felt that Charlotte clearly looked down on her.

After a moment, she raised her eyes again.

Her gaze followed the direction Ryan had left.

A fleeting thought passed through her large, expressive eyes.

Then her expression returned to normal.

Without hesitation, she followed.

*****

Red wine stains were notoriously difficult to remove.

Fortunately, the hotel had a fully equipped dressing room prepared for the guests, so finding a replacement suit didn’t take long.

Owen went to retrieve the new clothes.

Ryan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

He hadn’t locked it behind him.

He removed his suit jacket, then calmly began undoing his cufflinks.

One by one, he loosened the buttons at his collar.

The dressing room was quiet.

Until—

Click.

The door behind him opened.

A faint creak echoed through the room.

Then came the unmistakable sound of high heels against the floor.

Ryan’s fingers paused.

He slowly raised his eyes.

The mirror in front of him reflected the figure standing behind him.