Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Effie slipped her phone back into her purse, an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

She glanced up at the crowd clustered around Sarah, who was soaking up the attention, her face glowing with smug satisfaction as their classmates showered her with praise.

"Sarah, your boyfriend is seriously impressive! Mr. Etheridge must really think the world of him!" Harriet gushed, her envy barely disguised.

Sarah gave a modest little laugh, playing coy. "He's just doing his job, really. But he's got talent-otherwise, there's no way he'd have gotten promoted at The Etheridge Group, considering how competitive it is."

Nita, who'd been biting her tongue, couldn't help herself. She cleared her throat softly. "Um... is it possible Mr. Etheridge was actually here for someone else?"

Harriet rolled her eyes, scoffing, "Oh, come on, Nita! Who else among us could possibly know Mr. Etheridge? Don't tell me you mean Effie?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

But Nita nodded emphatically, "Yeah, actually!"

Harriet let out a short, mocking laugh. "You must be dreaming."

Effie quickly reached out to stop Nita, shaking her head in warning.

The last thing Effie wanted was to become the center of attention. If people found out about her connection to Lyman, she could kiss her peaceful life goodbye. She needed to stay under the radar.

Nita swallowed her words, though the look on her face made it clear she wasn't thrilled. One day, these people would be in for a rude awakening.

Magee soon broke through the tension, rallying everyone with cheerful enthusiasm.

After all, someone had brought delicious food-no one was going to complain about that. And these treats were the kind they rarely got to indulge in.

The mood quickly lightened as people paired off and drifted into casual conversations, swapping stories about their families and lives.

Effie was quietly enjoying her meal when a glass slid into her field of vision. She looked up, startled to see Granger standing right in front of her. She scrambled to pick up her own glass.

"Effie, it's been ages. How have you been?" Granger's eyes were gentle, his smile soft and warm.

Effie raised her glass politely, clinking it lightly against his. "I've been well, thanks. How about you?"

He took a sip of his wine, his gaze lingering on her. "Can't complain."

Effie nudged Nita. “Nita, you should toast Granger, too. It's been a while since you two caught up, hasn't it?"

Honestly, Effie couldn't believe she had to set this up for her. For all her bluster, Nita turned into a bundle of nerves around her crush.

Nita finally picked up her glass, blushing. "Granger, cheers. I heard you're a surgeon now at Neo-Arcadia Hospital. Congratulations on making your dream come true."

Granger was the eldest son of the Morgan family, but now he was better known for saving lives as a surgeon.

His reputation at Neo-Arcadia Hospital was stellar-he'd become a star in his own right.

Nita knew all about him—after all, she'd nursed a crush on him for quite some time.

Effie was a little surprised herself. Back in freshman year, they'd been in the same class, but then Granger had gone abroad. So he'd been off studying medicine all this time.noveldrama

But she shouldn't have been surprised-Granger had always been brilliant, double-majoring even back then. Becoming a doctor seemed like a natural fit. "Thanks," Granger replied, his tone sincere.

Effie felt a wave of relief seeing Nita finally work up the courage to speak. She was about to make an excuse to slip away and give the two of them some time alone when Granger turned back to her.

"Effie, are you still working in design?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm still doing jewelry design."

"That's perfect, actually," Granger said, a smile lighting up his face. "My mom's birthday is coming up next month. Since you're a designer, could you help me create a set of jewelry for her?"

There was no way for Effie to turn down a request like that-after all, it was business, and they were old classmates.

She smiled back. "I'd be honored."

Who knew? Maybe she'd even be able to play matchmaker for Nita in the process.