“This Ian Lawrence is seriously childish. Who throws such a big fuss over a 25th birthday like a little kid?” Claire Xu couldn’t help but complain. If it weren’t for dealing with her dad and those folks, she wouldn’t have bothered with this childish guy at all.

At six in the evening, guests started to arrive one after another. Ian Lawrence stood at the entrance in a white suit, greeting everyone with a wide smile. The moment he saw Lauren Shaw, his smile grew even brighter.

“Lauren Shaw, Claire Xu, you made it!”

Lauren Shaw gave a polite nod. Claire Xu snickered, “Ian Lawrence, that white suit is pretty flashy on you.”

Yiheng’s face darkened, “Can you speak properly? It’s called fashion, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, very fashionable,” Claire Xu replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Ian Lawrence shot her a look before grinning at Lauren Shaw again.

“Lauren Shaw, having you here today really makes me happy.”

When it came to being hopelessly devoted, no one could outdo Ian Lawrence.

“Senior!”

The voice sounded familiar. Lauren Shaw turned around and saw the person already hurrying over to her.

“Si Yao?” Lauren Shaw looked at her in surprise. They weren’t close, but they were alumni, and after that interview Si Yao did with her last time, they at least recognized each other.

“What are you doing here?” Ian Lawrence looked at her warily. He hadn't invited any reporters to his birthday, and frankly, he didn’t want her there—the woman always hit a nerve with her blunt words. He’d thought Claire Xu’s mouth ran fast, but this woman was even more outrageous.

“Of course I’m here to celebrate the second young master of the Lawrence family’s birthday!” Si Yao said cheerily.

Truth be told, this ‘birthday banquet’ was really just a matchmaking event for him, dressed up as a party.

Claire Xu glanced around at the crowd—mostly rich socialites from Ancheng. “What kind of birthday party is this? It’s more like a beauty pageant,” she muttered.

She and Lauren Shaw walked in together, with Sophia Chandler tagging along behind. Ian Lawrence stopped Siyao with a warning glare, “You’d better keep your comments to yourself tonight.”

Sophia Chandler just grinned, “Relax, senior. I won’t bring up that embarrassing confession that got you rejected back in school. Even I feel secondhand embarrassment for you.”

Ian Lawrence nearly screamed: Who the hell invited this nutjob?! I’m about to lose it!

Lauren Shaw found a seat and noticed someone familiar sitting nearby. Before she could speak, Claire Xu gritted her teeth, “What rotten luck—why’s that guy Yvonne Sung here?”

It wasn’t really strange. Yvonne Sung was from a well-off Ancheng family. He wasn’t old money, but coming to this kind of event wasn’t out of the blue, either.

“And who’s that woman next to him? She looks familiar.”

Lauren Shaw followed her gaze and realized it was Eva Snow sitting by Yvonne Sung. Since when did those two get so friendly?

Ian Lawrence pulled out a chair beside them, shooting an apologetic glance at Lauren Shaw. As much as he liked her, she never seemed remotely interested. Not wanting her to dislike him, he’d decided to change his approach.

“Lauren Shaw, I know I was wrong before. I’m sorry. I hope we can be friends now. To show I mean it, I’ll drink this entire glass.” With that, he downed his drink in one go.

Honestly, Ian Lawrence wasn’t a bad guy—just a bit clumsy about expressing himself. He honestly wished Lauren Shaw happiness.

Leaving the past behind, Lauren Shaw reached for the juice in front of her. “Alright. I’ll drink juice instead of wine. From now on, we’re friends.”

Sophia Chandler quickly clinked her glass with Lauren Shaw’s. “I want to be friends with you too, Senior.”

Ian Lawrence rolled his eyes at her. “Go away, stop making a scene.”

“I like Senior, too! I want to be friends with her. Mind your own business—it’s not like I want to be friends with you,” Sophia Chandler retorted.

Ian Lawrence just sighed.

Claire Xu asked, “Do you know those two over there?”

Ian Lawrence followed her line of sight. “That’s my cousin. My aunt’s daughter.”

The glass of juice in Lauren Shaw’s hand paused midair. Claire Xu continued, “How about the one sitting next to her?”

“That’s her business partner. They’re supposedly working with our family, but I honestly don’t keep up with the family business much.”

“Business partner?” Lauren Shaw echoed, puzzled.

Ian Lawrence nodded, “Yeah, I just greeted them earlier. They were discussing some design drafts and email stuff, but I couldn’t keep up, so I came back over here.”

Email…

A realization hit Lauren Shaw. “I know who’s behind this.”

“Behind what?” Ian Lawrence asked, even more confused.

Claire Xu looked at her in surprise. “You mean…?”

Lauren Shaw had once logged into her email account on Yvonne Sung’s computer. She always stored her design work there—and after their falling out, she’d never thought to change her password.

She never guessed Yvonne Sung could stoop so low.

“That bastard! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!” Claire Xu stood up, ready to confront Yvonne Sung.

Lauren Shaw grabbed her arm. “Don’t be impulsive. If you ask him now, he’ll never admit it.”

Sophia Chandler caught on. “Senior, you mean that person stole your designs, right?”

Lauren Shaw didn’t deny it. Given what Ian Lawrence had just said, her suspicions were all but confirmed.

On the other side, Yvonne Sung and Eva Snow had also noticed them.

“Hmph, can’t believe she even dares show her face now,” Eva Snow sneered, her eyes full of calculation.

Yvonne Sung lowered his head, guilt flickering in his expression—he dared not meet Lauren Shaw’s eyes.

“Still not over her, are you?” Eva Snow swirled her glass, a sly scheme forming in her mind.

“Don’t forget what you promised me,” Yvonne Sung said coldly.

Eva Snow smirked, “Mr. Su, have I ever broken any of my promises? Don’t tell me we don’t even have that much trust between us.”

Yvonne Sung said nothing, shooting her a frosty glare.

His family was on the brink of bankruptcy—he’d only done this out of desperation.

“Want me to help out again?” Eva Snow looked over at Lauren Shaw, jealousy warping her expression.

Yvonne Sung didn’t reply. He followed her gaze—Lauren Shaw happened to be looking his way. Guilt prickled at him, but he quickly convinced himself he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was all for the Sung family.

Eva Snow stood and headed towards the restroom.

Claire Xu, unable to hold back any longer, stormed over to Yvonne Sung, her eyes brimming with ridicule.

“Yvonne Sung, why did you have to throw Lauren Shaw under the bus like that? Don’t you know you’re destroying her dream?”

Yvonne Sung looked utterly unfazed. “Claire Xu, you can’t just accuse me like that. If you think I hurt Lauren Shaw, where’s the proof?”

Claire Xu was momentarily speechless.

“No proof? Then you’re just slandering me.”

He was all in now, gambling it all and flat-out refusing to admit anything. There was nothing they could do to him.