Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Austin somehow got his hands on the guest list for Alex's birthday dinner tonight, and he'd been calling me non-stop. Ever since he threatened me, though, his number's been firmly placed on my blocklist.
Even after he re-added me to his WhatsApp and the family group, I didn't bother deleting it again. It was just too much trouble to keep adding and removing him. But what was strange was that Amanda, of all people, decided to add me on WhatsApp during this time.
For the six years I was with Austin, Amanda's attitude towards me was either critical or indifferent. She never truly accepted me as a daughter-in-law, yet when she needed me, she'd treat me like a servant, never even bothering to add me on WhatsApp.
But now, after Austin and I broke up for good, she took the initiative to reach out.
It didn't take a genius to figure out her intentions—she probably wanted to humiliate or insult me, nothing else.
In the past, she'd act like I didn't exist; now, I was too out of her league to even acknowledge.
"Want me to add her? In her dreams," I muttered under my breath.
I didn't have the patience to deal with Amanda's malicious insults calmly, especially when I didn't want to add trouble to Alex's life. Who knew if that woman would blow up at him over some minor thing, and I'd be the one cleaning up the mess?
"Laurel, can you have some self-awareness?" Austin sneered at me, his eyes filled with contempt and resentment. "We've already broken up. Alex is just being polite. You actually think he means anything by it?"
I narrowed my eyes, still feeling a bit sleepy. Damn, being lazy was such a trap. Once you got too comfortable, all you wanted was to lie down and do nothing.
If only the annoying man wasn't here disturbing my peace, today would've been perfect.
"You're right," I said with exaggerated sincerity. "I'm just here to mooch off the food and drinks..."
"Laurel, you..."
Watching Austin turn red and stammer with frustration was too amusing.
Before he could finish his rant, I slammed the door in his face.
"You seriously think breaking up with me means you can get with Alex? You're crazy..."
I picked up the phone and called the front desk. "Whoever's dog is barking outside, tie it up already."
The receptionist, dead serious, replied, "Miss Parks, we don't allow pets in the hotel."
I chuckled, brushing my teeth as I mumbled, "Why don't you send someone to check?"
Five minutes later, there was complete silence outside.
When Angela heard that Austin had shown up to my room early in the morning to cause trouble, her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I'm so looking forward to the dinner tonight. It's going to be a blast."
"Stop joking. I'm just there to be a background character," I said, clearing my throat and lowering my voice as I shot Angela a pointed look.
"Such a great opportunity! You need to make Alex publicly acknowledge you as his wife. Bring the marriage certificate with you!"
I furrowed my brow and shot her a cold stare. "I'm not in the mood to pick up two certificates in one month."
"If he doesn't acknowledge you and lets you attend, he's obviously asking for trouble, don't you think?"
"Who knows?"
Angela thought for a moment, then said, "You can't skip it, but if you go, who knows what kind of trouble those black-hearted Herrera people will cause?"
I sighed, feeling a sense of unease creeping in. "Maybe I should just skip it."
"Are you kidding? It's too important a gathering for you to miss, and you need to go looking fabulous," Angela said, grabbing my arm and leading me out of the hotel.
From picking the dress to doing my hair, skin, and even my nails, she left no detail untouched.
As I stared at myself in the mirror, wearing a sleek black slip dress with a matching blazer and a 600,000-dollar custom-made necklace, I couldn't help but stare in a daze. Was that really me?
Angela nodded in approval. I opened my mouth to speak, but she immediately cut me off. "Don't say anything I don't want to hear."
She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It's your husband's birthday today."
The words black widow were stuck in my throat.
Angela knew me all too well.
Clearing my throat, I asked, "Don't you think this outfit is a bit too serious for a dinner?"
"You need that cool, high-class vibe to match Mr. Herrera," Angela said seriously, linking her arm with mine. "Your aura and makeup will dominate the room. You'll outshine everyone."
"I don't want to be the center of attention."
Alex never asked me to attend with him, and he never planned on revealing my identity, so of course, he wasn't going to bring me to the party.
Plus, there would be plenty of wealthy businessmen and socialites there. If I stood out too much, it would cause endless trouble.
After all, with Alex's looks and status, his face alone could attract a crowd of women. What place did I have in all that?
Most importantly, the Parks family would be there, and I didn't want to cause trouble with Kailyn.
"No way. You have to make sure everyone remembers you," Angela insisted, her eyes glinting with determination.
I froze for a moment, then said, "You want Austin to regret breaking up with me and keep chasing me? I think that white and blue dress I saw earlier would be perfect."
Angela shook her head, silent for a moment before speaking up. "No, that's too plain. How can it compete..."
"Compete with what?"
"Outshine the others, of course."
I locked eyes with Angela, her evasive gaze giving her away.
Finally, she relented and reluctantly spilled the information.
"Mr. Herrera had a crush on a girl back in high school. They eventually got together in college, but it didn't last long. The main reason was that he was too distant, and most of his time went to his studies and the family business.
"Girls need to be spoiled a little, so they argued a lot. When Mr. Herrera returned to take over the family company, he had his friend look after the girlfriend, but things took a turn, and well... you know. Who would've thought someone would dare to step on Mr. Herrera's turf? Maybe that's why he hasn't had a woman around for years."
"So, his ex is coming to the dinner?"
"Yeah, she just came back to the country. When she found out who Alex really is, she regretted everything."
"And what does this have to do with me? Do you really think wearing a killer outfit will make her give up on Alex? Please. There are too many women chasing him, I'm not going to waste my time worrying about that."