My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 294

Riyana and Lily both turned their heads at the same time.

Lily was already a little drunk. The lights above the table looked slightly blurred to her, and the noise around felt distant. Still, she recognized them instantly. Her eyes widened when she saw David standing beside Jabco.

The two of them together was the last thing she expected.

“What are you two doing here?” Lily asked, her voice slow but sharp enough to carry.

David and Jabco exchanged a brief look. Then David stepped forward and, without any hesitation, bent down on one knee in front of her.

“Mrs. Hardison,” he said calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “you’re drunk.”

As he spoke, he gently reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t like the way he was acting, didn’t like the way he suddenly appeared and took control like this. But to everyone’s surprise, she didn’t correct him.

The moment those two words left David’s mouth, the table went dead silent.

People stared at Lily as if she had suddenly grown another head.

“Mrs. Hardison?”

“Did he just say that?”

“She’s married?”

“To David Hardison?”

Whispers broke out instantly, spreading like fire.

Riyana noticed Lily’s expression and couldn’t help smiling faintly. Lily looked annoyed, almost ready to explode, but there was no real resistance in her eyes. Riyana knew Lily kept her distance from David, but it was also clear that David had no intention of backing off. Calling her his wife in front of so many people was bold, almost reckless.

And very David.

He was drawing a line. Loud and clear.

“Mr. Hardison.”

John stood up from his seat and walked toward them, his expression carefully polite but his eyes filled with surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected this either. Still, his businessman instincts kicked in fast. This was an opportunity, and he wasn’t going to miss it.

David straightened up and turned toward him.

“Hello, Mr. Brown,” David said smoothly, reaching out his hand.

John shook it at once, his smile polite but tense. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

David nodded slightly, then his eyes shifted sideways.

He glanced at Jabco.

Jabco was standing there quietly, his expression unreadable. But his eyes weren’t on Lily. They weren’t on David or John either.

They were on Riyana.

And Riyana wasn’t looking at him at all.

She sat calmly, her hands resting on her lap, listening to the conversation as if nothing here concerned her. It was as if Jabco didn’t exist.

David caught that detail immediately.

Interesting.

“Hello, Mr. Grey,” John said, turning toward him. “I’m John Brown, CEO of Northstar Media.”

Jabco shook his hand firmly, his movements controlled and unreadable. If David was showing respect to this man, Jabco wasn’t careless enough to act otherwise.

“Hello, Mr. Brown,” Jabco replied.

His eyes stayed on John for only a moment before drifting back to Riyana. His expression darkened slightly. She sat there calmly, as if they were complete strangers, as if there wasn’t years of history between them.

Being ignored like that irritated him more than he wanted to admit.

One of the girls sitting near Riyana leaned closer and whispered, curiosity clear in her voice.

Then David led her out without another word.

As the door closed behind them, all attention shifted back to the man still standing there.

“Mr. Grey,” John said carefully, “why don’t you join us?”

Jabco turned his cold gaze toward John. The look alone made John’s back stiffen. For a second, he felt like he had made a terrible mistake without knowing what it was.

“Thank you, Mr. Brown,” Jabco said calmly, “but I came here only to take my ex-employee.”

His eyes moved to Riyana.

She froze. She had thought he was there for Lily. Why he is asking her instead?

“I’m sorry, everyone,” he continued evenly, “but I need to take Riyana with me tonight. We have something to discuss.”

Riyana looked at him, a faint frown appearing in her eyes, but she didn’t protest. She knew better. When Jabco made something clear like this, there was no room to argue.

She stood up, picked up her bag, and forced a polite smile.

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Her gaze shifted to John.

“I’ll contact you later.”

John nodded quickly.

“Of course. Call me when you reach home.”

Riyana nodded in return and walked away.

Jabco followed right behind her.

The table remained silent long after they were gone, everyone still trying to understand what they had just witnessed. Only after a while did the noise slowly return, conversations resuming, though the confusion lingered in the air.