Chapter 372: Hazel
Hayley’s POV:
“Alpha, why are you taking so long to go in?” Thomas’s voice suddenly echoed behind me. When he approached and saw the man in front of me, he froze for a moment. Instinctively, he stepped forward, as if to protect me. But I had already changed my makeup before stepping in front of Benjamin.
Benjamin looked at me and immediately said, “Ms. Hazel!” It took a second for it to hit me—Benjamin had seen my face before, but only in my Hazel identity. I let out a relieved sigh. Didn’t the sponsors arrange this dinner? How did he end up here?
When Benjamin called out my name as Hazel, Thomas visibly relaxed. He glanced at me and quickly stepped forward, speaking calmly, “Mr. Southwell, have you met our Harmony before? What a coincidence!”
Benjamin’s POV:
I was a little surprised. The Harmony everyone had been talking about turned out to be Hazel, someone I had met before. And she was with Thomas? I remembered that Hayley and Thomas shared a somewhat unique relationship. Could there be some hidden connection between them? Lawrence has given me no clues.
“Ah, so you are the legendary Harmony. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” I said, extending my hand to Hazel. Hazel shook my hand, and the moment our palms touched, I felt a strange familiarity wash over me. I couldn’t help but look at her more intently. It was the same feeling I got when I was close to Hayley—a certain comfort. But Hazel and Hayley were so different in appearance and status.
As I pondered this, Lonnie Rodriguez, the event manager, spoke up, pulling me back to reality. He quickly turned to Thomas and said, “Mr. Somer, Alpha Benjamin is our event’s biggest sponsor. Ninety percent of the funding came from Southwell Group. I hear Alpha Benjamin is also a fan of Harmony.”
“I see,” Thomas immediately responded, then turned to me. “Thank you, Mr. Southwell, for supporting Harmony.” Hazel, standing nearby, also turned to me and said, “Thank you!”
I responded in a cool, distant tone, “It’s my pleasure. Ms. Harmony’s reputation in the industry speaks for itself. Setting personal feelings aside, I’m a businessman.”
“And it’s not just Alpha Benjamin. Many other businesses are also keen on supporting Harmony,” Lonnie added, smiling as he made introductions. “Ms. Harmony, please don’t stand. Let’s sit down and talk properly,” he continued, pulling a chair beside mine. Hazel glanced at me briefly, hesitated for a moment, and then sat down.
Hayley’s POV:
I forced myself to stay calm, but with Hera’s excited urging, I sat beside Benjamin. “Alpha, be careful. Don’t let anything slip,” Thomas reminded me mentally. I thought for a moment. If it weren’t for the other people around, it might have been the perfect opportunity to tell Benjamin the truth. But with so many eyes on us, I didn’t want to speak out of turn. I decided to play it by ear.
Lonnie, being quite sharp, noticed Benjamin’s interest in me and quickly steered the conversation in our direction. Meanwhile, Thomas cleverly defused the awkward tension in the room. But Lonnie, clearly not picking up on the signal, suggested that perhaps I should spend some time alone with Benjamin.
In this circle, we all understood the unspoken rules, and Benjamin was an alpha. Though it didn’t seem like I’d be at a disadvantage. Thomas and I had already seen through his scheme. I subtly nodded at Thomas. He immediately spoke up, “Lonnie, do you smoke? Let’s go have a cigarette.”
Though Lonnie seemed somewhat reluctant, he still smiled and agreed. “Alright, we’ll go have a smoke.” He waved to me and Benjamin, then followed Thomas out of the room.
With Lonnie out of the way, the atmosphere between Benjamin and me grew a little more tense. Neither of us spoke, and the silence in the room deepened. After a moment, Benjamin fixed his gaze on me and slowly began to speak.