Gehrmann shot Lonnie a cold glance. "What's it to you?"
Lonnie said, "Fine, forget it. He's too rude."
Cline, meanwhile, glanced through the banquet hall's floor-to-ceiling windows and noticed Calvert walking toward the dining area, seemingly searching for someone.
After pacing around for a bit, Calvert answered a phone call and headed in the direction of the restroom.
Cline frowned, cutting off Lonnie's rambling with a raised hand before standing up and walking out.
Luana was hiding in the restroom, scrolling through her phone, when a soft-spoken but angry young woman stormed in.
Prunella froze when she saw Luana. "You?"
Earlier, from the second-floor balcony, Prunella had seen Calvert enter the estate hand in hand with Luana.
They looked dazzling together, a sight that had nearly driven Prunella mad with jealousy.
Thankfully, Herbert had managed to separate them, giving her a chance to be alone with Calvert.
She had assumed Luana had left, but here she was, hiding in the restroom and scrolling through her phone.
'What's wrong with her?' Prunella thought. 'Why isn't she out there mingling with those eligible bachelors instead of hiding in here?'
"What are you doing here?" Prunella snapped, her tone sharp.
Luana guessed this was Herbert's sister and wasn't surprised by her haughty attitude.
She replied coolly, "In the restroom? Obviously, I'm using the facilities."
Her tone wasn't exactly polite. Luana had no intention of tolerating disrespect anymore.
She had learned from past experiences—like with Joan—that staying silent only emboldened people to push her further.
Prunella, already irritated, grew even angrier at Luana's response.
"Hmph, you're just playing hard to get. Hiding in here so Calvert will worry about you. Let me make one thing clear: don't think just because you're his date for the night, you can climb your way up the social ladder. Calvert is mine!"
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Luana frowned at Prunella's warning.
She was hiding here to avoid Cline and not to play games with Calvert.
'This Adams girl has quite the imagination,' she thought.
She didn't bother explaining herself to Prunella, simply staring back at her with a detached expression.
"Miss Adams, you're overestimating your chances with Mr. Coburn. You might not even be able to reach his level. There's no need to assert yourself in front of me."
After all, Calvert was supposed to marry Melissa. Prunella's status was nowhere near Melissa's, so she might as well stop dreaming.
But Prunella didn't see it that way. Enraged, she raised her hand and slapped Luana across the face.
"Who do you think you are? I'm the daughter of the Adams family! I don't need to prove anything to someone like you!"
The slap came out of nowhere.
Luana hadn't expected the seemingly delicate Prunella to resort to violence.
Caught off guard, she took the hit squarely.
She wanted to retaliate, but her body betrayed her.
The single slap left her dizzy and disoriented.
Prunella, mistaking Luana's disorientation for fear, grew even more arrogant.
"I'm warning you—stay away from Calvert. If you don't, next time it won't just be a slap!"
With that, Prunella turned on her heel and stormed out of the restroom.
Luana watched her retreating figure blur and multiply before her eyes.
Just as she was about to collapse, a man rushed in and caught her before she hit the ground.
When she finally regained her senses, she realized it was Cline.
Her heart, which had momentarily stopped, began to race uncontrollably, and her nervousness was written all over her face.
"Mr. Moriarty…"
Cline's expression was icy, his brows slightly furrowed, giving him an air of restless irritation.
"What happened to you?"
Luana steadied herself and replied, "Miss Adams slapped me. I almost passed out."
Thankfully, she had only blacked out for a few seconds, so she could use that as an excuse.
Cline's frown deepened. "You're willing to take a slap for Calvert? You really care about him."
His tone was laced with sarcasm, cold and cutting, making Luana uncomfortable.
The faint flutter of emotion she had felt for him earlier faded away. She replied calmly, "If Mr. Coburn finds out Miss Adams hit me, his opinion of her will plummet. So, I'd say the slap was worth it."
Cline hadn't expected her to have such a calculated mindset. His gaze grew even more disdainful.
"You'll stop at nothing, won't you?"
He let go of her waist and pulled out a wet wipe, meticulously cleaning his fingers.
The gesture made Luana feel humiliated. If he found her so repulsive, why had he bothered to catch her?
After finishing, Cline glanced at Luana's uneasy expression. "Didn't I warn you to stay away from Calvert?"
When Luana had first seen Cline at the Adams estate, she had assumed he was there for the banquet. But now it was clear—he had come to confront her.
His reach was truly impressive. In just one day, he had already figured out what she and Calvert were up to.