My Secret Billionaire Husband Chapter 1 - 1 1 Have you seen my fiance

Closia.

R&C Hotel.

The Parfitt family, one of the noble households of Closia, is hosting an elegant banquet here tonight.

Although the status of the Lawrence family has plummeted, Joanna Lawrence still maintains her presence at the gala as the fiancee of the Benington Group’s Young Master, David Benington.

It is midsummer.

The Gardenias below the terrace are in full bloom, and a gentle breeze carries their intoxicating scent upward.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the alcohol, Joanna Lawrence lingers on the balcony outside the grand ballroom, letting the evening air soothe her until her senses begin to sharpen.

Upon re-entering the hall, she realizes David Benington is nowhere to be found.

Annie Lawrence, who had accompanied them, is also strangely absent.

She checks every corner, pulling out her mobile phone to ring David, but the line rings incessantly without an answer.

She then dials Annie’s number, only to be met with the same silence.

Joanna Lawrence gazes down at her screen, her expression darkening with apprehension.

A sudden memory surfaces: when David arrived at the Lawrence residence to fetch her earlier this evening, she had descended the stairs only to find him and Annie huddled intimately on the sofa.

Annie had even draped herself over him, clutching his arm with possessive familiarity.

The recollection leaves her face drained of color.

She approaches a passing waiter and asks, "Excuse me, have you seen my fiance? His surname is Benington, and here is a photograph of him."

Joanna Lawrence tilts the digital image of David on her screen toward the staff member.

The waiter glances at the phone then lifts his gaze toward her with a peculiar, almost pitying look. "Are you referring to this gentleman? I believe I saw him heading in that direction."

In the hotel courtyard.

Beneath the shade of a sprawling tree near the swimming pool.

The warm ambient lighting casts a soft glow over the ground, illuminating a pair of familiar figures wrapped in a tight embrace.

"David…"

The woman’s voice is soft and alluring. Her slender arms are coiled tightly around the man’s neck, and she clings to him like a bird seeking shelter.

The man seems uneasy, casting a cautious glance over his shoulder before attempting to pull back.

However, the woman immediately closes the gap once more.

"David, why are you pushing me away?"

As David turns his head toward Joanna’s vantage point, she instinctively ducks behind a pillar.

She hears David reply, "Annie, you mentioned you had a surprise for me. What is it?"

Annie’s tone is sickly sweet and laced with feigned shyness. "David, I’m pregnant."

The news strikes Joanna Lawrence like a bolt of lightning.

She stands frozen, her wide eyes reflecting pure shock as the blood drains from her face.

"What?!" David reacts with visible astonishment. "What did you just say?"

"David, I’m pregnant!" Annie flings herself into his arms, beaming with apparent joy. "I’m carrying your child. Aren't you happy to be a father?"

David bows his head, his brow furrowed in a complex mix of disbelief and agitation. "When did this occur?"

"About a month ago."

As Annie leans against his chest, she tilts her chin upward and glances casually toward the shadows where Joanna is hidden.

Her lips curve into a cold, mocking smirk as she adds, "That day when Joanna went to the film set for shooting, we were together on the bay window at your place."

A month ago, while she was busy shooting on location?

Joanna Lawrence stumbles, the world spinning in a sudden wave of nausea.

That bay window in his study… the one where she loved to sit and read.

Her stomach churns at the thought.

Annie continues to murmur, but the words blur into an unintelligible hum in Joanna's ears.

Her mind has simply gone numb.

After a lingering moment, she hears David say, "Let’s go, it’s time to return. We’ve been missing far too long, and she might start to suspect something."