chapter1282

Ivonne looked uncertain. "Isn't that a bit much? If you want to invite your friends over, just do it. Your dad and I don't mind at all."

Peyton turned to Adrian, her eyes bright with mischief. "Dad, what do you think? Shouldn't we invite friends and family for you and Mom's thirtieth wedding anniversary? Let everyone see how much you love her?"

Adrian blinked, caught off guard. The way Peyton said it, it almost sounded like not throwing a big party meant he didn't love his wife enough.

He stumbled over his words. "Well, um, I mean... maybe we should? Our wedding was pretty simple. For our thirtieth, we could invite everyone and make it a real celebration. It'd be nice to reconnect with people."

Ivonne gave her husband and daughter a helpless look. She really hadn't planned on anything like this.

Before she could , Peyton squeezed Ivonne's arm and grinned. "That's settled then. I'll tell my friends to come over. It's going to be great.

That was all it took. Peyton's enthusiasm won out, and suddenly a huge anniversary party was happening.

Everything came together so fast that by the time Alyssa heard about it, the hotel was already booked and the decorations were set. She didn't want to go, but with invitations sent to all their friends and family, she didn't have a choice. As the Reynolds family's daughter and heir, skipping it was out of the question.

Two days flew by. Lydia and Juna used the time to explore Rock Bay, checking out all the must-see spots and treating it like a mini vacation.

The Reynolds family's party was that evening at a luxury hotel. Only friends and family were invited, with barely any business partners on the list. It was a wedding anniversary, after all, and mixing in work would have felt awkward.

Lydia and Juna got their invites as Peyton's friends and arrived at the party. Lydia had decided not to bring Connor and Carter. They stood out too much. Still, Connor couldn't relax and kept a close watch from afar, quietly blending into the background.

The whole venue felt dreamy and romantic, exactly the way Peyton wanted. If you hadn't known better, you might have thought it was an engagement party.

Juna linked her arm through Lydia's

as they entered. Most of the

Reynolds family's guests didn't recognize either of them and

glanced over with open curiosity. They didn't seem like party crashers or people looking to make connections. Their elegance said they came from money.

But there was something else. People quickly realized Lydia couldn't see.

"She's so pretty, but she's blind?" someone whispered.

"Yeah, such a shame," another replied.

"Does the Reynolds family have relatives like that? I've never seen them around Rock Bay."

"I have no idea. First time I've seen them, but they do look a bit familiar. Maybe I've seen them somewhere before?"

People kept whispering, stealing glances at the pair.

Alyssa had only just arrived, forced there by duty, when she noticed Lydia and Juna. As a clone, she was always on guard around strangers, So she wasted no time calling over security.

"Those two aren't related to us. Did they sneak in? Get them out. Now."

Everyone knew Alyssa's word was

law. She was in charge of the Reynolds family's affairs and the

staff scrambled to obey.

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Yes, Ms. Reynolds. I'll handle it immediately," the security guard said, nerves obvious in his voice.

He quickly gathered a team and moved to surround Lydia and Juna.