Among the other three men, only one watched her with keen interest, saying nothing.
They were all from prominent families, and Alaric Davenport introduced them to her one by one. The man who had been quiet was Ethan Lockwood.
The first to have spoken was Keith Thorne of the Thorne Family, and the man who spoke after him was Leo Jacobs.
And the woman whose defiant gaze had been fixed on her ever since she walked in was Jessica Sutton.
Rosalind Lowell glanced at Alaric Davenport, thinking, 'That woman probably likes him.'
'And what about him? Does he like her too?' She couldn't read anything from his emotionless face.
She lowered her gaze slightly. 'Of course. A man of his status must have countless women who like him. This past year of marriage was something I got by a stroke of luck.'
'Not only did I become the envy of the other socialites, but I also got to escape the Lowell Family. I'm content with that.'
"Look at that. I've never seen Mr. Davenport be so gentle and considerate, or say so much at once," Keith Thorne said. "How long have you two known each other? Have you kissed yet? Or..."
"None of your business."
"Alaric, you're being so protective. Afraid we're going to eat her alive?" Jessica Sutton chimed in. Her smile seemed friendly, yet held a hint of provocation. Her gaze then shifted to Rosalind, turning sharp. "Miss Lowell, care for a toast?"
Rosalind pursed her lips and was about to reach for a glass when Alaric Davenport stopped her. "I'll take it for her."
Seeing his goddess get snubbed, Leo Jacobs jumped to her defense. "Now, that's just lame. What's the point of you drinking it? This is a toast from our Goddess Jessica, after all."
Jessica Sutton gave a gentle smile. "Oh, well. Alaric it is, then."
She swirled the wine in her glass and downed it in one go. After drinking, she looked back at Rosalind. "What does Miss Lowell's family do? How come I've never seen you around?"
Rosalind's lips trembled, and just as she was about to speak, another voice cut in first.
"Who cares which Lowell Family she's from? From now on, she's under the protection of the Morrison Family." Skylar Morrison basked in Rosalind's grateful gaze, feeling pretty pleased with himself.
Jessica Sutton raised an eyebrow but kept on smiling her gentle smile.
All she felt was Alaric Davenport's grip on her hand tightening for a moment just then.
Just then, Ethan Lockwood spoke up. "Mr. Davenport already told you, stop giving his wife such a hard time. Come on, eat, drink. Aren't you all hungry?"
When Jessica Sutton heard both Skylar Morrison and Ethan Lockwood sticking up for Rosalind, her gentle smile finally faltered, and her expression instantly soured.
"It's fine. They're just friends," Alaric Davenport whispered in her ear.
Rosalind nodded and nibbled on the food on her plate, listening as they chatted idly about the kinds of wealthy-world problems she would never have encountered before.
Just then, someone arrived. "Mr. Davenport, Miss Lowell's parents are outside looking for her."
This was a private lounge. The cruise ship belonged to the Davenport Family and had many lounges, large and small, but no one could enter this particular room without Alaric Davenport's permission.
Rosalind shot to her feet, agitated. She knew instinctively that something was wrong. If her adoptive parents were looking for her, it was almost certainly bad news.
"I'll go with you." Alaric Davenport stood up as well, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"Her own parents are calling for her. Surely our big boss isn't worried they're going to eat her alive, too?" Keith Thorne mused, sipping his wine as he lounged on the sofa.
"You never know, they just might," Ethan Lockwood said gravely.
Keith Thorne smelled gossip in the air and immediately shot to his feet. "In that case, I have to go watch the show."
As soon as Jessica Sutton saw this, she stood up as well; she wanted to know anything and everything that had to do with Alaric Davenport. Following Keith Thorne's lead, she stood, and just like that, the group of them headed out together.