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That wasn't my problem.
I slowly crossed the lawn, looking for a familiar face. Apart from Carter's family, I hadn't spoken to anyone. Where were Carter's parents and his grandmother? My gaze wandered back and forth, but I couldn't spot anyone.
Instead, I suddenly saw Cameron. He was standing at the edge of the rows of chairs where the guests had watched the wedding ceremony. Far away from the buffet and the rest of the celebration.
Why wasn't he dancing with his wife?
He was talking to a woman, but it was clearly not Hanny. I had barely spoken to Hanny. But I had seen her. She was wearing a white dress and had dark hair that was styled in an elegant updo and adorned with pretty flowers. This description didn't fit the woman Cameron was talking to in the slightest.
The woman beside him was of medium height, plump, and had an overall pale appearance. Her hair color was indistinguishable, and the dress she wore looked, at least from a distance, as if it had been hanging in the closet for several years. Somehow, she resembled the woman I had seen coming out of Carter's office the day before yesterday.
Was it really her?
And if so, who was she?
What was she doing here?
I set off with determination. This was the opportunity to find out something about this woman. Carter and she obviously knew each other.
When I was about ten meters away from the two of them, Cameron suddenly nodded and pointed at me. The woman then nodded as well and started walking towards me.
What did this mean?
Had the two of them been talking about me?
I examined the woman as she walked unsteadily across the lawn in her high heels. Why hadn't she worn flat shoes? There were very nice ones, and she would have appeared considerably more graceful. My gaze traveled up to her face.
My impression hadn't deceived me. It was indeed the woman who had come out of Carter's office the day before yesterday.
"Hello," the stranger said to me as she stopped in front of me.
"Hello," I replied.
We stood facing each other in silence. I didn't know what to say. Should I ask her who she was? What she had wanted in Carter's office the day before yesterday?
She could ask you the same thing, Isabella. SHE approached you, so let HER start the conversation, instead of getting yourself into trouble with your curiosity. Remember, you're here as a fiancée. You're supposed to be inconspicuous and not meddle in affairs that probably don't concern you at all.
The woman cleared her throat. "We've met a few days ago. I don't know if you remember. In Carter's office."
"Yes," I replied simply.
"Cameron told me you're Carter's fiancée. Isabella, right?" the woman asked now.
"Yes," I said again. Now I was on guard. Cameron and the woman had indeed been talking about me. Why?
"I'm Abigail," the woman introduced herself and held out her hand. I took it. Abigail shook my hand. Her handshake was limp and soft, and it took a moment too long before she let go of my hand. And I still had no idea what she wanted from me.
"Cameron had invited me to his wedding. I didn't really want to come. But then my father told me that Carter would be here. With his fiancée." Abigail examined me with her pale eyes. Her gaze seemed... lurking. Could that really be? What did she want from me?
"Your father?" I asked, confused. What did her father have to do with it? And why hadn't Abigail originally wanted to come, but was now here?
"Yes, my father is a business partner of Carter's," Abigail replied.
"I see," I said. "Unfortunately, I don't know all of his business contacts."
"You could say he's the most important business contact." Abigail looked at me a bit more penetratingly than before. It was really hard to interpret the look in her pale eyes.
Damn. The most important business contact.