Chapter 269
No.1
Harrison rolled his wheelchai to the absolute center of the VIP table. He gestured to a waiter.
The waiter immediately pulled out the heavy mahogany chair to Harrison's right-the most honored seat in the room.
"Please,sit," Harrison commanded gently.
Elisa smoothed the velvet of her skirt and sat down.
The music seemed to lower in volume.Every eye in the ballroom snapped toward the VIP table.
No.2
Whispers erupted like wildfire. The mysterious woman in the blue dress had just displaced the city's top executives.
Harrison leaned over to Elisa. "I must go to the back room to take my heart medication. Do not move from this seat."
Elisa nodded. Harrison rolled his chair away,disappearing behind a velvet curtain.
Elisa sat alone at the massive table. She picked up a crystal water glass, her face completely unbothered by the hundreds of eyes staring at her.
Across the room, Allena's panic violently mutated into blinding jealousy. She lost all rational thought.
No.3
She stomped across the ballroom floor, her stiletto heels stabbing the carpet. August hurried after her,
grabbing her elbow, but she violently yanked her
arm away.
Allena reached the VIP table.She slammed both of her hands down onto the white tablecloth,leaning aggressively toward Elisa.
"What disgusting tricks did you use to manipulate Mr. Browning?" Allena hissed. Her voice was low but dripping with venom.
No.4
Elisa took a slow sip of her water. She didn't even bother to look up. "You call sitting in a chair a trick?Compared to stealing another woman's entire life,this is nothing."
Allena flinched. The blood drained from her face.Desperate to regain the upper hand, her eyes darted wildly and locked onto the massive blue diamond brooch pinned to Elisa's chest.
A twisted smile of triumph broke across Allena's face. She stood up straight and deliberately raised her voice so the surrounding tables could hear.
"I thought you had some pride left," Allena mocked loudly. "But here you are, wearing a pathetic piece of fake glass to a billionaire's gala!"
The nearby guests stopped talking. They leaned in,hungry for the drama.
No.5
Allena turned and pointed at the lapel of August's tuxedo. "Everyone knows the Chambers family crest is forged from blue diamonds. You are wearing a cheap knockoff to trick people into thinking you still belong to August. You are a desperate,pathetic stalker!"
Allena painted Elisa as a delusional, abandoned wife clinging to fake jewelry.
The guests began to murmur, casting looks of deep disgust and pity at Elisa.
August stood silently behind Allena. His sharp eyes recognizedthe flawless cut of the diamonds on Elisa's chest. He knew it was not a fake. He knew the catastrophic social risk of allowing Allena to publicly accuse his wife of wearing forged Chambers jewelry. If another billionaire recognized the true origin of that crest, the humiliation would fall directly on his shoulders. But he kept his mouth shut. A dangerous gamble, but watching Elisa squirm under a false accusation sent a dark thrill through him. He would let the lie play out for a moment longer, just to see her break. A dark,twisted part of his ego wanted to believe Allena's lie-he wanted to believe Elisa was wearing it because she was still obsessed with him.
"Take that cheap trash off your dress!" Allena shrieked. She lunged forward, reaching her hand out to physically rip the brooch off Elisa's chest.
No.6
Smack!
Elisa's hand shot up with blinding speed. She slapped Allena's wrist away with brutal force.
The sharp crack of skin hitting skin echoed loudly in the sudden silence of the VIP area.
"Do not touch me with your filthy hands," Elisa said.Her eyes were like shards of black ice.
Allena stumbled back. She cradled her red, stinging hand against her chest. Fake tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She turned to Augúst, playing the ultimate victim.
No.7
"August, look at her! She is wearing fake jewelry to embarrass you, and she hit me!"
August finally stepped forward. He looked down at Elisa with absolute authority. "Elisa, that is enough.Take the pin off and apologize to Allena immediately."
Elisa looked at the man she had spent seven years serving. A wave of pure, biological revulsion rolled through her stomach.
"You are not worthy of my apology," Elisa stated.She stood up slowvly. Her presence completely dwarfed everyone around the table.
Harrison Browning rolled his wheelchair out from behind the velvet curtain. His eyes burned with absolute rage. "The woman wearing it is the guest of honor in this house."