Lucas bent slightly, dazed, and under everyoneâs expectant gaze, said one sentence. âMr. Lewis, I think I just saw a goddessâ
Zacharyâs face darkened, his lips tightening into a straight line. What kind of occasion is this? How could Lucas, a representative of the Chambers family, speak such nonsense? A goddess? What on earth?
Lucas, seeing Zacharyâs expression, suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing what he had just said. Glancing at the perplexed faces around him, Lucas blushed slightly and quickly added. âMr. Lewis, Miss Zeller is almost here-sheâs at the second gate now Zachary nodded, his expression easing. Now that Yvette was arriving, it meant nothing had gone wrong, and his mind finally settled. âAs long as Yvetteâs here, thatâs fine. What nonsense were you talking just now?â
Lucas didnât explain his earlier words but looked like he had more to say. âMr. Lewis, youâll understand in a minute. I really canât describe it.â
Zachary was completely baffled, but he didnât think Lucas had lost his mind-heâd been perfectly fine just ten minutes ag sago.
As they spoke, Nellie, helping Richard, along with Robert, Yulia, Winona, Zeke, and Victor, all gathered around Zachary. They had overheard what Lucas said and were just as confused.
Nellie had only caught that Yvette had reached the second gate, and she knew right away that Tony must have messed something up. That incompetent fool-useless as always! He couldnât even handle such a small task. But itâs fine. Iâll take over from here, and Iâll succeed for sure.â
The next second, some people started noticing that everyone around them had suddenly frozen, all staring toward the garden entrance. Confused, they followed suit, and soon they, too, were left in shock, their eyes filled with awe and disbelief. It really does seem like weâre seeing the âgoddessâ Lucas was talking about The night was as cool as water, with moonlight spilling across the ground. The trees and flowers, shadowy and indistinct, were like theyâd been draped in a veil of mist. Roses danced in the air, chasing one another in the breeze, their branches. swaying, casting shifting shadows that twirled in the wind.
In the midst of this play of light and shadow, a woman slowly approached, walking under the moonlight. Her eyes sparkled with a crystalline clarity, her slightly curled lashes resembling a wisp of fog drifting from the mountains. There was a hint of coldness in her gaze, commanding both respect and fear. Her white fringed gown swayed gently in the breeze, and with every step she took, the dress seemed to change with the light, emitting a rainbow of colors-brilliant, like the stars. The thousands of roses in the garden had now become mere ornaments to her presence.
As she drew closer, everyone realized her white fringed dress was adorned with hand-sewn diamonds. Those with at discerning eye immediately recognized that they were real diamonds. There must be at least a hundred diamonds on that dress, right? And the price? Astronomicalf The woman furrowed her brows slightly, like a stone dropped into still waters, rippling with a touch of impatience. Just then, Zacharyâs voice, calling âYvette, snapped everyoneâs thoughts back to reality.
âYvette?â The people present stared at the girl in disbelief, their faces transforming as if waking from a dream Yvette! Yvette? So this is the rumored country girl, rough and uncouth, the supposedly plain and rustic Ms. Zeller from the Chambers family? Who started that rumor! If this is what they call ugly, then what are we? And they call that rustic? Might as well let a lightning bolt strike us! The crowd that had surrounded Winona earlier fell silent.
Winona stood there like a statue, her face drained of color, her expression ashen. The dark, twisted look in her eyes sent a chill down anyone who saw it. Her pale lips trembled slightly, and her left hand was clenched so tightly that her nails dug painfully into her palm. Winona lowered her head, saying nothing. She had already noticed the crowdâs enraptured and mesmerized gazes directed at Yvette-even Victor had been momentarily stunned. She knew she couldnât compete with Yvette in terms of beauty, so when Nellieâs plan was revealed to her, she had felt a secret thrill. Now, can someone please explain to me why Yvetteâs face is still perfectly fine?
Nellie, always keeping an eye on Winona, knew that at this moment, she couldnât allow Winona to falter in any way. When no one was paying attention, she walked up to Winona, pulling her aside and, with a stern expression, whispered coldly. âWinona, you better pull yourself together. Donât make a fool of yourself. Tonight is your moment. You may have lost in the looks department, but if you donât put up a light now, youâll lose everything. As long as youâre accepted by Mr. Griffin as his student later, youâll still be the center of attention. Stop sulking here. Iâve already dealt with Yvetteâs situation-you donât need to worry about it. Iâll make sure she pays later.â
Winona kept her head down, silent, no longer trusting Nellie. In the end, I can only rely on myself. After a long pause, she finally looked up and said, âI understand, Mom. Donât worry Seeing that Winona had calmed down. Nellie relaxed and returned to Zacharyâs side.
The crowd was buzzing, and the chatter grew louder.
Zachary saw this and stepped forward to speak to Yvette in a soft, gentle tone, his elegant face full of affection, completely ignoring the stares of those around him. âCome on, Yvette letâs go sit over there with Dad. The banquet will start soon. Have you eaten anything yet? Are you hungry? Donât skip meals to maintain your figure-your health is the most important thing for a young girl.â
Zacharyâs attitude said it all. The people present were all businessmen-they could read between the lines. The rumors. outside couldnât be further from the truth. Zachary hasnât shown this much affection even toward Winona, whoâs about to become Mrs Griffinâs student. Yet, with his newly found daughter, heâs completely doting and attentive. Doesnât that tell us everything we need to know? If they still didnât get it, they might as well be blind.
Standing behind Zachary, Winona felt utterly crushed by his affection for Yvette. What does Yvette have that I donât? In such a short time. Dad only has eyes for her. On a night as important as this, does he really have to make me look this bad? The hatred inside Winona was growing uncontrollably, twisting her expression even further.
But now, no one was paying attention to Winona anymore-the focus was all on Yvette. Compared to Yvette, Winonaâs earlier moment of glamour seemed insignificant âDid you notice something?â A girl who had been hanging around Winona earlier stared at Yvette, her breathing becoming slightly labored, her voice filled with surprise and disbelief.
The crowd turned to look at her, puzzled, even Zachary and Richard glanced her way. Someone asked, âWhat did you notice The girl first nodded in certainty, then shook her head as if in disbelief, her eyes conflicted. After a few moments, as the crowdâs patience was running thin, she finally spoke again, Ive seen that white gown Ms. Zeller is wearing before.â
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