Dianaâs pov In an instant, everyone fell silent.
After about a dozen seconds, Avia was the first to react. However, she probably didnât hear what Kate said clearly, or maybe she was feeling guilty herself. A hint of almost undisguisable panic flashed across her face as she stuttered, âWhâwhat fake flagship treasure? The crown on my head is obviously real!â
âNo!â Kate, oblivious to her unease, shook her head repeatedly. âOf course, I know the crown on your head is real! I mean Diana;
sheâs wearing a counterfeit.â
âDiana?â
Hearing this, Avia raised an eyebrow, her eyes flickered, and she sighed in relief. She cleared her throat and said in a low voice, âKate, are you sure you saw it clearly?â
âItâs real! My friends and I saw it just now! We initially thought the crown on her head was the real flagship treasure of âOcean Heart.â It wasnât until we saw the crown on your head that we realized she was wearing a fake one! If you donât believe me...â
11 Kateâs gaze began to frantically scan the crowd, then abruptly stopped. She almost jumped up, pointed at me, and shouted, âLook, the crown on Dianaâs head is identical to Aviaâs!â
As Kateâs words fell, countless eyes instantly focused on me. Then, the whole scene exploded.
âItâs true! The crown on Dianaâs head is exactly like Luna Aviaâs!â
âDiana is wearing a fake!â
âIs she crazy? Doesnât she know wearing counterfeits is illegal? Daring to commit a crime on such a grand occasion! Does she want to get arrested?â
âItâs probably vanity. She wants to overshadow Luna Avia, but she didnât expect us to see through her fake immediately.â
âSheâs so foolish! Doesnât she realize sheâs just a discarded woman? Who would believe she can afford the flagship treasure of âOcean Heartâ?â
The discussions grew louder. People around me even automatically parted, creating a path straight through the red carpet for me. It was as if everyone was waiting to see my embarrassment.
I raised an indifferent eyebrow, casually scanning the crowd, and finally, my gaze slowly settled on Kate.
Kate was standing with arms crossed, looking at me triumphantly, her chin almost reaching the sky.
I smirked.
âSo, do you have any evidence to prove that the crown on my head is fake and Aviaâs is real?â
âDo I need evidence for this? Avia is the next Luna of the Dark Moon Pack, incredibly noble. How could she possibly wear a fake? But you...â Kate sneered, âYour identity is known to everyone here, even if I donât say it! Even if the âOcean Heart brand has gone mad, they wouldnât sell their flagship treasure to a lowly woman like you. Besides, you canât afford it.â
Kate was clearly overwhelmed by her assumed delight, forgetting that not long ago, she briefly suspected the possibility of me being Alpha Marcâs sister. Interestingly, many people in the audience were just as foolish, believing I was merely a woman abandoned by two Alphas in turn.
Another wave of sarcastic remarks echoed.
Marcâs gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes no longer holding any patience. He took a step forward, about to say something, and I shook my head at him.
I had to handle this myself.
Upon catching my gaze, Marc furrowed his brow.
However, he remained silent, retreated to his original position, and handed over the authority to handle the situation entirely to me.
Redirecting my attention back to the stage, this time, I deliberately ignored Kate and looked at Avia.
I knew that the crown on Aviaâs head was fake, but when I appeared in front of her wearing a real crown, she didnât react as flustered as I expected. It was as if... she was convinced that the crown on my head was also fake.
I wasnât aware of the misunderstanding between us, but it seemed to give Avia unwavering confidence, even if she wore a fake crown.
âDiana...â Avia finally spoke, her tone still that familiar, seemingly innocent tone, âI know you resent Nathan choosing me and want to embarrass me, but even so, you canât wear a counterfeit... itâs against the law, and youâll be arrested!â
âCounterfeit?â I sneered. âAre you talking about what youâre wearing on your head?â
Aviaâs pupils trembled immediately, but she concealed it well.
âDiana, at this point, do you still want to quibble?â Avia turned to Nathan, speaking in a pleading tone, âThe day before yesterday, I met Diana at the mall. I accidentally mentioned that I would wear the flagship treasure of âOcean Heartâ to attend the engagement banquet today. I didnât expect her to... in short, please advise Diana to take off the crown quickly. Otherwise, if this matter escalates, Diana might face a lawsuit from the âOcean Heartâ brand.â
I watched Aviaâs performance with interest. At that moment, I couldnât help but want to applaud her. When it came to distorting right and wrong, she dared to claim second, and indeed, no one dared to claim first.
Nathan frowned upon hearing this.
After a few seconds, he looked at me and coldly said, âDiana, take off whatâs on your head.â
For a moment, I thought I was hearing things.
Otherwise, how could I hear such absurd words from Nathan?
I let out a cold laugh and asked, âWhy should I?â
Nathan didnât answer me but repeated in an indifferent tone, âTake it off.â
Facing Kate and Aviaâs accusations, I felt nothing.
Facing the ridicule of the crowd, I felt nothing.
But when my adversary changed to Nathan, despite my extreme reluctance to admit it, my heart was stung.
I silently clenched my fists, pretended to be indifferent, smiled, and said, âI wonât take it off. What can you do to me? Arrest me?â
My tone was full of provocation.
Nathan remained silent, his gaze fixed on me, his amber eyes holding indescribable complex emotions.
Kate continued to fuel the fire.
âAlpha, stop wasting time with this woman. What we should do now is arrest this woman wearing counterfeits! Oh, and...â Kate seemed to suddenly remember something, âIf Dianaâs crown is fake, then her dress must be fake too! How can we allow a woman wearing counterfeits to freely enter such a solemn engagement banquet?â
Kateâs words instantly resonated with many people.
âYes, Alpha Nathan, quickly have someone arrest this woman. Donât let her pollute the atmosphere of the engagement banquet!â
âArrest her! Capture Diana!â
The crowd was instantly stirred up.
Avia looked triumphant, secretly observing my expression while adding fuel to the flames.
âNathan, in the current situation, only by arresting Diana first can we calm everyoneâs anger. Regardless of whether her dress is real or not, the crown on her head must be fake. As the Alpha and Luna of Dark Moon Pack, we cannot condone such behavior.â
âLuna is right!â
âLuna is wise!â
âHurry up and arrest this woman wearing counterfeits!â
âWait! Elie Saab just posted several tweets on the official account!â
At this moment, a different voice suddenly sounded in the crowd.
The person first looked at their phone and then turned to me, their face filled with disbelief.
âElie Saab just claimed ownership of the dress Diana is wearing and posted a photo of Diana in the dress...â
The entire hall fell silent once again.
The words of that person undoubtedly announced to everyone that the dress I was wearing was authentic, not a counterfeit.
I looked up at the rumor spreader, Kate.
Kate stared at me in shock, her eyes widened, and the color drained from her face. She retreated, muttering, âIt canât be possible!â