Chapter 113 Dianaâs pov Aviaâs expression was momentarily brilliant, but she remained more composed than Kate.
âEven if the dress youâre wearing is authentic, it doesnât change the fact that you wore a fake âOcean Heartâ centerpiece!â Avia asserted.
Kate quickly caught on. âYes! Avia is right! You should still be arrested!â
Mrs. Wayne had joined the scene, her face stern as she addressed Nathan. âAlthough Diana has a special status, this is still our Dark Moon Pack, and itâs your engagement banquet. Diana openly provoking your fiancée by wearing a fake item gives us grounds to apprehend her. Even Alpha Marc shouldnât interfere. Nathan, time has been wasted enough; this farce should end!â
Nathan furrowed his brow slightly but remained silent. His long, thick eyelashes concealed his eyes, leaving me unable to discern his emotions or thoughts. I suspected he was weighing the pros and consâdeciding whether exposing the situation with Alpha Marc was worth it to maintain the Packâs reputation. I couldnât think of any other reason that would convince him.
As Mrs. Wayne saw Nathanâs indecision, she gave a direct order, âSomeone! Seize Diana, this wretched woman!â
Marc, no longer indifferent, was about to step forward to shield me when a graceful figure preemptively embraced me.
âNone of you are allowed to touch Diana!â
Noraâs sharp voice echoed through the venue, driving back those who intended to approach me. She turned, looking at me nervously, her eyes filled with concern. âDiana, are you okay?â
âIâm fine,â I reassured Nora, gripping her in return. âWhy did you come back? I told you to rest at the hotel. You shouldnât be here-
âForget about me for now.â Noraâs tone was serious. âDo you have any idea how worried I was when you didnât respond to my messages? Iâm glad I came back; otherwise, who knows how much these idiots would have harassed you!â
Noraâs anger grew with her words. I sighed silently. Noraâs care often led to chaos. She didnât consider that with Marc and April present, I wouldnât truly be bullied. âIâm really fine.â I comforted Nora. âBut what about you? Is the rash on your neck. gone?â
âIâm fine too.â Nora insisted. âJust wait; Iâll teach these idiots a lesson!â
I couldnât even stop her; Nora marched onto the red carpet, hands on her hips, glaring at Mrs. Wayne.
âWhoâs trying to seize our Diana?â
âItâs me! Whatâs the matter?â Mrs. Wayne raised her head.
âItâs you! Just you!â Nora snorted several times, disdainfully surveying Mrs. Wayne.
âWho the hell are you?â
âMrs. Wayne, Alpha Nathanâs mother,â someone reminded her.
âOh, so youâre Mrs. Wayne!â Nora acted as if she had just figured it out.
Mrs. Wayne stretched her neck even longer.
âNow that you know my identity, quickly step aside and donât delay meâ
âShut up!â Nora didnât give Mrs. Wayne a chance to continue. âLet me tell you, Iâve disliked you for a long time! Itâs you, Mrs.
Wayne, who bullied my Diana for two whole years, treating her like a slave, isnât it!â
Knowing something is one thing; saying it out loud is another. For example, during the two years of my marriage to Nathan, anyone in the Dark Moon Pack, from Mrs. Wayne to any random maid, could boss me around and mistreat me. Others knew, but they wouldnât admit it. Sycophants would pretend not to see, or worse, join in.
However, when Nora laid bare these facts, openly discussing them, the implications were different. Mrs. Wayne instinctively couldnât face it, her face turning red, and her gaze avoiding everyone.
She couldnât admit in front of everyone that she had maliciously mistreated me. So, predictably, she denied it.
âWhen did I bully her?â
âYou dare deny it when you dared to do it!â Nora sneered.
Mrs. Wayneâs chest heaved dramatically as she maintained her composure. âWhen Diana married Nathan, she was a girl without status, position, or wealth. She was useless to the Pack. Making her do more work, isnât that reasonable? We canât let her freeload in the Pack, can we?â
âFreedload? Are you kidding me? It was you and Alpha Nathan who didnât allow Diana to exercise her Luna rights. Now you accuse her of being useless to the Pack. Arenât you ashamed? Furthermore, without Diana as a mate, could your son, Alpha Nathan, reach the pinnacle of his strength, lead Dark Moon Pack to continuous victories, and become the strongest Pack?â
The presence of a mate can effectively boost a partnerâs mental strength, stabilizing their emotionsâsomething Wayne couldnât deny no matter how she spoke.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Mrs. Wayne shamelessly changed the topic.
âWe are currently dealing with Diana provocatively wearing fake items to attend the engagement banquet, challenging Avia.
What does dragging those things into it accomplish?â
âProvocation? Fake items?â Nora rolled her eyes. âIs Diana crazy? Why would she provoke Avia? Because Avia took her unwanted man?â
âWhat are you saying?â Mrs. Wayne angrily shouted. âWho is the man Diana doesnât want?â
âDo I have to repeat it? Itâs your son, Alpha Nathan! Let me tell you, even if Alpha Nathan kneels down and begs Diana to remarry him, she wonât agree! Highâquality men chasing after Diana are endless. Do you really think your son is some precious gem? Women around the world are fighting over him, even getting jealous of him... Are you dreaming?â
âYou! You! You...â
Mrs. Wayne was too angry to continue. Worried Nora would say more, she whispered to Nora, âThatâs enough.â
âIâm cool, right?â Nora mischievously raised her eyebrows at me.
I gave her a thumbs up. Indeed, she was cool, but also genuinely dangerous.
Nora probably chose to ignore Nathan, so she didnât notice Nathanâs amber eyes swiftly darkening and deepening in response to her bold remarks. Yet, even if Nathan were truly angered by Noraâs words, I wasnât afraid.
With me around, I wonât let anyone harm a hair on Noraâs head.
Meanwhile, Avia supported Mrs. Wayne, placing her hand on Mrs. Wayneâs chest to help her calm down.
âMom, donât get angry. Itâs not worth jeopardizing your health for them,â Avia said. Then, she turned her gaze toward me and complained, âDiana, are you just letting your friend insult Mrs. Wayne? Mrs. Wayne is Nathanâs mother! You might not respect me, but do you disrespect both Nathan and his mother?â
âNora is just stating facts. I donât see it as insulting or disrespecting,â I said calmly, with a slight smile. âAvia, before accusing someone, you should provide evidence. Otherwise, itâs just false accusations.â
Aviaâs face stiffened, and her eyes narrowed into slits. She tore off the facade of kindness and mocked, âBut flaunting counterfeit items in public isnât false accusations on my part, is it?â
âHahaha...â
As Avia finished speaking, Nora couldnât contain her laughter, holding her stomach.
I shook my head helplessly, a faint smile playing on my lips.
âWhy are you laughing?â Avia glared at Nora.
After Noraâs laughter subsided, she said, âI just find it amusing that you accuse others of wearing fake items while youâre doing the same.â
Avia shivered, âWhat did you say? Are you daring to say Iâm wearing fake items?â
âIsnât it true?â Nora clicked her tongue. âBut the one on your head looks so fake. Anyone with a slightly deeper knowledge of jewelry can tell, you know?â
âWho do you think you are? What do you understand? You-â
âI donât understand?â Nora tilted her head slightly, chuckling. âI think no one here knows more about jewelry than I do. I believe Luna Avia would agree; otherwise, why did you go out of your way to contact me and ask me to design the jewelry for your engagement banquet?â
Avia took a big step back, unbelieving. âYou, you are...!
âIf you wanted to meet me, why didnât you check my photos beforehand?â Nora asked, looking puzzled. Then, she smirked and announced, âI am Nora Stern, the jewelry designer youâve been wanting to meet. Surprised? Delighted? Shocked?
Unexpected?â
Aviaâs face turned as white as paper.
Nora continued, âI believe, with my knowledge of jewelry, I can prove that the crown on Dianaâs head is real, while yours is fake.â