Chapter 58
The banquet hall was enveloped in silence.
Standing at the top of the staircase, Sharon cast a commanding gaze over the crowd. As
As expected, the room was packed with guests.
She lifted the hem of her dress and walked down the steps, each movement graceful and measured. Her face was bare of makeup, a diamond necklace gleamed around her neck, and perched atop her head was an exquisite crown.
On either side of her, her brothers extended their hands, standing protectively by her side like devoted knights, as if she were the center of their universe At that moment, she was the queen of the evening and the center of everyone’s attention.
“Oh my god, isn’t the crown on Ms. Vance’s head the one worn by the wife of the first president?” someone exclaimed.
“And her necklace is the First Lady’s favorite piece!” someone else said in shock.
Everyone in the room gasped at just how exceedingly luxur
and influential the Vance brothers and their sister were.
Even the president’s daughter wore a regular crown at her coming–of–age party last year. But Sharon was wearing the crown of the very first First Lady.
This piece of jewelry carried significant historical value–it was a personal item of the First Lady.
The guests were confused as to why the crown, which was supposed to be locked away in the museum by now, was on Sharon’s head. Their expressions shifted as they looked at her.
The hall fell into an unsettling silence.
Sharon reached the bottom of the stairs and quietly stood beside Richard, flashing a polite and sweet smile as if the commanding woman from moments before wasn’t even her.
As the eldest brother, Richard carried the weight of a father figure and spoke first.
He said, “Welcome, everyone, to my sister’s coming–of–age party. I am deeply grateful for your presence today. Let’s put any past grudges behind us and start fresh from now on.
“I’d like to ask you for a favor. In the future, if my sister happens to mess up, I’d appreciate it if you could be a bit more forgiving. She’s young, innocent, and easily taken advantage of.”
Caesar couldn’t believe his ears. He cursed inwardly, ‘The woman who knocked down a group of martial artists with a single move is easily taken advantage of?! Nonsense.‘
Joan was bursting with excitement, eager to give a thumbs up, as she thought, ‘Ms. Vance is amazing! She’s the best!‘
Cameron, David, and Jannie remained expressionless, even cringing in embarrassment. They couldn’t help but think, ‘Shari, this is a bit too much.
‘Sure, you’re young–that’s true. But innocent and easily taken advantage of? Come on, that has nothing to do with you. You never let anyone push you
around.‘
Sharon flashed a sweet and innocent smile, as if to say, “See? I’m totally harmless.” But she was murmuring to herself, ‘Don’t mess with me, or you’ll
regret it.‘
The room remained silent. Many people still hadn’t recovered from the shock of the jewelry Sharon was wearing.
“Well said!” Edward suddenly clapped. He grew more satisfied with Sharon and felt overjoyed that he had arranged the engagement.
Gradually, the rest of the guests snapped out of thejr shock.
Someone couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Richard, that crown your sister’s wearing–it’s fake, isn’t it? I just called the Royal Museum, and they
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said the First Lady’s crown is still on display. You can try to show off, but don’t go overboard it’s bound to backfire,
A crowd of guests chinted in with mocking laughter. After all, many of them couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy when they saw the jewelry citie
Now that they had the chance, they were eager to tear Sharon and her family down to make themselves feel better.
Sharon looked casually at the person and said to the general manager, “Someone says this is a fake.”
The manager responded with utmost respect, “Ms. Vance, this is definitely not a fake. The one displayed in the museum is merely a replica. The real piece has always been kept by the Atlantis Hotel.”
Still, some remained skeptical. “That’s the First Lady’s jewelry. What right does the Atlantis Hotel have to keep
“Because this hotel was founded by the First Lady herself. Do you have a problem with that?” the manager replied.
Everyone in the room fell silent.
one of them asked.
Sharon cast a nonchalant gaze over the crowd. “Anything else you’d like to say? I know you are ignorant. No need to be embarrassed.”
The man’s face flushed with anger. Like everyone else here, he was rich and influential, yet Sharon, a young woman, called him ignorant. His earlier doubts about the crown’s authenticity already showed his lack of insight, so all he could do was swallow his frustration.
There was no way around it–these days, the one with the strongest power gets to call the shots.
Marvin flashed a mocking smile before saying, “My sister is right. You all love to flaunt your prestigious family backgrounds and look down on me and my brothers. But today, with your ‘sharp eyes‘, you couldn’t even recognize the First Lady’s jewelry. Seems like your family’s heritage isn’t as deep as you’d like to think.”
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Furious, the man wanted to retort, but someone nearby pulled him back. Everything about this party felt off. They decided it was better not to make any hasty moves until they figured out what the Vance family was hiding.
At that moment, Wallace said, “If anyone has any more questions or comments, feel free to speak up.”
Everyone remained silent.
Ashley snorted, “What’s there to be so smug about? These things were provided by the Atlantis Hotel. They’re not even yours–you’re just basking in someone else’s glory.”
Sharon glanced coolly at the general manager, signaling him to handle it.
The manager immediately stepped forward. “Ms. Dolan, everything here was provided free of charge by our hotel for Ms. Vance. The paintings and antiques are our gifts to her.”
A collective gasp swept through the crowd. They were stunned by the generous and extravagant gesture from the Atlantis Hotel.
Sharon clapped her hands, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Ashley. “So, how does it feel? Embarrassed?”
Ashley turned crimson and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. ‘What a bitch. What’s she so smug about? She’s just a country bumpkin at heart,‘ she cursed inwardly.
‘This bitch, what’s she so smug about? She’s just a country bumpkin at heart,‘ she cursed inwardly.
Janelle tugged at her daughter’s arm, thinking/‘She really shouldn’t have said that. She’s embarrassing us.’
Ashley was fuming, but she didn’t dare cause a scene. She was seething with hatred for Sharon, who had completely stolen the spotlight.
Wallace smiled faintly. “Since there are no more issues, let’s get the party rolling. Richard will lead the first dance with my sister.”
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Chapter 58
The music started, and the lights dimmed.
Sharon placed her hand on Richard’s palm and walked to the center of the dance floor. She noticed Richard looking a little nervous and flashed him a sweet smile.
‘It feels great to have family around, especially at a birthday party,‘ she couldn’t help but think.
Richard was completely captivated by Sharon today, unable to look away. He thought, ‘Shari looks gorgeous and adorable in that cool black dress. She’s the brightest star in the world.
His heart raced even faster, and he knew he couldn’t keep dancing. He stopped in his tracks and said, “Wally, you take over.”
Wallace eagerly walked over, but the thought of dancing with his sister made his heart pound uncontrollably. Afraid of making a mistake and embarrassing her, he hesitated and asked his other brothers to take over.
Strangely, though, they all felt too nervous around Sharon on such an occasion, so one by one, they backed out.
Richard, unwilling to accept defeat, still wanted to give it a shot. He murmured to himself, “I can do this!” He was determined to dance with his sister.
At that moment, Edward stepped forward. “Since you can’t dance with Shari, why not let my grandson step in? They’re engaged anyway.” “Oh, what a perfect opportunity!‘ he thought happily.
“No way!” Richard and his seven brothers said in unison.
“Okay.” Sharon’s soft, melodic voice rang out.
