Chapter 103

Isabella had spent weeks meticulously preparing for this event. Her custom couture gown had been flown in from Paris three weeks prior.

Though five months along, the empire waistline of her tulle skirt perfectly disguised her pregnancy bump.

She looked passably attractive.

Evelyn arched an eyebrow. "If you can show up uninvited, so can I."

With that, she strode past without hesitation.

"Wait! We're not finished here!" Isabella scrambled after her.

The marble floor was slick from recent polishing. In her precarious stilettos, Isabella's foot slid violently forward.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips.

As she pitched toward the ground, maternal instinct kicked in. Just before impact, firm hands caught her shoulders, pulling her against a solid chest.

Isabella trembled. "Th-thank you," she stammered between ragged breaths.

"Careful now," came the deep reply.

At the sound of that voice, Isabella's face drained of color. She shoved away from her rescuer with surprising strength.

Without explanation, she smoothed her dress and practically ran from the foyer.

The mysterious man disappeared into the ballroom without another word.

Evelyn watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

Isabella had reacted to that gray-suited stranger with unmistakable fear. Normally, she'd never retreat from any confrontation, no matter how humiliating.

So why this sudden change?

Evelyn checked her watch. Time to slip away and change into her evening gown.

Inside the grand ballroom, a string quartet played Vivaldi beneath crystal chandeliers. Golden light danced across champagne flutes and diamond jewelry.

Guests murmured about quarterly earnings and mergers while pretending to enjoy the canapés.

Nathan ascended the podium. A single glance silenced the musicians.

The crowd stilled, sensing the evening's main event was about to begin.

Margaret stood near the front, hands clasped behind her back, watching her grandson with quiet pride. She'd deliberately stepped back from public life years ago to let Nathan take center stage.

Though she'd lost her son and daughter-in-law too soon, their remarkable children had more than honored their memory.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Nathan raised his glass, "thank you for celebrating my grandmother's seventieth birthday tonight."

The guests mirrored his toast with practiced smiles.

"There's someone special I'd like you all to meet." Nathan extended his hand toward the grand staircase.

All heads turned as he announced, "My sister, Evelyn Kingsley."

Spotlights illuminated the stunning figure descending the stairs. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Evelyn's lips curved in a subtle smile. She gathered her skirts with effortless grace.

Her stylist had swept her raven locks into an intricate updo, leaving delicate tendrils framing her sculpted cheekbones.

The smoky eye makeup accentuated her feline gaze, lending an air of sophisticated mystery.

Her couture gown shimmered like liquid silver under the lights, hand-embroidered with thousands of micro-crystals from bodice to hem.

The emerald parure around her neck and wrists was rumored to have once belonged to Russian royalty.

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Beyond her breathtaking beauty, the sheer opulence of her ensemble rivaled small nations' GDPs.

All eyes inevitably drifted to Harrison Whitmore.

The granddaughter of the world's wealthiest man had been his secretary - and wife - before he'd callously discarded her. Did he regret it now?

Evelyn reached the microphone. Her gaze instantly found Harrison in the crowd.

He raised his glass in silent salute, making her cheeks flush that pretty rose gold.

Nathan observed their wordless exchange, his expression darkening.

He'd never imagined his former secretary was Leonard Kingsley's granddaughter.

Three years of marriage, and she'd never once revealed she was billionaire royalty.

The woman was a masterful deceiver.

White-hot anger surged through him as he recalled her intimate smile with Harrison. His knuckles whitened around his champagne flute.

Had she left him for Harrison? How long had this been going on?

Meanwhile, Isabella was barely containing her rage.

Watching Evelyn bask in the spotlight brought back every humiliating memory of her own past arrogance.

The bitter hatred churned in her stomach until she feared she might actually scream.