“Is everyone that scared of you?”
Lucille didn’t think so. To her, her cousin was gentle and thoughtful, nothing like the demon the rumors made him out to be.
“I don’t know. Am I really that scary?”
Robert had a puzzled look on his face.
Lucille smiled.
“Enough about me. You still haven’t done your hair or changed. Go on, hurry.”
Robert shooed her away.
She went to the dressing room to change into her gown, sat back down at the vanity to do her hair, and then picked up the ruby necklace from the vanity.
It was dazzling, but the vintage design and deliberately aged gold chain contained all its brilliance, making it look regal, dignified, and understated.
A massive ruby served as the centerpiece, with the entire necklace strung with smaller, gold–set rubies that surrounded it like stars around the moon–the very definition of luxury.
Lucille just thought it was breathtakingly beautiful and knew it must be incredibly expensive, but she couldn’t even begin to guess the price.
When she walked up to Robert, he was stunned.
One reason, of course, was that she was beautiful, but the more important reason was that Lucille was walking steadily, with no sign of a limp.
“Robert, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Lucille had actually asked Helen to custom–make a pair of shoes for her; one was taller than the
other.
She was over 170cm tall, and thanks to her dance training, she had a slender and upright posture, so she never looked short even without heels. Therefore, one shoe was flat while the other had a slight lift, perfectly compensating for her uneven gait.
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Seeing the surprise in Robert’s eyes, Lucille lifted her hem slightly to reveal her mismatched
shoes.
She was thinking that her brother needed her tonight, and she couldn’t embarrass him. She had to appear normal.
But Robert didn’t seem that happy.
So, had she done something wrong?
In the end, Robert said nothing. He just offered his arm and smiled gently. “Let’s go, my little princess.”
Lucille’s anxiety finally faded, and she took his arm.
Waiting for them outside the villa was a car that wasn’t particularly luxurious–a brand and model that a typical middle–class family could afford. But Lucille didn’t think anything was strange; she didn’t even notice the car’s make as she followed Robert inside.
Robert was also wearing a design from Helen’s studio today–his usual black suit, but with a pomegranate–red shirt to match her red wedding dress.
A chauffeur drove them, with bodyguard cars in front and behind, as they headed toward the hotel where the banquet was being held.
They arrived quite early, being the hosts, so there were hardly any people in the banquet hall yet.
Edwin personally welcomed Robert and Lucille inside. Since it was still early, he showed them to a private VIP lounge to rest and have some coffee.
Gradually, the noise outside grew louder. It was time for them to make an appearance.
“Let’s go.”
Robert offered her his arm.
“Okay.”
Lucille took it. She had expected to be nervous. After all, in her five years of marriage to Cedrick, she had never once attended a banquet like this. She knew almost no one, neither Seaston’s socialites nor Cedrick’s business clients.
But as she actually walked out on Robert’s arm, she found she wasn’t afraid at all.
Just as she’d thought, there was no one she knew in the banquet hall, which meant no one knew
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her. And no one recognized the evening’s true host by her side.
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Although she looked beautiful and her cousin beside her was dashing, perhaps because they seemed so young, the seasoned socialites barely gave them a passing glance. They likely dismissed them as some family’s unimportant juniors before turning back to their own circles After all, at an event like this, networking was the top priority.

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