The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 80

The video played on a merciless loop, the image of Aria's humiliation burning itself into the collective memory of New York's elite. The silence in the ballroom finally broke, replaced by a tidal wave of shocked whispers, cruel snickers, and the cold, clicking sound of a hundred phones recording the spectacle.

Aria stood frozen on the stage, her mind completely shattered. The perfect narrative she had built, the triumphant comeback she had envisioned, had just been annihilated in the most public and brutal way imaginable.

"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "No, that's not… that's not real…"

But it was. And everyone knew it.

The carefully constructed mask of the tragic heroine cracked, and the raw, unhinged creature beneath was exposed. A wild, animalistic scream ripped from her throat. It was a sound of pure, undiluted horror and rage.

She began to babble nonsense, pointing a shaking finger at the screen, then at Evelyn's table. "She did this! It's her! The witch!"

Two burly security guards moved onto the stage, their faces grim. They took her by the arms, and she began to fight, kicking and screaming like a cornered animal as they dragged her, pathetic and broken, from the spotlight.

Her story was over.

But Evelyn's counter-attack was not.

As the frantic organizers tried to restore order, a distinguished-looking man in a sharp suit walked onto the stage. He was a world-renowned gemologist from Sotheby's, a man whose word was bond. He had been quietly authorized by Evelyn an hour earlier.

He walked to the podium and gently picked up the sapphire necklace Aria had left behind.

He dropped the microphone, and the resulting thud echoed through the stunned silence.

Later, in the quiet interior of their car, the chaos of the evening faded away. The city lights blurred past the window, a silent, glittering stream.

Kaelen broke the comfortable silence. "You did it," he said, his voice a low murmur. He wasn't looking at the city; he was looking at her.

Evelyn watched the lights pass, her reflection a faint ghost in the glass. It was true. But for the first time, the victory felt like more than just revenge. It felt like peace.

She turned from the window to meet his gaze.