SWNOVELS Chapter 133
Lucas bent slightly, dazed, and under everyone’s expectant gaze, said one sentence. “Mr. Lewis, I think I just saw a goddess”
Zachary’s face darkened, his lips tightening into a straight line. What kind of occasion is this? How could Lucas, a representative of the Chambers family, speak such nonsense? A goddess? What on earth?
Lucas, seeing Zachary’s expression, suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing what he had just said. Glancing at the perplexed faces around him, Lucas blushed slightly and quickly added. “Mr. Lewis, Miss Zeller is almost here-she’s at the second gate now
Zachary nodded, his expression easing. Now that Yvette was arriving, it meant nothing had gone wrong, and his mind finally settled. “As long as Yvette’s here, that’s fine. What nonsense were you talking just now?”
Lucas didn’t explain his earlier words but looked like he had more to say. “Mr. Lewis, you’ll understand in a minute. I really can’t describe it.”
Zachary was completely baffled, but he didn’t think Lucas had lost his mind-he’d been perfectly fine just ten minutes ag
sago.
As they spoke, Nellie, helping Richard, along with Robert, Yulia, Winona, Zeke, and Victor, all gathered around Zachary. They had overheard what Lucas said and were just as confused.
Nellie had only caught that Yvette had reached the second gate, and she knew right away that Tony must have messed something up. That incompetent fool-useless as always! He couldn’t even handle such a small task. But it’s fine. I’ll take over from here, and I’ll succeed for sure.”
The next second, some people started noticing that everyone around them had suddenly frozen, all staring toward the garden entrance. Confused, they followed suit, and soon they, too, were left in shock, their eyes filled with awe and disbelief. It really does seem like we’re seeing the “goddess” Lucas was talking about
The night was as cool as water, with moonlight spilling across the ground. The trees and flowers, shadowy and indistinct, were like they’d been draped in a veil of mist. Roses danced in the air, chasing one another in the breeze, their branches. swaying, casting shifting shadows that twirled in the wind.
In the midst of this play of light and shadow, a woman slowly approached, walking under the moonlight. Her eyes sparkled with a crystalline clarity, her slightly curled lashes resembling a wisp of fog drifting from the mountains. There was a hint of coldness in her gaze, commanding both respect and fear. Her white fringed gown swayed gently in the breeze, and with every step she took, the dress seemed to change with the light, emitting a rainbow of colors-brilliant, like the stars. The thousands of roses in the garden had now become mere ornaments to her presence.
As she drew closer, everyone realized her white fringed dress was adorned with hand-sewn diamonds. Those with at discerning eye immediately recognized that they were real diamonds. There must be at least a hundred diamonds on that dress, right? And the price? Astronomicalf
The woman furrowed her brows slightly, like a stone dropped into still waters, rippling with a touch of impatience. Just then, Zachary’s voice, calling “Yvette, snapped everyone’s thoughts back to reality.
“Yvette?” The people present stared at the girl in disbelief, their faces transforming as if waking from a dream Yvette! Yvette? So this is the rumored country girl, rough and uncouth, the supposedly plain and rustic Ms. Zeller from the Chambers family? Who started that rumor! If this is what they call ugly, then what are we? And they call that rustic? Might as well let a lightning bolt strike us! The crowd that had surrounded Winona earlier fell silent.
Winona stood there like a statue, her face drained of color, her expression ashen. The dark, twisted look in her eyes sent a chill down anyone who saw it. Her pale lips trembled slightly, and her left hand was clenched so tightly that her nails dug painfully into her palm. Winona lowered her head, saying nothing. She had already noticed the crowd’s enraptured and mesmerized gazes directed at Yvette-even Victor had been momentarily stunned. She knew she couldn’t compete with Yvette in terms of beauty, so when Nellie’s plan was revealed to her, she had felt a secret thrill. Now, can someone please explain to me why Yvette’s face is still perfectly fine?
Nellie, always keeping an eye on Winona, knew that at this moment, she couldn’t allow Winona to falter in any way. When no one was paying attention, she walked up to Winona, pulling her aside and, with a stern expression, whispered coldly. “Winona, you better pull yourself together. Don’t make a fool of yourself. Tonight is your moment. You may have lost in the looks department, but if you don’t put up a light now, you’ll lose everything. As long as you’re accepted by Mr. Griffin as his student later, you’ll still be the center of attention. Stop sulking here. I’ve already dealt with Yvette’s situation-you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll make sure she pays later.”
Winona kept her head down, silent, no longer trusting Nellie. In the end, I can only rely on myself. After a long pause, she finally looked up and said, “I understand, Mom. Don’t worry
Seeing that Winona had calmed down. Nellie relaxed and returned to Zachary’s side.
The crowd was buzzing, and the chatter grew louder.
Zachary saw this and stepped forward to speak to Yvette in a soft, gentle tone, his elegant face full of affection, completely ignoring the stares of those around him. “Come on, Yvette let’s go sit over there with Dad. The banquet will start soon. Have you eaten anything yet? Are you hungry? Don’t skip meals to maintain your figure-your health is the most important thing for a young girl.”
Zachary’s attitude said it all. The people present were all businessmen-they could read between the lines. The rumors. outside couldn’t be further from the truth. Zachary hasn’t shown this much affection even toward Winona, who’s about to become Mrs Griffin’s student. Yet, with his newly found daughter, he’s completely doting and attentive. Doesn’t that tell us everything we need to know? If they still didn’t get it, they might as well be blind.
Standing behind Zachary, Winona felt utterly crushed by his affection for Yvette. What does Yvette have that I don’t? In such a short time. Dad only has eyes for her. On a night as important as this, does he really have to make me look this bad? The hatred inside Winona was growing uncontrollably, twisting her expression even further.
But now, no one was paying attention to Winona anymore-the focus was all on Yvette. Compared to Yvette, Winona’s earlier moment of glamour seemed insignificant
“Did you notice something?” A girl who had been hanging around Winona earlier stared at Yvette, her breathing becoming slightly labored, her voice filled with surprise and disbelief.
The crowd turned to look at her, puzzled, even Zachary and Richard glanced her way. Someone asked, “What did you notice
The girl first nodded in certainty, then shook her head as if in disbelief, her eyes conflicted. After a few moments, as the crowd’s patience was running thin, she finally spoke again, Ive seen that white gown Ms. Zeller is wearing before.”