Chapter 12 Engagement Banquet
Selena's POV
Saturday, the day of the engagement party.
When Anna knocked on my door, I was standing in front of the mirror, thinking about my makeup for tonight.
"Miss, the rush-order jewelry you commissioned from 'Astraea' studio has arrived."
My mom happened to be walking over with a plate of fruit. Hearing this, her eyes lit up instantly. "So fast? Bring it in, let me see! I want to see just how talented this mysterious designer really is!"
Anna placed a velvet box on my vanity.
The moment the box opened, my mom gasped.
It was a complete jewelry set with a theme of stars and vines.
The necklace was woven from countless tiny diamonds in the shape of the Milky Way, with a pigeon-egg-sized cornflower blue sapphire hanging at the center, surrounded by leaves carved from top-grade emeralds, as if the brightest star in the night sky was gently wrapped in vines.
The matching earrings and bracelet were exquisitely designed and brilliantly sparkling, with every detail absolutely perfect.
"Oh my god..." My mom carefully picked up the necklace, her eyes full of amazement.
"This... this design... this cut... Selena, this Astraea is a genius! This is even more beautiful than that 'Ocean's Tears' set I bought at Christie's last time!"
As a talented designer myself, I'd heard such praise countless times, but hearing my mother's heartfelt admiration still made me smile slightly.
Dad and Uncle Jonathan were also drawn over, marveling at the jewelry set.
"This sapphire has such high clarity, you can barely see any impurities. And this emerald, it's Colombian Muzo green, right? The kind of treasure money can't buy!" Uncle Jonathan, an amateur connoisseur, looked at it with shining eyes.
"Excellent, my daughter has great taste!"
Dad looked proud. "Wear this tonight, and who would dare gossip? Let those people who haven't seen anything show them what real jewelry looks like!"
"Alright, Dad."
I smiled and patted his shoulder. "I need to go change, or we'll be late."
For tonight, I chose a Valentino haute couture black velvet gown.
The dress design was extremely simple, without any unnecessary decoration, yet it perfectly outlined my curves.
The deep V neckline showed just the right amount of my delicate collarbone, and also left the perfect display space for that "Stars and Vines" necklace.
I put my hair up in a sleek bun and applied makeup that was refined yet aggressive.
Winged black eyeliner, vintage red lipstick.
The person in the mirror had a fierce look in her eyes.
I put on the jewelry set belonging to "Astraea" and took out the gift box I'd prepared long ago from the safe.
What the Kateson family owed me, tonight I would collect with interest.
When I came downstairs, my parents and Uncle Jonathan had already changed into their formal wear and were waiting in the living room.
Seeing me, they all froze.
"My daughter..." Mom's eyes were a bit red. "So beautiful."
Dad cleared his throat, trying to maintain his dignity as head of the family. "Yes, very good. A Hart family daughter should look exactly like this."
The engagement party was held at a newly opened five-star hotel in the city center. The ballroom was decorated lavishly, with champagne towers and flowers everywhere, giving off an air of trying too hard.
The moment I walked into the ballroom, all eyes instantly focused on me.
The noisy music and conversations hit pause.
"Who is that? My god, the jewelry she's wearing... is it a new Astraea piece? I've never seen it in any magazine!"
"Look at her dress, it's Valentino's closing piece from this year's fall-winter collection, right? I heard there's only one in the world, not even for sale!"
"Which family is she from? She has such presence..."
I ignored the whispers, scanned the crowd, and quickly locked onto tonight's main characters.
Taisia was holding Myrdal's arm, standing in the center of the ballroom.
She wore a white princess dress covered in crystals, with a string of huge pearls around her neck, wearing a triumphant smile like a queen finally being crowned.
And Myrdal, dressed in a white suit, was absentmindedly dealing with guests coming to congratulate them.
Then he saw me.
The smile on his lips froze instantly, and he even forgot to raise his champagne glass.
"Darling, what are you doing..."
Before Taisia, holding Myrdal's arm, could finish her sweet-voiced question, Myrdal had already walked toward me.
"Selena..."
He stood in front of me, the infatuation in his eyes almost drowning me. "You... you came, you're so beautiful..."
I didn't even bother giving him a glance, just coolly looked at Taisia behind him, whose face had already turned dark.
"Myrdal!" Taisia, in her high heels, rushed over and pulled him behind her, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.
She looked me up and down, her gaze finally settling on the necklace at my throat.
The emotion in her eyes was one I'd seen countless times before—jealousy.
But the next second, she took a deep breath and put on a fake surprised expression.
"Oh my, isn't this Selena? I really didn't expect you to come... I don't remember sending you an invitation, did I?"
Her voice was just loud enough for everyone around to hear clearly.
The crowd instantly quieted down, everyone watching us with the look of people enjoying a show.
I looked at her, almost laughing out loud.
Did she think this would embarrass me? Implying I was an uninvited guest, a crazy woman trying to steal back her ex-boyfriend?
How ridiculous.
Her little tricks were like a three-year-old's pretend play in my eyes—childish and boring.
"Oh? Really? Taisia, your memory is still so poor. Do I need to remind you that the designer of that dress you're wearing was blacklisted by the entire fashion industry last year for plagiarism?"
My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.
Taisia's face changed color instantly.
The surrounding crowd let out muffled laughter, their looks at Taisia becoming more amused.
"You... you're talking nonsense!"
Just then, two familiar figures pushed through the crowd and came before us.
It was the Kateson couple, my adoptive parents.
When they saw me, their expressions looked like they'd seen something dirty.
"Selena! What are you doing here?"
Mrs. Kateson shrieked, pulling Taisia behind her as if I was about to pounce and bite someone.
"The Kateson family has nothing to do with you anymore! Isn't it embarrassing enough? Coming to Taisia's engagement party to cause trouble!"
Mr. Kateson also frowned, looking at me with extreme disappointment.
"Selena, I thought after leaving the Kateson family, you would at least learn some self-respect. I didn't expect you to still be so... cheap."
"Cheap? The greatest designer of the century is called cheap?"
Just then, there was a commotion at the entrance. My gaze shifted from them to the ballroom doorway.