Chapter 485: Charity Banquet, Public Execution

Arts Center, top floor ballroom.

Lights blazing, glasses clinking.

Pretty much everyone who was anyone in Emerald City showed up tonight. When the Martinez Group and the Anderson Group Foundation team up to throw an event, who would dare not show face?

The ballroom doors opened again. Sophia walked in, arm linked with Nicholas.

She wore a dark green gown with no extra decoration, making her skin look pale and cool. The most eye-catching thing was the large, intact piece of Hetian white jade around her neck. The jade pendant rested against her collarbone, catching light with a soft glow as she moved.

The moment she entered, the noisy venue seemed to hit pause. It went quiet for half a second.

Countless eyes, some obvious, some not, shot toward her.

"Is that Sophia? Nicholas's wife?"

"Look at her... she's way more intense than in photos. Not someone to mess with."

"That jade around her neck... why does it look so familiar? Isn't that the Anderson family heirloom? Didn't they say it shattered into pieces years ago?"

"What do you know? This is about making things whole again. Mr. Martinez has plenty of money. Getting a top craftsman to piece it back together? Child's play."

"Pieced back together? Is it even worth anything then?"

"Around Mrs. Martinez's neck, even a piece of glass would be worth more than your diamond necklace."

No matter how hushed the gossip, it still reached their ears. Sophia acted like she didn't hear, keeping a standard smile on her face. She tilted her head and said to Nicholas in a voice only they could hear, "Look, they seem more concerned about this jade than we are."

Nicholas kept his eyes straight ahead. "Let them be concerned. After tonight, they'll be more worried about the rest of their lives."

Another commotion at the entrance.

Candice had arrived, with a grim-faced Stuart beside her.

Candice's eyes locked onto Sophia like radar, cutting through the crowd. When she saw the intact jade pendant around Sophia's neck, a flash of viciousness—almost too quick to catch—passed through her well-maintained eyes.

But she quickly adjusted her expression, holding her wine glass as she glided over gracefully.

"Ms. Anderson, long time no see." She smiled warmly. "That dress is beautiful. Though isn't this dark green a bit too deep? Young people should wear brighter colors."

"How thoughtful of you." Sophia smiled too, picking up a champagne glass from a server's tray. "I just thought this color would be perfect for mourning some things that are about to disappear tonight."

Candice's gaze stuck to the jade pendant. Her smile didn't change, but her words had hooks. "That jade pendant is quite unique. Looks like Ms. Anderson recently recovered some long-lost treasure. Congratulations."

"It is a treasure." Sophia raised her hand, fingertips sliding lightly over the pendant, feeling its cool touch. "My father's heirloom. One of a kind. Not like some things that get copied and replaced whenever someone feels like it."

"My father's heirloom"—those words stuck like needles, making Candice's smile freeze for a moment.

Behind her, Stuart's face went even whiter. His lips trembled like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he turned his head away, not daring to look at Sophia.

In a corner, a man in a server's uniform kept his head down, gripping his tray so hard his knuckles turned white. Graham looked at the woman who'd deceived him for twenty years, his stomach churning.

Redemption.

Starting tonight.

The dinner followed its program. The host made his announcements, keeping the atmosphere lively.

Sophia and Nicholas sat at the main table, clinking glasses with people, smiling, seamless. Only she knew her back muscles stayed tense the whole time. Candice's gaze wrapped around her like a poisonous snake, striking every so often.

"Ladies and gentlemen." The host's voice filled the room. "Next, please enjoy a promotional video specially produced by the Anderson Group Foundation for tonight's dinner. Let's all pay attention to the children in the mountain areas."

Here it comes.

Sophia's hand under the table clenched until her knuckles turned white.

The ballroom lights dimmed. Everyone's eyes turned toward the big screen up front. Music played. Images of smiling children from the mountains appeared, shot with warm sentiment.

Sophia could feel Candice's gaze from across the room turning sharp as a blade.

Just then, Stuart suddenly rushed over with his wine glass.

"Can I talk to you alone?" His voice was extremely low, shaking badly.

Sophia didn't even lift her eyelids, staring at the screen. "You think this is a good time for a chat?"

"Sophia, get out! It's not safe here!" Stuart was nearly frantic. "My mom... she arranged people! In the ventilation ducts! She won't let you succeed! Trust me, come with me!"

Sophia finally turned her head, looking at him coldly.

"Are you crazy?" she asked. "Why would I trust the son of a crazy woman?"

One sentence nailed Stuart to the spot, every trace of color draining from his face.

On the other side, Nicholas gave Sophia an almost imperceptible nod.

Signal received.

On the big screen, the warm images suddenly started distorting, flickering.

A sharp electrical noise ripped through the quiet venue.

Everyone jumped.

The screen went black.

The next second, a blood-red countdown appeared in the center of the screen.

10.

9.

8.

The whole room exploded.

"What's going on? Is this a malfunction?"

"What is this? Who's doing this?"

A man pulled out his phone to make a call. The bright "No Service" on his screen made his face turn green.

Candice's hand, holding her wine glass, froze in midair. The elegant, composed mask she'd worn for years finally started to crack. She knew that the dignity she'd maintained for decades was about to be stripped bare in front of this screen.

7.

6.

5.

Sophia stood up. The hem of her dark green dress traced a cold arc across the floor. She raised her champagne glass toward Candice's direction, her voice not loud but clear enough for her to hear:

"Candice, to the 'new world' that's coming—I toast you."

4.

3.

2.

Nicholas pressed a button under the table.

Every door in the ballroom locked simultaneously. The sound was soft, but guests near the doors noticed. Someone reached for a door handle. It didn't budge.

"The doors are locked!" someone screamed.

"Open the door! Do you know who I am? Get your manager over here!"

The black-suited security guards at the doors stood like iron towers, completely still.

Panic began to spread like a plague.

This place was Candice's execution ground. And her grave.

1.

The countdown ended.

The screen showed no image, only dead silence.

Then, a conversation mixed with electrical static came through the speakers. It was a woman's voice from twenty years ago, cold and cruel.

"...I don't care about the process. I only want results. A perfect heir. An absolutely loyal tool."