Chapter 66
Seraphine's POV
Octavius was gone.
The remaining guests looked at each other.
To be honest, I was also surprised.
I hadn't expected Octavius to show up at my birthday party without an invitation and after three days of no contact.
He had even driven Mitchell away for me.
Otherwise, in that situation, with Mitchell being so aggressive and the guests sympathizing with his feigned devotion, I would have been forced into an awkward position.
I let out a breath and clutched the gift box in my hand.
"Please, everyone, feel free. But I hope that in the future, you won't worry about my personal relationships."
My meaning was simple and clear, and everyone began to politely smooth things over.
At the end of the birthday party, Heath arranged for a famous ballet dancer to perform.
Late at night, the guests finally dispersed.
The villa felt a bit empty after all the noise.
Once everyone else was gone, Amara and Brielle eagerly surrounded me.
Their faces were wreathed in smiles, but their eyes glinted with curiosity and unwillingness.
"Seraphine," Amara said, affectionately taking my arm, her tone exaggerated, "Mitchell really gave you a lot of face today. He bought such a large diamond ring like that, how could you..."
"Is his face that important?"
I interrupted her gently, smiling as I looked at her. "Mom, even if a lowlife like him gave me a diamond ring, it would still be nothing but a pile of trash in my eyes."
Amara's expression froze.
Heath, however, showed a gratified smile and nodded."That's right, he's just trash. Seraphine doesn't need to bother with people like him. What does the Whitaker family not have? We don't care about Mitchell's diamond ring."
"That's true. A man like Octavius is pursuing Seraphine. It's impossible for Seraphine to look at Mitchell anymore."Amara chimed in, but her words were anything but sincere.
I didn't care what she thought and was about to find an excuse to leave, but Amara wouldn't let me go.
She grabbed my arm and teased, "Tell me, what's going on with you and Octavius? You've gotten so close in such a short time. Are you two getting together?"
Brielle also stared at me intently, her voice sour. "Seraphine really has some skills. After treating Octavius like that, he can still be so attentive to you. Did you two make up in private a long time ago?"
Looking at their eager and prying faces, I found it ridiculous.
Since they were so eager to know, I might as well add more fuel to the fire.
I lowered my eyelashes, a look of embarrassment appearing on my face as I shyly turned my head away."Don't guess randomly. Octavius is just looking out for me."
Heath stood with his hands behind his back, a half-smile on his face. "Then why doesn't he look out for others, but only you?"
My face turned even redder, and lowered my head.
I neither admitted nor denied anything.
But Amara and Brielle exchanged a look, their faces already showing a mixture of jealousy and hatred.
"This is a good thing! Seraphine, you have to hold on to Octavius!"Amara immediately put on a look of concern for me.
I looked at her leisurely as she put on her act. "Is that so? Mom also approves of me being with Octavius?"
"If you two can really be together, then of course I approve." Amara's smile became even more fake.
I nodded and said deliberately, "Then I'm relieved. Actually, Octavius is still very good to me. Dad also knows he specifically gave me a medical project. I can't guarantee the future, but I do have the intention of getting closer to Octavius."
A gratified smile appeared on Heath's face, and he nodded at me."Seraphine, Octavius is a good man. If you two can get along well, I support you."
I smiled back at him, made an excuse of being tired, and turned to go upstairs.
Not long after I returned to my room, I opened the birthday gift from Octavius.
It was a diamond bracelet, exquisite and brilliant.
I vaguely remembered that I used to love this brand and had once asked Mitchell to buy me this bracelet.
But he never agreed.
Later, Octavius offered it to me, but I didn't even look at it and threw it in the trash.
He actually remembered that I liked it and still gave it to me.
I felt a strange mix of emotions.
Just then, the door was pushed open forcefully.
Brielle had returned, her face full of jealousy.
With Heath downstairs, she didn't dare to speak loudly.
"Seraphine, stop putting on an act!"
She rushed up to me, her voice low and her teeth gritted. "What kind of underhanded tricks did you use? How could Octavius still like you?"
"You were clearly defiled by that Mr. Fisher! Your body isn't clean anymore! How could a man like Octavius want someone else's used goods?"
Seeing her fuming, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
I slowly sat down at the vanity, looking at her ferocious expression in the mirror, the corners of my lips curling up."Who told you that I was with Mr. Fisher that night?"
Brielle was stunned. "What do you mean?"
I turned to face her and said, word by word, "The person with me that night was Octavius. The person who made love to me was also Octavius."
"The man you found to ruin me didn't even touch a single hair on my head."
Seeing Brielle's face turn instantly pale, I continued to strike. "And, your ten million dollars was indeed a trap I set. From Mr. Carter releasing the news to that so-called overseas account, it was all arranged by me."
"Brielle, you sold me for a million dollars, so I made you pay it back tenfold. This is just a small lesson for you, to let you know that I'm not someone you can mess with!"
I stood up and approached Brielle step by step.
She was completely stunned.
I narrowed my eyes. "I advise you to behave yourself in the future and not cause me any more trouble. Otherwise, next time it won't be as simple as losing ten million dollars."
"It was you! It really was you!"Brielle completely broke down. She pointed at me. "I'm going to tell Dad! I'm going to let him see your true colors!"
"Go ahead." I shrugged nonchalantly."Where's the proof? Do you think Dad will believe your baseless words, or me? Your mother and you have accused me twice. How many times have you succeeded?"
Brielle was speechless, her chest heaving, her eyes filled with venom.
She stared at me as if she wanted to tear me to pieces with her eyes, but it had no effect at all.
Finally, Brielle stomped her foot hard and fled the room in angry state.
The room was finally quiet.
I looked at my exquisitely made-up self in the mirror, my heart cold.
Brielle knew about this, and others should know too, so they could give up completely.
I took out my phone and found a number that was almost forgotten.
Today, Mitchell was publicly humiliated by Octavius. The news must have spread throughout the circle.
He was probably like a stray dog right now, hiding in some corner, fuming.
I pressed the dial button.
The call was answered instantly.
On the other end, Mitchell said excitedly, "Seraphine? Is that you? You're finally willing to talk to me?"
I gripped my phone, my tone indifferent. "I have something to say to you."
Mitchell laughed, his tone expectant. "Have you had a change of heart? Do you still think I'm better than Octavius? I knew you loved me!"