Chapter 72 Emelia’s Pov“Old Master RedField.” Kaidon greeted. Julius blinked, then a warm, genuine smile spread across his aged face, “Kaidon…!” He said with a voice that betrayed his surprise and delight, “You actually came.”There was a lightness in his tone now, like he was greeting an old comrade from a battlefield.“I didn’t expect you to grace this old man’s party.” Julius added, stepping forward and clasping Kaidon’s shoulder with surprising strength.Kaidon smirked slightly, bowing his head with respect, “How could I not?” He replied smoothly, then turned his head just enough to let his piercing gaze settle on me, “I was not planning to since I had something to do but I came for her. The child asked me to come, how could I refuse her?” I glared at Kaidon. What the heck was he saying?! The way he said it was misleading! And like I thought, people shared glances between the both of us. “They know each other?” “They sound close.”I glared at Kaidon again and the man just sh
Chapter 71 Emelia’s Pov “Noo!!” Amelia screamed, her voice echoing in the hall, “You can't do this! It's supposed to be Nora!” The hall fell into stunned silence. Amelia’s voice had ripped through the music and murmurs like a dagger through silk.All heads turned. Guests froze mid-sip, mid-bite, mid-breath.I stared at her, wide-eyed, but not because of what she said. No, I was staring because of the way she looked at me, as if I were some plague upon her house. As if the mere sight of me set her blood on fire.Why?Why did she hate me so much? I had never done anything to her. I’d never once spoken out against her until I came back to the past. Yet every time our eyes met, there was venom in hers. It puzzled me but I kept my expression carefully blank. I felt my grandfather’s grip tighten around my arm. The soft creak of his cane echoed as he took a step forward, his towering presence crackling with cold fury.“Amelia.” He said, his voice a low, menacing rumble, “I warned Edward f
Chapter 70 Emelia's Pov “This…” He said reverently, “Is the Nightshade Jewel. It’s been passed down for generations through our family’s women, mothers to daughters, grandmothers to granddaughters. It belonged to your mother, and now it’s yours.”My breath caught.“I… I can’t…”“You will.” His voice left no room for protest. He stepped forward and gently fastened the necklace around my neck himself, his fingers trembling slightly from age.“It was made for you.” He whispered, “All this time, it was just waiting for the right moment and the right girl.”I reached up and touched the jewel with trembling hands, heart pounding as I looked up at him, “You don’t know what this means to me.” I said, my voice breaking.Of course he didn't. In my past life, he had given me this as a birthday gift, but Nora had broken it out of anger. She was punished by grandfather and was asked never to step into the ancestral home again but as a result, she became even more coddled by the RedFields. This i
Chapter 69 Emelia’s Pov “Thank you Miss Emelia, thank you so much. I'll never forget what you did for me today, I promise. I'll repay you in the future, no matter what happens.” She beamed at me and in her eyes, I saw the pain that she had been feeling slowly fading away. I didn't know if I made the right decision in helping her enroll for the academy but now, I was grateful I did. Her smile was beautiful. “Actually… Miss Emelia, can I take a picture of you? Just to remember this day. It's going to be the best day of my life.” I laughed at her cuteness, “Of course. I wanted a picture with this dress anyway.” I said and posed. Ariana giggled as she fumbled with her small, slightly cracked phone. It wasn’t one of those fancy models with filters and lenses, but it did the job. She stepped back, squinting slightly as she tried to get the perfect angle.“Okay… smile, Miss Emelia!”I posed with a gentle tilt of my head and a soft smile, letting the light catch just right on the dress. T
Chapter 68 Emelia’s Pov Jeremy stiffened and then looked away, not saying anything. I frowned, not liking the fact that he wasn't responding to me. “No matter what you do now, I'm not going to forgive you. So you better don't try.” I was speaking to both Liam and Jeremy and they knew as Liam gasped softly but then nodded his head. I could tell he understood and that he wasn't going to stop but that was his business. “I'm going to change. I'll be out before Grandfather is introduced.” I said to both of them and left for the dressing room. I could feel eyes on my back, especially the ones that were trying to drill a hole into my head. When I got to the dressing room, there was a female servant standing next to the door with a huge box. I walked towards her and opened the box, gasping slightly from how beautiful it was. From the beginning, I was not planning on wearing the dress that Liam gave to me. If Nora hadn't changed the dress, or if I had not noticed that someone had tou
Chapter 67 Emelia’s Pov Jeremy’s voice snapped through the air like a whip, sharp and clear. Nora instinctively turned to him, her trembling fingers still clutching his sleeve. But this time, he didn’t let her cling to him.With a sudden, firm shove, Jeremy knocked her hand away from his arm like her touch had burned him. She stumbled slightly, staring at him in disbelief.“I saw you too.” Jeremy said coldly, his eyes boring into her, “I saw the way you snuck around the estate. The way you handled that dress like it was garbage. I wasn’t going to say anything if you had just stayed quiet. If you hadn’t tried to frame Emelia, I might’ve let it slide. But you just had to open your mouth and throw her under the bus, didn’t you?”The color drained from Nora’s face. Her lips parted like she wanted to defend herself, but no words came out.What was happening?I looked between the two boys, trying to wrap my head around the surreal turn of events. In my past life, no matter how hard I trie
Chapter 66 Emelia’s Pov “What if I bought her a fake to embarrass her in public just because I don't like her, like I had always tried to do to her? Nora, why do you always jump to conclusions just because you want to frame Emelia, isn't that too much for you?” Liam took a step closer to Nora with every word he spoke, while she took a step back, confused. Nora blinked rapidly, clearly not expecting Liam to say that, “I… No. That's not what I meant! I just… I just thought…” Her voice shook, the forced innocence cracking under pressure.Liam’s gaze sharpened, “You thought, what, exactly? That I’d be too stupid to remember the dress I purchased with my own card? Or maybe you thought I wouldn’t notice the sudden rumors you started spreading the moment Emelia walked into the room?”Silence blanketed the space. The girls who had accused me only moments ago were suddenly wide-eyed and stiff, whispering nervously amongst themselves. Nora's face lost color, but she still clutched Jeremy’s a
Chapter 65 Emelia’s Pov “She is wearing a gift that my older brother personally handed over to her, so there's no way it can be fake. Unless…” Nora trailed off, then gasped, “Unless she sold the real piece and intentionally bought this fake one because she needed money. Emelia, how could you?!” She yelled, getting the attention of everyone in the hall. The corner of my lips twitched as I stared at Nora. So this was actually her plan in the first place? Wow, how the heck was I going to get out of this one now? I had checked the CCTV cameras in the room, but somehow, they had been blocked. It was as if she had figured out where it was. So it was all blank from when the dress was probably changed. I couldn't bring out blank footage as proof, right? They would accuse me of trying to frame her with it. “Wow. Emelia, are you that desperate to get some pocket money?” “I feel pity for your older brother. He bought her a dress just for her to sell it off like it's nothing. If I was him, I
Chapter 64 Emelia’s Pov By the time evening rolled around, the estate buzzed with activity. The driveway was lined with luxury cars, and the household staff scurried about like ants, making sure everything was perfect.I stood before my mirror, slipping on the altered red dress. It still looked stunning, at least to the untrained eye. But I knew the difference. The original had a silk sheen and hand-stitched embroidery; this one was stiff, synthetic, and far too tight across the waist. The zipper had snagged twice.Still, I wore it. Outside, I heard the engines start. I took a final glance at my reflection, gathered the ends of my dress, and made my way down the stairs.Amelia, Nora, and Edward entered the first black car. Amelia was all smiles, giddy in a pearl-blue gown that cost more than most people’s rent. Nora didn’t even spare me a glance as she slid into the seat beside her. Jeremy and Damien entered the second vehicle, both wearing matching charcoal suits and silent expres