Chapter 4 Aren't You Planning To Present Your Gift, Elliana

Dominic stepped closer, his stare sharp enough to cut.

"Who told you you could barge in here and stir up trouble? Leave right now, or you can kiss Azure Villa and that thirty million goodbye," said Dominic, his voice cold.

Renee tightened her grip on his arm as she added her own performance, her tone dipped in false sympathy. "Ms. Reed, I understand you're angry, but this isn't the kind of place you belong in. If your feelings for Dominic were real, you wouldn't show up and ruin a night this important to him. Since everything between you two has ended, the dignified thing would be to step aside."

Elliana knew exactly who she was looking at. Renee had always been the fantasy Dominic clung to. A faint, cold smile formed at Elliana's lips.

This wasn't the moment to deliver the blow they deserved, but that moment would come.

"Step aside," said Elliana, her tone flat.

Her indifference hit Dominic like a slap.

His eyes drifted to the graceful cut of her dress as she moved past him. He suddenly grabbed her wrist, his words dropping to a harsh whisper. "Elliana, stop this. Are you really so desperate for my attention? You schemed your way in here just to see Caduceus, didn't you? You can't take Renee's success, so you're trying to copy her. All you'll do is embarrass yourself."

Elliana could hardly believe the nonsense spilling out of him.

His ego always knew no bounds.

With a swift turn, she tore her wrist from his grasp, her expression carved with cold restraint.

The suddenness of her movement caused Dominic to falter.

"Mr. Stanley, we're already divorced. You're wrapped up in your so-called perfect love, yet you're grabbing me and creating a spectacle. So tell me, who is truly embarrassing themselves tonight?" said Elliana.

Her voice rang out crisp and firm, like beads scattering onto polished floors, and every nearby guest turned toward the unfolding scene.

Among the elite, nothing was valued more than maintaining a spotless family image.

Leaving the woman who supported him and parading around with someone new was already shameful. Doing it so openly made it worse.

As judgmental eyes fell on them from every direction, Dominic's and Renee's expressions darkened with shame.

Elliana, however, had already turned away. She walked with quiet grace, her posture calm, untouched by the role of a discarded wife.

Her unruffled elegance only deepened the shadow on Dominic's face.

Still, he couldn't shake the unsettling thought that something about her had changed.

A sharply dressed man in his middle years strode onto the main platform, catching the attention of everyone in the hall.

Trevor Saunders, the one running Vista Club, had arrived.

His eyes swept across the gathering, pausing on Elliana just for a moment, then he raised his voice so all could hear. "Welcome, distinguished guests. Your arrival graces Vista Cay tonight. Thanks to the healer Caduceus, I have the privilege of leading the gift ceremony. If you have something to present, please step forward now!"

Excitement replaced the bitterness in Renee's expression as she tugged Dominic along behind her.

So what if Elliana had just humiliated her?

With this rare chance in hand, she knew she would become the talk of the night, the envy of every guest.

Surely, nobody would bother glancing Elliana's way after this.

The parade of gifts had already begun.

A guest unveiled a flawless white jade figurine, its price easily running into the millions, and awed whispers swept through the hall.

More people followed, each unveiling gifts that seemed more dazzling and precious than the last.

Nerves began to show on Dominic, but Renee only grew more self-assured as she stepped to the front.

"This is a gift from the Stanley Group," said Renee as she lifted the lid on a polished wooden box, revealing a delicate jade hairpin with intricate designs.

The audience exchanged skeptical looks and a few even scoffed quietly.

A gift valued at less than a million felt out of place among such grandeur.

Still, Renee's satisfaction deepened.

"You might look down on it, but Caduceus isn't like the rest of you. For someone like her, a present should have meaning, not just a high price tag."

Certain that her inside knowledge set her apart, she believed her feminine gift would win Caduceus's favor.

She could already taste the win.

Elliana watched from her seat, a look of pure disdain flickering in her eyes.

Renee's tactics were certainly unexpected.

What a shame it would all be wasted.

As Elliana started to rise, Renee's taunting voice rang out from the stage.

"Elliana, aren't you planning to present your gift? Why not show everyone what you've brought now?"