The Million-Dollar Heart

Diana's pout could have tugged the heartstrings of the stone statues in the garden. "I'm fine," she insisted, but even her echo did not believe her.

Dracon followed Diana's gaze and naturally landed on Vivienne.

"She's been stealing your thunder again, hasn't she? Don't worry, I'll get your back. No one messes with you on my watch," Dracon said with a steely edge to his voice.

Before long, all the guests had arrived.

Yuri exchanged pleasantries with Natalia and Yasmine before moving on to the gift-giving part of the evening.

Isolde Ellington, on behalf of the Ellington family, presented two antique lockets. To the trained eye, these were not ordinary trinkets. They were antiques, auctioned for a hefty sum over a decade ago, once belonging to twin princesses from an age long past.

The crowd murmured their appreciation; the Ellingtons never did anything by halves.

Vivienne waited her turn, and once most had presented their gifts, she stepped forward. "Happy birthday, Natalia, Yasmine."

Upon opening the gift box, the sight of two exquisite jade bracelets lit up the girls' eyes.

Indeed, no matter the age, jewelry had a certain irresistible allure for women.

"Thank you, Vivienne," the girls chimed in unison, their eyes sparkling with joy.

Vivienne ruffled their hair affectionately. Paired with the shoes Karen had given earlier, these bracelets would keep Natalia and Yasmine in good health for years to come.

The crowd was duly impressed. Such bracelets were not items one simply stumbled upon in a store.

Then, a snicker cut through the chatter. "I was curious what Ms. Hawthorn would bring. Just a pair of bracelets? How uninspired. I heard Jasper once gave you the Heart of Hope set, and as Master Jessica, plucking a bracelet from your inventory is no hassle. I thought you only played games with women, but it seems you don't spare the children either."

All eyes turned to Dracon, the only one who could deliver such a biting remark.

faces of the Perez family fell, and the Ellingtons were not pleased

of their daughter-in-law was something the

Percival, stepped forward. "I wonder what you have brought that might enlighten me, the

his gift: an ancient wooden box.

lay a rare multicolored opal - Rainbow Opal! It was a gemstone scarcely seen in a hundred years, invaluable

wealth alone

sighting had been five years ago when a mysterious collector briefly brought it into the light before it vanished from public

none other than

was indeed in a league of its own, gifting such a treasure without a second thought, and two stones at once,

from expressing her awe. "Show off," she muttered under her breath, "My son will have his own someday." Percival

and Yasmine. "Do the young princesses like my gift?" Natalia and Yasmine, though charmed by the opal, could not warm up to it, not after Dracon's earlier

to smooth things over. "This is a special gift chosen just for you two by Uncle

in Diana's favor. "Diana mentioned you liked sparkly

may I take a closer look at your Rainbow Opal?" Percival

a look of disdain, Dracon watched Percival hug Vivienne like a precious gem. He had thought Percival was a hero worthy of respect, but apparently, he was just another man orbiting around

the opal and, to Dracon's horror, began tossing it

doing, Percival?"

as she said, "The Rainbow Opal can't be shattered; it can only be

isn't Mr. Ellington's casual

without a word. To the shock of everyone, the supposedly unbreakable opal shattered upon the pebbled path, leaving nothing but fragments.

supposed to be

the tension, starting with