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,

ridicule of their daughter-in-law was something

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

scoffed and presented his gift: an ancient wooden box. When opened, a prism of

Opal! It was a gemstone scarcely seen

mere purchase; wealth alone could not

when a mysterious collector briefly brought it into the light before it vanished from

none other than

such a treasure without a second thought, and two stones at

disdain for Dracon kept her from expressing her awe. "Show off," she muttered under her breath, "My son will have his

and Yasmine. "Do the young princesses like my gift?" Natalia and Yasmine, though charmed by the opal,

Diana knelt to smooth things over. "This is a special gift chosen just for you two by Uncle Dracon. Say thank

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

may I take a closer look at your Rainbow

thought Percival was a hero worthy of respect, but

the opal and, to Dracon's horror,

are you doing, Percival?"

Opal can't be shattered; it can only be

"I'm not afraid, but isn't Mr. Ellington's casual treatment

shock of everyone, the supposedly unbreakable opal shattered upon the pebbled

supposed to be

tension, starting with Maddox and soon