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.

the Perez family fell, and

daughter-in-law was something the Ellingtons could

you have

wooden box. When opened, a prism of colors

It was a gemstone scarcely

purchase; wealth alone

sighting had been five years ago when a mysterious collector briefly brought it into the

none other

family was indeed in a league of its own, gifting such a treasure without a second thought,

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

delivering the Rainbow Opal to Natalia and Yasmine. "Do the

"This is a special gift chosen just

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

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

precious gem. He had thought Percival was a hero worthy of respect, but apparently, he was just another man

took the opal and, to Dracon's horror, began tossing it as one might

you doing, Percival?"

said, "The Rainbow Opal can't be shattered; it can only be cut with special tools. What's to

Ellington's casual

the supposedly unbreakable opal shattered upon the pebbled path, leaving nothing but fragments. The guests were

supposed to be

starting with Maddox