Liana was aware of the gossiping. Nonetheless, she lifted her chin like a graceful swan without any hint of anger.
The ladies could talk as much as they wanted. At the end of the day, they would look up to her as she started her amazing new life!
âJasper, look!â Landon widened his eyeswhen he saw the trending topics on Twitter. He hurriedly showed his phone to Jasper.
The top trending hashtag,#engagement, was an eyesore to Jasper.
âIâm shell-shocked.â Stunned, Landonhissed in Jasperâs ear, âI thought you said youâd break up with Liana? Why did your stepmo m announce your engagement instead? Youâre even on trending topics!
âUncle Javier isnât against the engagement, it seems. Whatâs going on? Are you still with her or not?â
Jasper felt his ears buzzing. His body and fingers stiffened. Like a pulled bow, he was close to a breakdown.
All of a sudden, the screen that was filled with falling pink petals switched to total darkness.
âHuh? Whatâs wrong?â
âIs there a power cut? Or is the screenbroken?â
Amid the confusion, the screen lit up again, this time with a photo of a young girl. The girl was petite and all bones. Her hair was messy, and her outfit was ragged. Her face was stained with tears and snot. One couldnât help but feel sorry for her.
âOh my god! Whose kid is that? Poor littlething!â
âIs Ms. Gardner raising funds for charityat her party? Iâll make a donationâIâm into doing charity!â
Liana and Sophia realized that something had gone wrong when they sensed the commotion in the audience. They spun around to look at the screen.
âW-Whatâs that?â Sophia was startled.
âWhoâs that dirty-looking kid? Whywould that photo show up at my birthday party? Did the backstage staff play the wrong photo? Liana gaped at the girl in the photo in confusion.
Rosaline was the only one to turn pale. She shot up from her seat and pointed at the screen, howling, âWhatâs going on? Turn it off! Turn off the screen!â
The people around Rosaline turned to her, shocked by her outburst. Even Javier Beckett and Andrew Gardner were puzzled by her unwarranted reaction to the screen display.
âWhy turn it off?â a hoarse male voicerang out from the audience. Liana looked in the direction of the voice and almost screamed when she saw Curtisâ wicked face.
Lianaâs dress was drenched in sweat. She couldnât help but tremble from head to toe. Her expression froze up, unable to express any emotion.
Curtis took a few steps forward into a brightly lit spot in a thuggish manner. The hooligan immediately attracted all the attention.
âA family must be complete. Youâreenjoying the high life here, dolled up and eating good, all while this poor child was starving and beaten up in a Mosgravian orphanage. Liana Gardner, donât you ever feel bad for your daughter?â