Chapter 20
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Narissa thought, ‘Orsin City, Zobrioca. Waylen Auction House.
‘If these few keywords lined up, then no matter how many ways I tried to explain I wasn’t Fox, Bastien would never believe
- me.
‘Damn it. He really pulled this move on me.
“Narissa was found in….” Hector began with a smile..
Narissa’s hand, resting loosely at her side, had already reached the shape of the knife handle.
Right at the critical moment, Amanda suddenly looped her arm through her husband’s and said warmly, “Narissa was brought back from Velmora.
“Poor girl, she’s had it tough–been away from home for so many years. When we found her, she was doing hard labor.”
Hector immediately nodded in agreement. “Exactly. When we found her, she was even skinnier than she is now. Broke our hearts, truly.”
“Velmora, huh?” Bastien finally moved his gaze away from Narissa. Judging by his reaction, this time, the suspicion truly faded.
Clearly, Narissa had already spoken with her parents beforehand, making sure they wouldn’t mention anything about finding her at the Waylen Auction House in Orsin City.
Narissa didn’t want anyone digging into her past. And back then, Hector and Amanda had shown complete understanding.
But Narissa had still made extra preparations, just in case they let something slip. Fortunately, her parents remembered everything she told them.
After that round of probing, Bastien soon furrowed his brows, turned around, and left without another word.
Watching him walk away with her own eyes, Narissa curved her lips into a small arc. She thought, “This round goes to me. A narrow win, but still a win.
‘So what if he’s the War God of Rothialand’s military district? He’s just been toyed with in the palm of an intel officer’s hand from the Military Intelligence Office.
The party carried on smoothly, and Bastien’s appearance only made the event more impressive–adding both weight and face to the Everton family’s celebration.
Once he left, the guests around began to relax again, resuming their scattered small talk and laughter.
“Hey, Narissa.” Jaylen walked over with a few of his friends, all smiling.
Each of them carried a gift box, clearly having just arrived.
Narissa gave them a casual nod–not too warm, not too cold–a silent greeting.
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Chapter 20
Jaylen grinned. “We came especially for your welcome party. Not bad, right? We meant to show up earlier, just got held You didn’t get bullied or anything, did you?”
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- up.
The so–called welcome party sounded nice on paper, but those born into high society knew how it really worked. These kinds of parties often turned into power plays, and the weaker ones usually ended up getting stepped on.
Narissa had only just returned to the Everton family. She probably wasn’t used to handling all the hidden daggers and coded
games.
That’s why Jaylen and his group had made a point to come–just to show some support and help give her a bit of presence.
Across the room, Cressida nearly bit through her lip when she saw Jaylen talking to Narissa like they were close.
Cressida thought, ‘When do they even get this close? I can’t figure it out.
‘Narissa has barely been back a few days. Yet no matter how I tried to get close to Jaylen, he’s always stayed lukewarm at best.
‘And now? Just a few days, and he’s already chatting and laughing with Narissa like they’ve known each other for years?
‘It isn’t just Jaylen either–his usually aloof friends are also being polite and friendly with her. As if that isn’t enough, they even bring gifts.
When Jaylen and his friend handed the gifts to Narissa, Cressida was burning with jealousy.
“Hey, Cressida, what’s going on?” her bestie, Miranda, asked from the side. “Since when did your sister get that close to Jaylen Presley? They seem really tight.”
Cressida clenched her fists and snapped, “How would I know?”
Egged on by his buddies, Jaylen scratched his head awkwardly. “Narissa, you mind taking a walk in the garden with me? There’s something I wanna talk to you about–just us.”
It was a simple invitation, but to everyone else watching, it felt more like a date request.
“Are they actually into each other?” Miranda muttered, visibly shocked. “Narissa’s got skills.”
Then Miranda turned to Cressida, fanning the flames with glee. “Cressida, are you really gonna let this slide? Even if she’s your sister, she just got back and she’s already trying to steal the guy you like?”
Of course Cressida didn’t want to let it go, but she couldn’t do anything.
Every time Jaylen showed up, he wouldn’t even spare her a proper look.
Cressida muttered, ‘Why is it that Narissa can make Jaylen smile at her like that?
‘We’ve nearly identical twin faces, yet the way people treat us can’t be more different. Where did it all go wrong?‘
On the other hand, Narissa didn’t say yes right away. She simply glanced over, silently asking what this was about.
Jaylen was sharp enough to catch the meaning in her eyes. He immediately responded with a subtle look of his own, signaling–it was about the race.
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Chapter 20
Narissa got it instantly. Apparently, this group of rich boys had been sneaking off to race behind their parents‘ backs.
With all the adults present tonight, no wonder they couldn’t bring it up out loud.
“Just for a bit, please!” Jaylen’s voice was sincere.
Narissa didn’t say a word. She just crossed her arms and headed toward the hotel garden.
Seeing this, Jaylen and the others grinned and quickly followed.
Watching them walk off together, Miranda kept stirring the pot. “Cressida, did you see that? You’re really gonna let her just take Jaylen from you like that?”
Cressida clenched her fists tight. ‘Of course I don’t want that, but what else can I do?
‘Every time Jaylen showed up, he didn’t even look me way. Even if I liked him, it was just wishful thinking.
‘But Narissa… how did she do it? Did she use the same tricks she used to seduce those rich men on Jaylen too? Absolutely shameless. Disgusting.
Right then, Miranda’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and immediately lit up. “Cressida, Queen replied. She said she’s already dug up some dirt on Narissa.”
“Really? Open it–hurry! Let’s see what it says.” Cressida was practically shaking with excitement.
The two huddled together, opening the email and reading the contents carefully.
Meanwhile, Jaylen and his friends had already brought Narissa into the garden.
“So? What is it?” Narissa asked.
Jaylen shrugged. “Nothing huge. Just saying, there’s an awesome street race tonight. We gotta head out soon if we’re gonna
make it.”
“Oh?” Narissa raised a brow. That wasn’t the kind of serious thing she expected.
Getting nudged forward by his boys again, Jaylen cleared his throat. “Actually… there’s a few more races coming up in the next few days. You wanna come hang with us sometime?”
Narissa didn’t answer right away, which made the guys a little nervous.
“It’s totally safe, seriously. Just for fun.”
“Yeah, our parents won’t let us do it, say it’s too dangerous. So we keep it down low.”
“You gotta promise not to tell anyone, though.”
One by one, they chimed in, not treating Narissa like an outsider at all.
“If I’ve got time, I’ll come,” Narissa said calmly.
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Chapter 20
Hearing that, the group of high–spirited boys lit up like they’d just won something big.
They chatted a little more, then said their goodbyes and headed off.
Narissa folded her arms across her chest, feeling a touch of regret. Honestly, she really did want to go see that race. It sounded a hell of a lot more fun than dealing with the guests at the party.
After a while, Narissa took a shortcut through the garden, planning to head back to the ballroom.
But just halfway there, out of nowhere, someone launched a punch straight at her.
The fist tore through the air with brutal force, aiming right for her face without hesitation.
Narissa’s eyes flashed cold. She dodged swiftly, and her instincts flared. Without thinking, her body responded to its own- her leg shot out, meeting the attacker’s strike head–on.
The impact forced both of them a step back. Then, in the shadows, Narissa saw the man clearly.
Hidden in the darkness, the figure looked like a hunter of the night, eyes sharp like a hawk’s, locked tightly onto her.
Bastien was like a predator who had finally caught the prey he’d been chasing for so long.
Narissa thought, her heart sank. ‘It’s Bastien. Damn it. I’m exposed.
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