Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 75

< Chapter 51: The Birthday Gala–2

Chapter 51: The Birthday Gala–2

Jasper’s face had gone very still.

He took the box back from Eleanor with both hands and a stiff bow of his head.

“I owe you an apology,” he said. “I was clearly misinformed about the piece. I’ll have something appropriate delivered to you personally tomorrow.”

Eleanor’s expression had cooled several degrees.

“Please don’t trouble yourself,” she said, with the kind of politeness that closed doors.

She turned away.

The surrounding guests resumed their conversations, but the volume was lower now, and several people were looking at Jasper’s group with the particular attention reserved for people who had just done something embarrassing in public.

“Did you hear that? A synthetic stone at Eleanor Everett’s birthday.”

“I wouldn’t have made that mistake.”

“Honestly, who vets these things?”

Rosalind heard them.

She only five years old, and she understood exactly one thing: people were laughing at her

father.

Her face went red.

“You’re all mean!” she screamed. “You’re all bullies!”

Clar

She yanked her hand free from Victoria’s grip and launched herself forward – directly into the server carrying Phineas’s gift box.

The server had no warning. The box left his hands and dropped straight down onto the marble floor.

The sound was sharp and final.

The necklace and earring settings cracked on impact. The stones scattered. The bracelet rolled to a stop against a table leg, intact but alone.

The room went absolutely silent.

<Chapter 51. The Birthday Gala–2

Sienna stepped forward on instinct, dropping to one knee beside Rosalind.

“Hey, hey-”

Rosalind shoved her hand away.

“Leave me alone!”

Claim

Jasper grabbed Rosalind by the shoulders and pulled her back, his voice low and strained.

“Rosalind. Stop. Right now.”

“They were being mean to you!”

“I said stop.” He straightened and looked at the room, at Eleanor, at the scattered stones on the floor. Cold sweat prickled at the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry. She’s young, she doesn’t understand-”

“Clearly,” Phineas said.

His voice was not loud. It didn’t need to be.

“A child doesn’t understand because the adults around her haven’t taught her to.”

Sienna dug her fingernails into her palm and said nothing.

*Not now. This is not the moment. Do not give him an opening.*

Victoria was already moving toward Eleanor, her voice low and urgent.

“I am so sorry. We will replace everything. The full value, whatever it takes, I give you my word-”

“That old woman is horrible!” Rosalind shouted, pointing at Eleanor. The finger swung to Phineas. “And you’re the worst of all!”

The silence that followed was of a different quality than the one before.

It was the silence of people who could not believe what they were witnessing.

Victoria went rigid.

Sienna stared at the floor.

Jasper had gone the color of chalk.

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