Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 124

"You dropped that 'honey' awfully smoothly. How many times did you practice that in secret?"

Amused by his pitiful expression, Emma arched an eyebrow and playfully poked him in the chest.

Carter's breath hitched. Caught red-handed and thoroughly flustered by her teasing touch, he instantly released her.

"I'm going to get my medicine applied."

He practically fled the room. Emma's lips curled into a victorious smirk. Carter looked so cold and untouchable, yet all it took was a little push to make him blush.

How fascinating.

Sitting on the edge of the bed while Jeff carefully applied his ointment, Carter mentally kicked himself.

Why on earth did he run away? Shouldn't he have just kissed her?

Tsk... she probably would have hit him.

Carter was still lost in his spiraling thoughts by the time Julian arrived.

They soon reached the Harrington estate. The butler was waiting eagerly at the door, and the Lockwood family had already settled in inside.

The moment Gillian saw Emma, she clung tightly to Violet's arm and acted incredibly sweet. "I am just so lucky to have two moms who love me so much."

Violet's heart melted, and Pamela looked visibly moved.

Helena, however, didn't look thrilled. She immediately stood up and walked right over to Emma. "Emma, you look like you've lost weight again. Taking care of Carter must have been exhausting, right? Come sit down. I'll have the kitchen whip up some tonics to help you recover."

Emma smiled politely. "Thank you, Helena. This is my brother, Julian."

"Mrs. Harrington, I'm here representing my parents today. They send their deepest regrets for not being able to attend."

After his introduction, Julian turned to Emma and added,

"Em, didn't you have some gifts for Edward and Helena?"

Julian commanded the room with effortless poise. Emma nodded and picked up the two elegant gift bags she had brought in.

"Edward, this champagne—"

"A friend of mine acquired this at a private auction overseas a few years ago. Knowing your passion for collecting, I bought it off him specifically for you."

While Gillian still wore a sneer of contempt, Edward's eyes were practically bulging out of his head.

"Is this... The 1907 Shipwrecked Heidsieck?"

Edward was entirely floored. There were only two thousand bottles of this vintage in existence, and at its peak, a single bottle had auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But the money wasn't even the main issue; it was completely impossible to find. The original bottles were securely locked away in private cellars around the globe, and they only ever surfaced at the most exclusive, underground auctions.

"Emma, this is incredibly thoughtful."

Edward's joy was palpable. Emma smiled gracefully. "I'm just glad you like it."

Then, she pulled out a second box—an impeccably crafted, luxurious leather jewelry case.

As Emma clicked it open, the faces of several women in the room instantly dropped.

"Wait, isn't that The Imperial Emerald Jewelry Set that just sold for over fifty million dollars a few days ago?"