This Time, I'll Be the Villain's Favorite Daughter novel Chapter 359

Chapter 359 Crowns and Comparisons

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Finished

Why were they dead? And more importantly, was the family they were visiting tonight actually legitimate?

“Alright, alright. Put them on and let me see.”

A few minutes later, Maya and Iris stood before the full–length mirror.

Layer upon layer of lace, intricate satin bows, skirts that billowed out like clouds caught in a petticoat cage.

Standing side by side, they looked like they’d been popped from the same limited–edition collector’s box, matching in their absurdity, identical in their unwillingness to be there.

Somalie covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents as she admired her work. “So cute.” Her voice brimmed with genuine delight. “At least two of us look adorable tonight.”

Maya’s shoulders slumped as she examined herself in the mirror.

Iris tugged at her hem and muttered, “The princess has a lot of demands.”

She’d learned her lesson. Never again would she accept a mission like this.

Maya, however, found herself oddly sympathetic. Growing up with Toby had given her a certain tolerance for difficult personalities.

“Well, she is an heiress,” Maya said. “She’s entitled to be a little demanding.”

“Alright, both of you, go get my jewelry box. Now.” Somalie had already shifted into command mode, her voice running in a constant stream of half–articulated instructions as she waved them toward her vanity.

Maya paused. “Why aren’t you dressing up?”

Compared to the two of them, Somalie looked almost understated, with a simple fitted dress, hair loose, and minimal accessories.

But that kind of face, sculpted by genetics and good fortune, needed nothing to make it shine. The understatement only made her look more expensive.

Somalie wrinkled her nose. “Because I don’t like the Clarks.” The disgust in her voice was entirely genuine. “They’re probably all insane.”

Maya felt personally attacked.

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13:04 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 359 Crowns and Comparisons

“What makes you say that?”

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“I’ve met the founder of Silent Archive. A very mysterious guy, that one.” Somalie picked up a hand mirror and examined herself with casual disinterest. “You probably don’t know anything about that world, do you? It’s an assassin organization. Everyone there looks like they collect secrets in jars.”

Iris’s brow furrowed. Her lips parted, just slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

“She’s got no right to talk about our boss like that.”

She lowered her voice, clearly offended.

Maya raised an eyebrow. “You’re pretty loyal to him.”

“When I was at my lowest, he gave me a meal, a chance at survival.” Iris said it with utter seriousness, her voice carrying a reverence that bordered on devotional.

She would defend the world’s greatest boss until her last breath.

Somalie carefully placed a jeweled crown atop each girl’s head.

She stepped back, tilted her head, and clapped once in satisfaction. “Beautiful. They’re yours.”

Iris reached up and touched the cool metal resting against her hair, then shot Maya a quick, questioning glance.

How much does something like this even cost?

And she’d just handed them over like party favors.

Maya, meanwhile, was running her thumb along the edge of her own crown, turning it slowly. “Thank you.”

She’d never been able to resist these little circlets, not since she was small enough to believe they meant something. “My brother gave me something like this once.”

Somalie made a dismissive little sound in her throat. “Mine’s way more expensive.” In her opinion, there was an entire economic ecosystem separating her personal collection from whatever gift Maya’s brother had bought.

Maya felt a tiny competitive spark light somewhere behind her ribs. She blinked, slow and deliberate. “Mine’s not exactly cheap either.”

“Oh really?” Somalie pointed at the crown on Maya’s head. “The center diamond on this one is flawless. Top color grade. Exceptional cut. Platinum setting with pink diamonds. It was the centerpiece of an auction.”

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13:04 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 359 Crowns and Comparisons

89

Finished

Maya flipped her own tiara over, examined the underside. She’d been forced through a stretch of jewelry appraisal classes years ago, a period so mind–numbing she’d spent most of it questioning the point of existence.

But the knowledge had stuck, whether she’d wanted it to or not. “The center stone on mine came from an old Golconda source. The accent stones were among the last pink diamonds released before the Amara mine closed. Cartier’s heritage workshop crafted it, and the serial number is engraved inside the setting.

“Mine’s not for sale. Not for sale beats auction centerpieces.”

“That’s true, I guess… But I also have a Chaumet tiara,” Somalie shot back immediately. “Invisible setting. Hand–finished enamel base. Took eight months to make.”

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