?Chapter 236:


    Leaning in, he murmured something almost inaudible into the lead security guard’s ear.


    The lead security guard’s face betrayed a subtle shift—an almost imperceptible sh of surprise flickered in his eyes before he masked it with a calm, professional expression.


    With deliberate respect, the lead security guard returned the invitation to Christina using both hands. “Verificationplete. Please keep your invitation safe.”


    The lead security guard was surprised to learn Christina had been personally invited by Elliott himself. Yet, she had arrived in an unassuming ck sedan—remarkably understated. Thankfully, the Cloudcrest Heights security personnel were rigorously trained to look beyond appearances. Otherwise, they might have unknowingly offended a VIP.


    “Thank you,” Christina said softly, her lips curling in a quiet, knowing smile as she reimed her invitation.


    The Dawsons and Mitchells stood frozen, struggling to grasp the unexpected turn of events.


    Katie was the first to protest loudly. “No way! That invitation can’t be real! There must have been something wrong with the verification!”


    Joselyn, equally incredulous but hesitant to confront the guards, suggested meekly, “Could the system have malfunctioned? Maybe it’s worth double-checking?”


    “Look at the shabby car she’s driving! How on earth could she be on the guest list? This has to be an error!” Finnegan roared.


    She chimed in, “Please, run the check once more—there has to be some glitch. Her invitation can’t possibly be real!”


    Brendon stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbstruck, as if time itself had frozen around him. A harsh tightness gripped his throat, choking him with a dry, ufortable pressure that refused to ease. Christina actually possessed a genuine invitation—an authentic one.


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    For a fleeting moment, Brendon entertained the thought that the verification process might have erred. But then, memories struck him like a blow: Elliott had spoken up for Christina once before.


    Back then, Brendon had chalked it up to spite. He thought Elliott was only defending Christina to get under his skin. It never urred to him that Elliott might actually like her. But now it seemed Elliott might have genuinely been into her.


    Brendon’s gaze drifted to Christina, who sat calmly, a faint, confident smile on her lips that only made his confusion worse. What was it about her? What kind of pull did she have to attract someone like Elliott, the Hubbard family’s head?


    “This has to be a joke!” Katie burst out, stepping toward the lead security guard. “Check that invitation again. There’s no way it’s real. If she gets in and causes a scene, none of you will be able to fix it!”


    Her fury zed so fiercely that she didn’t notice until a sudden, oppressive silence fell, heavy with thebined weight of their disapproving stares. A cold shiver crept down her spine, sharp and unyielding.


    “Do you presume to judge the validity of an invitation better than us?” The lead security guard’s voice cut through the tension like ice, his piercing re sweeping over Katie and her crew like a chilling winter gust,den with unquestioned authority.


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