?Chapter 452:


    What none of them realized, however, was that Christina hadn’t exaggerated in the slightest. Her contribution, priced at a mere eighteen hundred, was indeed a pittance in the eyes of the elite. And yet, with just the right ir, she could transform what seemed ordinary into something breathtaking—something none of them could replicate.


    Lorraine, unwilling to let this go, assumed others shared her indignation. She decided to confront the matter head-on. “Christina, how could you say that? Are you suggesting that our gifts—costing millions or more—don’t measure up to that item you brought, which isn’t even worth eighteen hundred dors?”


    As Lorraine stepped forward, murmurs resumed among the displeased guests.


    The displeased guests murmured among themselves.


    “Honestly, even if Kurt really does favor Christina’s present, she shouldn’t dismiss all the effort we put into choosing the costly gifts.”


    “My own offering might not be the priciest here, but it’s still worth over ten million. Compared to that, her gift seems insignificant. Frankly, I can’t help feeling a little slighted.”


    “She just lucked out. Kurt has probably had his fill of extravagant presents. This time, something simple just happened to catch his eye.”


    “Maybe it’s not about the novelty. For all we know, she’s connected to Dn, and Kurt is just being careful not to cross her. That’s how things work in these circles.”


    “Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind? You can’t go around makingments about Kurt and Dn. You’re looking for trouble if you do that!”


    Although Kurt didn’t catch the guests’ quiet grumbling, the looks on their faces gave away their dissatisfaction.


    Christina, however, heard plenty. Her sharp senses caught bits of the whisperedints—almost all of them directed at her. Plenty of guests assumed she was using her connections to prevent Kurt from getting angry, and her gift was embarrassingly cheap for such an event.


    Rather than let their opinions bother her, Christina allowed a faint smile to tug at her lips. As she nced at her watch, she realized her n was nearly ready to set in motion.


    Robin, having picked up on the undercurrent of discontent, frowned in irritation. His own family had noints, and the gift had delighted his grandfather. Why couldn’t everyone just let it go?


    Get thetest gα?ησν???s


    Across the room, Dn stood apart from the crowd, his gaze icy but strangely soft whenever it settled on Christina.


    Robin’s jaw clenched as if preparing to defend Christina, and Dn’s lips parted at almost the same moment. But before either could speak, a strange burst of static cut through the air.


    Attention in the banquet hall snapped to the big screen. Instead of cheerful messages, the disy was now just flickering with static and ring out a sharp, grating noise.


    Celine exchanged a nce with her husband and then quickly waved over an attendant. “Can you get someone to fix the screen?”


    All around the room, guests leaned in closer, their attention glued to the darkened disy.


    “What’s happening? Did the screen break?”


    “No idea. Could it be hacked?”


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