?Chapter 123:


    Confused by Ellie’s remark, Litzy hastily replied, “Certainly, it’s a top-grade sapphire.”


    Litzy knew Ellie’s taste for the finer things. If the brooch weren’t valuable, Ellie wouldn’t have bothered with it.


    Ellie couldn’t help butugh at the im.


    Approaching Araceli Stephens, one of the spectators, Ellie asked, “Could you please examine this brooch, Mrs. Stephens?”


    Araceli was taken aback but dly epted the brooch, examining it closely.


    Seeing Ellie engage with the influentialdies, Litzy felt her daughter being overshadowed. “Ellie, everyone knows Mrs. Stephens is from a medical background. Don’t spout nonsense.”


    Ellie ignored Litzy and smiled at Araceli. “Mrs. Stephens, while your husband is indeed in medicine, isn’t your maternal family renowned in the jewelry industry?”


    Araceli’s smile broadened, and she nodded in affirmation to Ellie. “You’re well-informed, indeed. No wonder you were once the talk of the town!”


    Araceli’s response was a subtle rebuke to Litzy’s ignorance.


    Due to the Stephens family’s higher status, Litzy refrained from offending Araceli.


    “Mrs. Gordon, I’m afraid the brooch you im as a gift isn’t what you say it is.” Araceli handed the brooch back to Ellie, adding, “This sapphire’s color is too dark, almost ck in some light. It’s certainly not of the highest quality you im.”


    Severaldies nearby couldn’t help butugh at the unfolding scene.


    It was clear to any observant person that Litzy and her recently returned biological daughter were conspiring against Ellie, the adopted one.


    Unfortunately for them, Ellie was too sharp, turning their scheme against them.


    “This can’t be!” Litzy stood frozen, her face a picture of disbelief. Demi’splexion fluctuated between fury and pallor as she grappled with the humiliation. “Ellie!”


    At that moment, amanding voice cut through the tension, deep and chilling. Kaiden appeared, seated in his wheelchair, with Bruce pushing him from behind.


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    His indifferent eyes scanned the room, first resting on Ellie, then moving to Litzy and Demi. His gaze grew colder with each passing second.


    “What’s going on here?” His tone was calm, but the underlying note of interrogation and reproach was unmistakable.


    Demi attempted to speak, but the words caught in her throat.


    Litzy managed a forced smile. “Mr. Thorpe, what a surprise to see you here. We were just clearing up a small misunderstanding with Ellie.”


    Litzy had only encountered Kaiden once before, from afar, at Ellie’s wedding. But the image of him in his wheelchair had left asting impression—his presence was asmanding as if he sat on a throne. Now, up close, Litzy couldn’t deny his striking features. A thought crossed her mind. If only Kaiden hadn’t been confined to a wheelchair and abandoned by his family, what a match he would have been for her daughter Demi!


    “Misunderstanding?” Kaiden’s smile wasced with irony, and his aura was overwhelming. “It doesn’t appear so to me.”


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