?Chapter 366:


    Elena did not remove the ring but elegantly lifted her hand.


    Moving in for a better look, the individual spotted Helena’s unmistakable mark carved onto the ring’s side. “This is the genuine Azure Heart!”


    This deration left the crowd in utter disbelief. It was the legendary Azure Heart. Elena casually wore a gem worth a billion in public.


    “Shouldn’t such a treasure be secured in a vault?”


    “I wouldn’t dare buy a fake one this big!”


    “Sylvia just imed Miss Harper was unting counterfeit jewels and offered her those insignificant diamonds. How absurd. Miss Harper wouldn’t spare those a second nce.”


    Mockery surrounded Sylvia, her expression darkening with embarrassment. Jealousy gnawed at her as she bit her lip, vowing silently that the Azure Heart would one day be hers.


    Darren caught the ripple of whispers and immediately recognized Elena’s arrival. Without hesitation, he made his way to her side. Sylvia had already retreated upstairs, her pride wounded from the earlier mockery.


    Seizing the moment, Darren approached Elena with eager anticipation.


    “Elena, you’re here. I thought you wouldn’te.”


    Elena couldn’t help but find it darkly amusing. Sylvia and Darren truly were cut from the same cloth. Their first words upon seeing her had been identical, as if reading from the same desperate script.


    “The Reed family was quite insistent on my attendance,” Elena replied coolly. “How could I possibly decline such a generous invitation?”


    Darren seemed oblivious to the edge in Elena’s voice, continuing to close the distance between them with unwarranted familiarity. “Elena, let me exin.”


    Elena was speechless. What could Darren possibly think needed exining?


    He offered her a gentle, practiced smile. “The one I truly love has always been you. It’s just that Sylvia is pregnant, and I was forced into this marriage. But my heart—it has always belonged only to you.”


    Elena felt disgust coil in her stomach like a serpent.


    Undeterred by her silence, Darren persisted in his performance of deep affection. “My grandfather ces immense importance on the child Sylvia carries, forcing me to marry her. But you must believe me—the person I love will always be you. That will never change, not ever!”


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    Elena could no longer contain her sarcasm. “Forced into marriage? Did your grandfather also force you to sleep with Sylvia? Is that how she ended up pregnant?”


    Though Sylvia was far from decent, it didn’t change the fundamental truth that Darren was nothing but a contemptible scoundrel. He had indulged himself in momentary pleasure with Sylvia and made her conceive his child, only to now im he had been coerced into responsibility. Did someone hold a gun to his head that night? Had someone forced his hand when he took Sylvia to bed?


    The truth was painfully obvious—Darren was simply a man who couldn’t control his desires and refused to shoulder the responsibility of his actions. He was just a coward draped in the thin veneer of respectability.


    Elena’s contempt for Darren only deepened with each passing moment. Darren’s expression faltered, his carefully constructed facade threatening to crumble. He


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