She... absolutely refused to swallow this insult!
She stayed in the dressing room for a long while, brutally forcing her emotions back under control.
Only then did she step out, preparing to return to the banquet hall.
As she walked down the grand corridor...
She passed the designated gift display area.
Under the soft, ambient lighting sat an array of priceless gifts presented by the elite guests of the United Realmon States.
And sitting right in the center, on the most prominent display stand, was an exquisite velvet box.
The box was left half-open, revealing the massive Heart of the Sea inside. Under the lights, it radiated a deep, hypnotic glow.
The sapphire was as profound as the ocean, cut to absolute perfection.
It was a national treasure of The Royal House of Vaelion. Its worth... was incalculable!
And it was a symbol of Serena's absolute glory.
Remembering how she had so eagerly greeted Princess Isadora, only to be iced out like garbage.
While Serena was treated with such fervent reverence by that very same princess. Isabella locked her eyes onto The Heart of the Sea, and a dark, twisted idea began to aggressively take root in her mind...
Such a priceless national treasure...
What if The Heart of the Sea simply vanished under everyone's noses?
What if... it was suddenly found on those trashy street thugs Serena brought with her?
Then... Serena would be guilty of harboring thieves. She might even be suspected as an accomplice!
It wouldn't just drag the Vinton family's name through the mud.
It would deeply offend The Royal House of Vaelion!
When that happened, Serena would be utterly and completely destroyed!
Once the thought ignited, it raged out of control.
Isabella's eyes darted around sharply before looking up at the security cameras lining the corridor.
Her eyes gleamed with malice.
She pretended nothing was wrong, walking casually until she was safely out of the cameras' blind spots.
She pulled out her phone and immediately fired off a text to Augus.
Augus was notoriously obsessed with Anna Vinton, and thanks to Serena, Anna had been locked behind bars.
Not to mention, Serena had severed one of Augus's hands.
Augus hated Serena with every fiber of his being.
He was the absolute perfect pawn for this.
Augus ran the underground circuits of the United Realmon States and had eyes everywhere.
Getting him to help was the smartest move she could make.
Sure enough.
The moment she laid out her demands.
Augus agreed without a second's hesitation. "Give me ten minutes."
Ten minutes later.
Isabella stared at the dead security cameras, her lips curving into a chilling, sadistic smirk.
Since Serena and her pack of animals wanted to humiliate her so badly.
She would use those very friends to drag Serena straight into hell!
She sneered and walked briskly over to the display.
She glanced left and right.
The coast was clear.
Moving with terrifying speed, she
used the motion of adjusting heret
skip to
priceless
Heart art of
snatch the the Sea into her palm.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she slipped back into the dressing room.
Earlier, Serena and her crew had been getting ready in here.
Hazel Carring, the redhead, had left a
pathetically cheap-looking
crossbody bag resting on the
counter content
Isabella shoved The Heart of the Sea right into it.
As her fingers dug in, she brushed against something hard and cold.
She was just about to pull Hazel's bag fully open to see what the hell was inside.
But the exact second her fingers twitched.
She heard the voices of several socialites chatting outside the door.
They were probably coming in for a touch-up.
Isabella's heart violently lurched. She ed Hazel's bag shut
instantly
For daring to look any
closer
But in that split-second glance...
She swore she saw the dark, menacing barrel...
Of a gun?