Chapter 14
I was discharged from the hospital the day before the SKP Jewelry Design Awards ceremony.
Nathaniel hadn’t contacted me in all these days, and I hadn’t bothered to ask about him either.
My entire focus was on this event.
If there was one last wish left unfulfilled, this was it.
I had to win the grand prize.
It had been Catherine’s dream. I would make it come true for her.
Early that morning, I had the caregiver help me into my gown and hired a stylist to do my makeup.
I placed Catherine’s photo in a specially made locket and pressed it close to my heart. “Mom, we’re going to accept an award today.”
The ceremony proceeded from tenth place up to the winner.
Clutching Catherine’s picture, I sat quietly in the audience, waiting–until finally, the champion was announced.
“This year’s SKP Grand Prize goes to… Miss Montgomery!”
My mind went blank. For several seconds, all sound faded into white noise before rushing back.
“Emily wasn’t the championship supposed to be yours?”
Even if you didn’t wi
“Even if you didn’t win, how could you not even place? Something’s wrong!”
Friends and acquaintances voiced their outrage on my behalf.
But I already knew the answer.
My gaze swept across the venue past Richard and Victoria, past Benjamin, who had just declared he was cutting ties with the Sinclair family.
Of course. He was back on their side.
The result didn’t surprise me, but the bitterness lingered. After all, Benjamin was the child Catherine had carried for ten months, the son she had raised.
Then my eyes landed on Nathaniel.
He was staring at Isabella onstage, his expression unbearably tender.
He had intervened
again
It felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
Blood dripped, but the pain was numb.
As if sensing my stare, Nathaniel turned.
Our eyes met. He didn’t speak, but the message was clear:
I looked away before my defeat could become any more humiliating.
“Let’s go.” I signaled the bodyguard and caregiver.
On the massive screen, Isabella’s winning piece was displayed–a mediocre, uninspired design.
A piece that had been eliminated in the preliminary rounds was now shamelessly paraded as the champion’s work
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“This won? What a joke!” The crowd’s indignation was palpable. “Rigged! This has to be rigged!”
A group of black–suited attendants brushed past me.
“The Hawthorne family of Cresthaven congratulates Miss Montgomery on her SKP victory!”
“The Blackwood family of Cresthaven congratulates Miss Montgomery!”
“The Cavendish family of Riverside City congratulates Miss Montgomery!”
One after another, the most powerful families in the country stepped forward to endorse her.
Who would dare cry foul now? Who would challenge this farce?
This was the might of Mr. Hawthorne, backing Isabella without question.
The same voices that had demanded an investigation moments ago now broke into applause, showering her with praise.
Nathaniel’s gaze found me again.
Dizziness washed over me.
Then the emcee’s voice rang out, saccharine and triumphant, “Miss Montgomery, Mr. Hawthorne has promised to remove all obstacles in your path. Tomorrow.. he will come for you himself.”
Across the sea of people, I locked eyes with Nathaniel one last time.
Remove all obstacles?
Did that include me too?
Hah.
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