Chapter 1384
Further down the hall, the reclusive Montgomery family made their entrance.
Dominic Montgomery, dressed in a flawlessly tailored pale-moonlight suit, carried himself with an effortless, untouchable aristocratic grace.
Seeing him approach, the surrounding crowds naturally parted, giving him a wide berth.
“Is that the Montgomery heir p>
“Even the hidden Montgomery family showed up p>
“The Lancasters really pulled every string for this p>
Listening to the hushed whispers, Dominic’s expression remained perfectly neutral.
He was long used to being worshipped.
His gaze lazily swept across the massive ballroom.
He was looking for the star of the show.
One of his trusted lieutenants from the third branch scanned the room as well, lowering his voice. “Sir, I don’t see Miss Lancaster yet p>
Dominic smiled softly. “There’s no rush. A girl who spent her life in the dirt and suddenly gets thrown into a room like this is going to be incredibly overwhelmed p>
“When she finally makes her entrance, I’ll go introduce myself p>
He said it so casually.
As if him simply speaking to her was the greatest honor Serena could ever hope to receive.
At the exact same time.
Alaric Sinclair, head of The Global Bio-Tech Foundation, stood in a much quieter, shadowed corner of the room.
He gently ran a finger along the rim of his champagne flute. He didn’t bother networking or faking smiles with the guests. He just stared coldly at the massive floral wall displaying the name ‘Serena Lancaster p>
A smile was carved onto his face.
But his eyes were dead.
His assistant leaned in. “Boss, the security around the Lancaster estate tonight is airtight p>
Alaric didn’t blink. “The tighter the security, the more it proves how desperately they value her p>
The assistant glanced nervously around the room. “But I just saw the Elyndorian team and the Marington professors—even Mr. Harrison-publicly going to war for her. If we make a move tonight p>
“Patience,” Alaric murmured smoothly. “The higher the pedestal, the bigger the target p>
“We aren’t the only ones here tonight pretending to celebrate p>
“There are plenty of wolves in this room waiting to see if the Lancaster heiress is actually worth all this hype p>
His gaze darkened into something lethal.
“And more importantly, they want to see if she has the power to survive blocking certain people’s ambitions p>
“If she falls from a throne this high… she’ll shatter completely p>
Even before the gala officially commenced, the main hall was already a venomous pit of calculating agendas.
But upstairs, inside a private VIP suite on the second floor, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Serena sat elegantly on a single sofa by the window, her eyes locked on her phone
screen.
Displayed on the glass was the latest encrypted tracking intel on Project Zero- Transit, sent directly from Nicholas.
Her slender finger lazily swiped across the screen, her cold eyes betraying absolutely zero emotion.
She just sat there, the picture of lethal calm.
Alfred knocked gently on the door. After she gave a soft hum of permission, he pushed it open, his face breaking into a massive, wrinkled smile Miss your parents are ready. It’s almost time for your grand entrance p>
Serena locked her phone and started to stand.
Bang-
The heavy doors were shoved open as three towering figures practically fought to squeeze through the frame.
Alfred nearly jumped out of his skin, half-expecting a squad of assassins.
When he realized it was just the three young masters, he silently took a step back.
Whatever.
He was used to this chaos by now.
Right on cue.
“Serena “Jasper charged in first,
completely abandoning his
bounty hunter persona” ethanet
M’
Jerrick violently grabbed the back of his collar, his face deadpan. “Step back p>
Julian walked in slowly, his voice a warm, refined melody. “Serena, it’s a massive crowd tonight. I’ll take you down p>
All three of them spoke at the exact same time.
And then p>
Their eyes landed on Serena, and the entire room plunged into absolute silence.
She was wearing a breathtaking, custom-designed masterpiece.
The base of the gown was a midnight black, the skirts cascading like liquid shadow. Under the soft lights, intricate, hidden embroidery, Shimmered brilliantly, making her look as if she were wrapped in a shattered galaxy.