Matilda's Pov 

Before I could get another word out, the stranger, this impossibly well-put-together man who had just called me his “wife to be”, slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. His touch was confident, warm, and utterly disarming. I felt his breath against my ear as he leaned in and whispered something only meant for me.

Aria’s mouth hung open. Eunice’s face twitched like she’d been slapped with a raw fish.

All I could register for a moment was the scent of him, his cologne, woodsy and clean, with a hint of something smoky underneath. Masculine and expensive. It curled into my senses, grounding me, momentarily pulling me from the chaos unfolding.

He finally spoke aloud, with perfect poise. “I’m Damon,” he said smoothly, eyes fixed on mine like they already knew me. “The man your mother wanted you to meet."

Damon.

So this was the mystery man.

I turned my head slightly, enough to study him again, truly this time. I took in the angular cut of his jaw, the way the blue in his eyes somehow looked silver under the ballroom lights. My mother hadn’t lied. Not even a little. Handsome didn’t begin to cover it.

And just like that, the smug silence around us shattered.

“Damon!” Eunice’s voice rang out like an alarm. “What are you doing? That is your cousin’s ex-wife. She is a low-life slut!”

I blinked.

Gabriel’s cousin?

That part hit like a punch to the stomach. Of all the men in the room, of all the twisted coincidences, it had to be someone related to him. My gut churned. But before I could fully react, I noticed something else. Eunice’s eyes had drifted down, and she was now staring at my neck like a starving hawk eyeing a mouse.

Her gaze fixed on my diamonds. I saw it then, the moment realization hit her. The way her smirk faltered, how her pupils narrowed.

She had just understood that my necklace was real.

In a sudden, violent motion, she reached out and yanked the necklace from around my neck.

The sharp sting made me gasp.

The diamonds hit the floor with a scatter of soft clinks, like broken glass. And then came Eunice’s triumphant screech, “This girl must have stolen this jewel from someone here. Please call security!”

Humiliation burned through me as Eunice’s actions drew the attention of the entire room. My instincts screamed to retaliate, to lunge at her and wipe that smug expression off her face, but before I could move, Damon’s hand caught mine. His grip was firm but grounding as he leaned in and said, “Don't stoop to her level. You have a family name to protect.”

His words, calm and composed, cut through the heat of my rage. I hated how right he was. Everyone was watching. Their gazes weren’t just curious, they were judging, hungry for scandal.

Security arrived swiftly, their presence adding fuel to the already smoldering scene. “What’s going on here?” one of them demanded, his tone brisk, professional.

Eunice wasted no time unleashing a tirade of lies, her voice shrill and theatrical. And then, as if summoned by the chaos, Gabriel appeared, calm, smug, amused. He walked over with a leisurely stride, stopping beside Aria, both of them openly smiling. It was clear they thought I was about to be dragged out in shame.

One of the guards turned to me, stern and suspicious. “Ma’am, is this your jewelry? Tell us the truth.”

“Yes,” I replied steadily. “It belonged to my mother.”

I hadn’t even finished the sentence before Eunice exploded again.

“That is a lie!” she shrieked. “She is as poor as a church rat." And last I checked, her mother was just as poor. Probably still is!”

I clenched my jaw so hard it ached.

Damon, bless him, burst into laughter. Not polite amusement. No, it was a deep, rich laugh that made heads turn. He found her ignorance not just ridiculous, but laughable.

And then, as if the universe decided that wasn’t enough drama, a familiar, commanding presence joined the fray.

Gaius Richmond III.

Owner of the Richmond Estate. Billionaire. Old-money royalty. A man with enough influence to get anyone escorted out of the ballroom, or the country.

He waddled into the circle with his signature cane and that glossy bald patch he pretended didn’t exist. “What is the reason for this kerfuffle?” he asked, his voice deep and sharp with authority.

Eunice opened her mouth to spin her tale, but Gaius’s eyes landed on me. Recognition lit up his face. He stepped forward, brushed past Damon and the safety, took my hand gently in his, and kissed it.

“You look just like your mother, Ms. Geal.”

The entire ballroom seemed to inhale.

My mouth parted in surprise. “Thank you, sir. It has been a while. You look well.”

Gaius’s lips curved into a smile. “Not as well as you.”

He held my gaze with unmistakable warmth. I was still absorbing the moment, the sudden shift in the room’s energy, when Gabriel shoved his way closer.

“What?” he snapped. “This woman more than likely stole a diamond necklace, and you’re exchanging pleasantries with her?”

Gaius turned to him slowly, almost lazily, and raised an unimpressed brow. “Stop saying something so ridiculous.”

Gabriel blinked.

Gaius continued, his tone frosted with disdain. “Ms. Geal can afford to buy a million of that diamond necklace. She’s a billionaire heiress, for crying out loud.”

For a second, no one spoke. The silence cracked like glass.

I watched the color drain from Gabriel’s face. Aria froze like a statue. Eunice opened her mouth, then closed it again, probably because her brain couldn’t process what she was hearing.

Me? I didn’t move. I let it sink in, let the weight of their shock ripple through the ballroom like thunder after lightning. I had waited long enough for this moment.

And I wasn’t going to waste it.