Evelyn's distaste for Lilah only grew, convinced that Lilah's earlier hesitation was a ploy to lure the crowd there.

It must have been Gerard's doing, securing the diamond room for Lilah.

What right did she have to flaunt it?

In Evelyn's view, Lilah was all show and no substance, the kind of person she could barely stomach.

Soon enough, Evelyn was on her phone, firing off messages to some online influencers.

Meanwhile, back in the diamond room...

"Your efforts haven't gone unnoticed. We at Phillips Group are grateful. Here's to climbing greater heights together!" Lilah toasted her team.

“Miss Phillips, you're the one who deserves our gratitude. Our sales have skyrocketed, something Aurora Jewelers hasn't seen before," a colleague praised.

"I'm telling you, stick with our team and we'll top the charts in Eleywood's jewelry scene," piped up another.

The team was beaming.

Lilah smiled, her mood buoyant.

Their meal arrived promptly, a feast for the senses with foie gras, a novelty to them all.

“Who splurged on this?" someone exclaimed.

Foie gras wasn't a dish one would order in bulk, given the price tag.

"It's the diamond room's specialty, on the house," the server explained with a smile.

Astonishment washed over everyone. Was the diamond room really so lavish as to give away foie gras, worth over a thousand a plate?

"The bill's been taken care of by Mr. Harris for the night," the server informed Lilah.

Lilah's eyes fluttered with surprise, and she acknowledged with a subtle nod.

She tasted her wine, a sweetness blossoming in her heart.

Yet, in that moment, Phoebe glanced at her phone and turned ashen.

Around her, the group leaned in, asking, "What's happened?"

"It's Alice stirring up the Internet again."

"Alice?"

They all pulled out their phones and sure enough, there was a tweet from Alice.