"Thank you," Rosemary said, accepting the box from Greer. Her eyes widened in surprise. "A luminous pearl! I love it."

Luminous pearls were exceptionally rare, a clear sign that Greer had put real thought into her birthday gift.

Greer smiled. "What's a pearl compared to what you have? Rosemary, Lord Will himself came to your birthday party. That speaks volumes about your place in his heart. I'm sure his gift is the best one here. Do you think I might be fortunate enough to see it? I'd love to broaden my horizons."

Greer was certain that since Will was fond of Rosemary, he would have spared no expense on her gift. Her words were a calculated move to help Rosemary reclaim the spotlight.

While Greer had fame as an influencer, her ordinary family background meant nothing in these circles.

Without Rosemary's influence, an event like this—and meeting figures like Will and Celia-would have remained far beyond her reach.

Now that Will seemed to have fallen for Rosemary, Greer knew she had to be even more careful to stay in her good graces.

Conveniently, Rosemary was looking for an opportunity to show off, and Greer's suggestion was perfectly timed.

At her words, the other guests turned to look at Rosemary, their eyes filled with curiosity. They, too, wanted to see what Lord Will had given her.

A young socialite, a friend of Greer's, chimed in. "Yes, Miss Greer is right! Miss Vance, Lord Will has never attended another woman's birthday party before. You're the first! Please, show us his gift. Let us all have a look!"

Rosemary smiled and nodded. "Since everyone is so eager, I'll have it brought over."

Her face was a mask of smug satisfaction. She was the one Will desired. He was always generous with the women he admired, and tonight he was planning to confess his love. His gift, she was sure, would be something that would stun everyone into silence. It might even be a Windsor family heirloom.

Her next move was to make it painfully clear to all the common women fawning over Will that she was his one and only. They couldn't even compare to her little finger.

She turned to a nearby servant. "Go and bring me the gift from Lord Will."

"Yes, Miss."

The servant nodded and respectfully went to retrieve the gift.

Soon, it was brought over in an ornate box.

The guests began to whisper amongst themselves. "It must be a priceless treasure."

"I heard Lord Will is in love with Miss Vance. Maybe it's a token of his affection."

"

"Priceless treasure? You're being naive. And who said Lord Will likes Miss Vance?

Is his taste really that bad?"

The speaker was a young noblewoman named Pearl. She had come tonight primarily because she'd heard Will and Celia would be attending.

Rosemary's triumphant expression soured at Pearl's words. What did she mean, Will had bad taste? It was obvious Pearl must have a crushon Wherself. This was pure jealousy, a truly ugly emotion. She never would have guessed that the

seemingly serene Pearl could be so spiteful.

FindNovel.net

Just wait. When she opened this box, she would blind Pearl with its brilliance.

Maybe Will had even hidden a love letter inside.

At the thought, Rosemary's cheeks flushed. She wondered if she should read the letter aloud or keep it to

herself. Either way she would be the object of everyone's envy.

Greer's voice broke through her reverie. "Rosemary, don't keep us in suspense!

Open the box! We're all dying to see!"

"Yes, yes, Miss Vance, open it!"

Nearly everyone in the room was

waiting for the grand reveal With all eyes on her Rosemary placed

hands on the lid and slowlite

5.

her

In that moment, the room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.

it.

Even Rosemary was nervous, her heart pounding in anticipation of seeing Will's handwritten love letter.

*Click.*

The lid came off.

As the contents of the box were revealed-

"Pfft!"

A snort of derisive laughter broke the silence, quickly followed by a ripple of stifled chuckles.