Chapter 105: The New Partner
"How will you compensate me for this?"
Another heavy silence fell over the hall as everyone stared at Carmella and Isabella. The crowd’s disdain slowly but steadily flickered in their eyes. Especially those who had bought into their earlier act and felt even the slightest sympathy now looked at them coldly.
Why?
Because everyone present belonged to the upper echelon — and if there was one thing they hated the most, it was being deceived. Even if they were partly at fault for falling for such a trick so easily, they would never blame themselves for it.
"Gosh," someone in the crowd snorted. "Is this how the Di Carpios conduct themselves?"
"Just a light brush was enough to make her spill the wine. Is she that fragile?"
Another scoffed. "I’d believe it if Madam De Luca had some sort of superhuman power for her to fall back like that."
"What a joke! Causing all of that to snag attention. How cheap."
"Why are they even here in the first place?"
The mother-and-daughter duo paled, looking around with wide eyes. But all they saw were disdainful gazes. No one even tried to hide it.
Shyaan smiled subtly, pleased with how things turned out. It wasn’t as if she had been worried.
After all, Liza wouldn’t have introduced the young lady to me if she hadn’t seen something special in her, she thought. Liza wouldn’t go out of her way to help Ashley if it were only about soil.
Liza might be kind and welcoming — someone who didn’t care much for these things — but she was also sharp. Now, Shyaan understood her one way or another.
Turning to the mother and daughter, Shyaan’s smile remained, but it turned colder.
"We’ve seen the footage," she said. "And it is clear to everyone that the young madam of the De Lucas is innocent."
She paused, stepping forward. "Forget about the glasses that shattered because of this incident. But... how will you compensate the young madam for this?"
Isabella clutched Carmella’s side, shrinking behind her.
How... how did this turn into this?
All her life, no one had dared to look at Isabella this way—openly, without restraint. Sure, people might hate her behind her back, but in front of her, they would always smile and curry favor.
This was a first for Isabella... and even for Carmella.
"This—this!" Carmella stammered. "That footage didn’t show everything! It’s the angle!"
Her desperate argument only made others snort.
"Do they truly think we’re fools?" someone sneered. "Just how stupid do they take us for?"
"If you play the footage again, you’d see the angle was off!" Carmella added hysterically, blatantly lying in front of everyone.
"Are you saying Madam Shyaan is wrong!?" one of the people roared.
"Mom..." Isabella tearfully tugged at her mother before turning to Ashley. "Sister, I’m really sorry about this. Mom has always tried to be understanding toward you, but with so many incidents before, she just couldn’t help but jump to conclusions."
She lowered her head, another tear slipping down her cheek. "Even when I said it was an accident — that I was the clumsy one — her maternal instinct just took over."
Carmella’s breath hitched as she turned to her daughter, who was clearly cleaning her own hands of the situation. However, seeing the crowd’s reaction, she bit her tongue and let her daughter push the blame on her.
The crowd frowned, with most of them not buying Isabella’s excuse. Still, a few considered it, remembering that Isabella had claimed responsibility earlier before Carmella stepped in.
"Sis, I’m really sorry," Isabella said humbly, then shifted her gaze to Shyaan. "I also apologize, Madam Shyaan. I know this event is important, especially since you’re hosting it for your new partner and supplier."
Her gaze moved to an unfamiliar face standing beside Shyaan, assuming he was the partner in question. "I’m sorry for this, sir."
The elderly man raised a brow and pointed at himself. "Young lady, why are you apologizing to me?"
"I know this party is important for you, sir, and this happened because of my clumsiness," she said, lifting her head with faint pride, grasping at the opportunity to be recognized for her "perception."
"Weren’t you Madam Shyaan’s new partner?" she asked meekly, prompting others to exchange glances before looking at the man beside Shyaan.
Some frowned, while others showed interest. Seeing the shift in attention, Carmella felt a flicker of relief.
Good, she thought. This is how I raised my daughter.
As long as the focus moved away from them, the damage would lessen.
On the sidelines, Lucian let out a quiet chuckle. He pinched the bridge of his nose before brushing his brow. It had been a while since something amused him like this.
"Truly comical," he muttered, raising a hand to signal a server for a drink.
However, the crowd’s curiosity—and Carmella and Isabella’s fleeting hope—were short-lived.
"Huh?" Shyaan tilted her head before letting out a soft laugh, glancing at the confused man. "I don’t know how the Young Miss of the Di Carpio came to that conclusion, but he’s my bodyguard."
"What?" Isabella blurted out in shock, while others frowned.
Well, Shyaan didn’t usually keep her bodyguards this close, especially during parties. Then again, this was Dominion’s territory. Confident as she was, she wasn’t foolish enough to leave herself exposed.
Shyaan shook her head, quickly regaining composure. Her smile remained, but it no longer reached her eyes. She glanced at the young lady and her mother before sweeping her gaze across the crowd.
"But since the matter has already been brought up, I’d like to introduce the person who not only made this event possible but also made it possible for some of the rarest plants to exist with her golden supply," Shyaan announced gracefully, her voice carrying through the hall.
"And I’m forever grateful that she chose me as her partner," she added with a smile.
She turned to Ashley and extended her hand.
Even before the words were spoken, everyone held their breath. Even Isabella and Carmella’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Then, in the next moment, Shyaan’s voice rang throughout the hall:
"Here she is—the Madam of Dominion, Madam De Luca. My new partner."