The vain Lucy was explosively enraged by Joanna's words.
"Are you so mad with jealousy that you completely lost your mind, you gold digger?! My boyfriend spent millions of dollars for that pendant! How could it possibly be a fake?! You know, I should wreck that foul mouth of yours for spewing bullshit!"
And with that, without a thought of consideration for her reputation as a rich socialite, Lucy stomped her feet and hurled herself toward Joanna.
Without a change in her expression, Joanna effortlessly dodged Lucy, which caused Lucy to lose her balance and fall straight to the ground.
The audience roared in laughter at the sight of such a comical scene.
Ace's face turned severe. The gloominess of his expressions looked like the rumbling thundercloud that warned of the dangerous rage that was about to explode.
Joanna Pierce… What was she going to do now?! Was it not bad enough that she dressed so inappropriately, attracting all the unwanted attention? Yet now she even ended up fighting with his cousin onstage! Who knew what kind of horrible headlines would be plastered on tomorrow's frontpage?
"Mrs. Moran," said the host, trying his best to control the situation, "were you just joking to lighten up the atmosphere, or do you… have the evidence to prove that this pendant is fake?"
"I have the proof, of course."
She then proceeded to pull out a laser pen and faced the audience with a confident smile, saying, "The authentic Eternal Love had been meticulously polished, and in fact, the inside of the crystal was cut a total of eighteen times, which happens to be the number of letters in the words, Eternal Love. Also, if you shine a laser pen through the pendant, the words "Eternal Love" would be projected out, signifying the King of Asken's love for his wife…"
"Which means," she continued, "that the authenticity of this pendant can be proven with just this laser pen."
The audience listened with keen interest. Some people even corroborated what she said, confirming that there really was such a rumor about the crystal pendant called Eternal Love.
Without hesitation, Joanna aimed her laser pen at the crystal pendant in the exhibition box. As expected, no words were projected out of it.
"Ah, so all this commotion was just for a fake!"
"Tsk tsk, they even stooped so low as to donate a fake item, all for that little bit of publicity and self- promotion. They don't have a shred of integrity!"
The situation had completely reversed, and now all the disparaging and mocking was directed towards Lucy, who had been so proud and celebrated not a few minutes ago.
Lucy was so humiliated that she wanted to bury her head in the ground, but she gritted her teeth and angrily questioned Dylan, "Is what this gold digger just said true?! Did you actually buy a fake to mess with me?!"
With a droopy head, Dylan endured the mockery of the crowd and answered, "I'm sorry, Lucy, I had no idea that there was such a way to prove its authenticity, but even though the pendant is not authentic, I still spent millions of dollars on buying it!"
Like a sore loser unwilling to admit defeat, he turned to Joanna and asked her, "How did you know all these things? To my knowledge, only experts are privy to this kind of information! Most people don't know how to differentiate such a close imitation from the real thing!"
"Well…" Joanna stifled her laughter.
Of course she knew! How could she not, when the real Eternal Love pendant was in her jewelry box at home.
"I just made a lucky guess," she lied.
In the end, Lucy stepped off the stage in disgrace, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to hide herself.
In the front row, Liam finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his respected and admired Boss would never be so easy to bully.
"Since my cousin-in-law donated a fake," Joanna suddenly announced, "then I owe it to you to donate something authentic myself. Please take it as an honest apology on her behalf."
Once again, Joanna had completely captured the audience's attention.
There was a slight shift in Ace's expressions. He wondered what Joanna could possibly donate to charity. Judging by his limited knowledge of her, she probably had not saved up much money in her three-year marriage to himself. He worried that if she donated something too shabby, she would only end up humiliating herself.
The next moment, he saw Joanna lifting her fair right hand and removing the huge diamond ring on her ring finger.
"This is my wedding ring, which symbolizes my marriage to my husband. Although it might not be the most priceless item here, it is still endowed with a special meaning. Now, I would like to donate it, and I hope it would garner a good price and help as many people who needed help as possible."
This move instantly stirred the crowd into a flurry. How could she so easily decide to donate her wedding ring?!
Some people praised her generosity and charitable nature and for not binding herself to sentimental attachment to objects. But others were beginning to suspect if the rumors about the rift in the marriage between Ace and Joanna
were true after all.
Ace, who was right in the center of the audience, exuded a chilling aura that warned people from approaching him. His dashing face betrayed no signs of emotions.
Meanwhile, Liam could not be more delighted. With a wicked smile, he uttered the following words as if they were cuts from a dagger aimed at Ace's heart, "Tsk tsk tsk, my own Miss Pierce used to treasure that ring above anything else! No matter what she did, she was never willing to take it off. Yet now, she donated it without giving it a second thought. It looks like she is extremely disappointed in you and her marriage to you, Master Moran! But I'm glad that she's finally ready to move on now. Congratulations, Joan!"
As soon as he uttered his last word, he shot up on his feet and whistled approvingly at Joanna, who was still onstage.
"Don't worry, Joan! Even if I had to sacrifice half of the Blackwood family's fortune today, I would do anything in my power to get that ring back for you!"
Liam's dramatic declaration of his love for Joanna again blew up the scene like a bombshell. The crowd never expected that Mrs. Moran, who had always appeared so dignified and prim and proper, would be so suspiciously close with the infamous playboy, Liam Blackwood!
Onstage, Joanna looked at Liam with an appreciative expression. She could not deny that this junior of hers had been very helpful in preserving her dignity and reputation today. She could not be more grateful to him!
"Mrs. Moran," the host interrupted, "this diamond obviously carries much meaning to you. Are you absolutely sure that you want to donate it?"
Joanna stared at the ring and the diamond on it that was almost the size of a pigeon's egg. She fell silent. Images of her life in the past three years raced through her mind. She remembered how, in the past, she had treasured this ring as if it was the most precious thing in her life. She treasured it so much that she would not take it off even when she was taking a shower, eating, and sleeping. She treasured this ring just as much as her marriage to Ace Moran.
Yet all she got in exchange was herself being discarded and left high and dry.
Now, as she took off the ring, she finally realized that the only things this extravagant object ever brought her were not love or hope but merely the shackles that bound her in a cage.
Letting go and moving on-aren't those the important lessons that a person should learn in life?
That was why she decided that it was time to let go now.
"I've thought about it," Joanna firmly said, "and I'm ready to let it go. This ring should go to a place that is more suitable for it, where it would be more useful and hold a greater value."
Her speech was followed by thunderous applause from the audience. Everyone praised her for her kindness and generosity.
Joanna could sense that Ace's gaze was fixed on her, staring at her with burning eyes, a gaze that could easily tear her into pieces. But none of that mattered to her anymore. She did not even bother to look at the man.
After stepping off the stage, Joanna did not immediately return to her seat. Instead, she entered the restroom and splashed her face with cold water. With her hands on the washstand, she studied the reflection in the mirror before her.
The woman looking back at her seemed magnificently dignified and glamorous. No longer did she see the poor daughter-in-law who was pushed around everywhere by everyone.
She felt alive again!
She did not need any man! She had a brilliant career ahead of her!
She could not help thinking of Ace's dour and gloomy expression and found herself immensely delighted by it!
Now that her reason for coming to the dinner gala had been fulfilled, she fixed her lipstick and prepared to leave. But suddenly, she heard a man's voice coming from the toilet..
"As soon as Ace Moran gets onstage," the voice said, "we move in on the target immediately. This time I'm sure he'll have nowhere to run!"
"Hmph! Three months ago, he had his brother as a human shield, but this time… let's see if he gets lucky again!"
Joanna tensed up immediately. Her long slender fingers curled up in a ball without her realizing it.
Was that guy… in trouble?!