Chapter 79:
Makenna’s POV:
I glanced at the ring and couldn’t help but chuckle ironically. Before I could respond, Alice jumped in on my behalf, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Oh, how impressive! I can tell it’s fake with just one look.”
Jessica’s face turned crimson with anger.
“Nonsense! It’s real!”
Frank quickly stepped in, trying to calm her down.
“Jessica, don’t let them get to you. They’re just jealous.”
Jealous? Of Jessica? The thought was so absurd that I couldn’t hold back a sneer.
Without a word, I grabbed the ring from Jessica’s hand, holding it up to her face.
“It’s a real diamond ring,” I said coolly, “but the name engraved on it isn’t yours.”
“Bullshit!” Jessica’s face twisted with rage. “That’s a lie! Give it back!”
Frank looked a bit embarrassed, then snapped at me.
“Makenna, what do you think you’re doing? We’ve moved on. Stop trying to claim things that don’t belong to you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.
“Things that don’t belong to me?” I echoed, shaking my head in disbelief.
Taking a step back to avoid their grabbing hands, I held the ring up higher.
“Take a closer look. My name is carved under the diamond.”
Then, with deliberate disdain, I tossed the ring back to Jessica and pulled a paper towel from the table, wiping my hands as if I had touched something filthy.
The whole situation was ridiculous. The diamond ring was the very one Frank had used when he proposed to me.
Though it looked grand, it was only worth a few thousand gold coins. After the proposal, Frank had taken the ring back under some flimsy excuse.
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I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, never imagining that it would later end up with Jessica.
And to top it off, he’d lied to her about its value, claiming it was worth a hundred thousand gold coins. The sheer audacity of it all left me wondering how I had ever fallen for such a man.
My words struck Jessica like a blow. She quickly examined the ring under the light, her face draining of color as she saw the truth.
Her wide eyes filled with shock and betrayal as she turned to Frank.
“Frank! Why? Why is her name really engraved on this ring?”
Frank, clearly panicked, tried to soothe her.
“Jessica, please, just calm down. I can explain—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Jessica wasn’t having it. She shrieked, her voice carrying across the hall.
“Frank Thomas, how could you give me something you gave her? Get out of my sight!”
Amused by the spectacle, I turned to leave, but Frank wasn’t done.
He grabbed my arm, twisted with fury.
“Where do you think you’re going? Explain this to Jessica right now!”
I pulled my arm free, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared him down.
“Explain? What exactly am I supposed to explain, Frank? That you two were sneaking around behind my back? Or you couldn’t be bothered to buy her a new ring and instead made her wear the leftovers I discarded?”
Frank’s face turned an ugly shade of red at my words, his anger boiling over.
“You lowly slave!” he spat, his voice shaking. “I’m a Gamma with a bright future ahead of me. How dare you speak to me like that! You think just because you’re in the palace now you can—”
“Argh! What are you doing?”
Before he could finish, I threw the champagne from my flute directly into his face.
“Charm?” I scoffed. “So what? You’re still the same coward who was terrified when the prince confronted you last time. Have you forgotten already?”
“Makenna Dunn!”
The champagne splattered across Frank’s face, and his meticulously styled hair was now a tangled mess. He spat my name through clenched teeth, his anger practically seething from every pore. His hand flew up, intent on striking me.
My heart skipped a beat. Just as I was about to move, a strong grip clamped down on Frank’s wrist, twisting it sharply.
Frank howled in pain, his cry sounding like it echoed through the hall.
I turned to see who had intervened, and my eyes widened in surprise.
It was Bryan.
