“You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel showing up to Eloise’s wedding in that outdated outfit.”
“No kidding, right? She used to be one of the four beauties of our class, and now she’s just a nobody. If you guys hadn’t called her over, I wouldn’t have even noticed she was here,” a woman sneered.
“Hey, is that pendant on your neck really like mine?” Karis lifted her own pendant, looking at Georgia.
Georgia looked down, clearly embarrassed, and muttered, “No, it’s not.”
She wanted to disappear; the situation was too awkward. She had to admit she loved the pendant when she first saw it but never imagined it was identical to Karis’. Kayden must have bought a fake; there was no way he could afford something worth 100 million. He couldn’t even pull together ten thousand bucks, let alone 100 million.
Georgia felt utterly humiliated, keeping her head down, too ashamed to meet Karis’ gaze. Suddenly, under the table, Kayden grasped her hand and whispered, “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Georgia was about to get angry, but somehow, Kayden’s touch calmed her down. The embarrassment and anger melted away, as if they were never there.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” Karis stood up, her voice dripping with mockery. “Come on, show us! Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Karis’ tone was laced with sarcasm, clearly not expecting Georgia to have anything impressive.
“It’s fine, let her see it! Show her what a real Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl looks like!” Kayden moved Georgia’s hand, revealing the pendant hanging around her neck.
Sure enough, it was identical to Karis’, but Karis’ pendant shone brightly, while Georgia’s looked dull and lifeless, like all the color had drained out of it. A knockoff was clearly inferior to the real deal, just a few thousand bucks versus 100 million.
“Pfft!” Theo couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Sorry, Georgia, I just couldn’t help it! It’s hilarious! Showing up to a wedding in a years-old dress is one thing, but wearing a fake pendant? Come on, the Adams aren’t that poor. Couldn’t you just spend a few hundred thousand and spring for a real one?”
“What do you know?” the woman who’d been mocking Georgia earlier chimed in, “Everyone cares about how they look on the outside. You need something fancy to look important. But I gotta say, that fake looks pretty realistic. A few thousand bucks for a knockoff, not bad, and it suits Georgia just fine.”
“Exactly. That outfit really matches the person, and the fake pendant is the cherry on top. There’s that saying, isn’t there? Old clothes for an old soul, and fakes for fools.”
The group erupted in laughter, all convinced that Georgia’s pendant was a counterfeit.
Georgia was mortified, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into. It was beyond embarrassing to make such a blunder at a wedding. She was sure the pendant was fake; there was no way Kayden could afford the real thing. The entire Adams family business wasn’t worth 100 million. The Ford family, as the top family in Hiphia, was worth billions, so it made sense they could afford such a piece.
“So, how much did that fake pendant cost you? Where’d you buy it? It’s a good knockoff; maybe I’ll get one for fun,” Karis taunted.
Blaise quickly interjected, “Karis, what are you saying? You think I’d let you wear a fake? Nothing but the best for you.”
Jay quickly added, “Exactly, Miss Ford, you’re joking, right? You’d only go for the real deal. This kind of fake stuff is for clowns, not someone like you!”
Georgia felt lost for words; she had nothing more to say. Grabbing Kayden’s hand, she whispered, “Let’s go.”
She just wanted to get away from the mocking stares and cutting remarks.
Kayden remained unfazed and stared directly at Karis. “What makes you think Georgia’s pendant is fake and yours is real?”
Karis was taken aback, finally shifting her attention to Kayden’s face. She had been so focused on Georgia that she hadn’t noticed this unfamiliar face.
Blaise also noticed Kayden, frowning, “Who are you?”
Kayden ignored the question, continuing, “In my opinion, the fake one is the one around your neck. If you want to know where to get counterfeits, your boyfriend probably knows best.”
Blaise’s expression darkened, “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Kayden didn’t respond to him, instead sharply asking, “Do you know when this pearl originated? Where it’s from? How it came into being? And what it’s really for?”
Kayden’s questions left not only Blaise but everyone else present clueless. They only knew it was valuable and a status symbol but had no idea of its deeper significance.
Without hesitation, Kayden began, “The Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearl was a sacred artifact given by Kai Dawson, a master from the 7th century, to Queen Kayleigh Delacruz. In her later years, Queen Kayleigh suffered from severe headaches and had recurring nightmares of the Whitley family reclaiming the kingdom. None of the court physicians could cure her mysterious ailment. So she turned to Kai, who asked for a week to find a solution. A week later, he presented a pair of Double Phoenix Plays with Dragon Pearls. At that time, the dragon inside the pearl wasn’t red. He asked for some of the queen’s blood, and when her blood was dripped onto the pearl, the dragon came to life, moving inside it. After that, the queen’s headaches vanished, and she no longer had nightmares about the Whitley family. The pearl became the queen’s cherished possession. After her death, the pearl was stolen and eventually lost.”
“And that,” Kayden concluded, “is the story behind the Pearl.”