The campus celebration, which had been going smoothly, was completely ruined by Jasmine’s disastrous behavior. The other award recipients quickly exited the stage, and the ceremony staff, unable to hide their disgust, fled as well.
The principal, trying to maintain some order, addressed the audience, “Students, there has been a slight incident with the ceremony, and we’re moving everything to the main auditorium. Please, everyone, head there now! Where are the cleaners? Get here immediately!”
With that, the principal tossed the microphone aside and hurried off to deal with the situation himself. Onstage, Jasmine was left alone, still writhing in agony as her stomach churned uncontrollably, the awful situation continuing to unfold. It was an embarrassment beyond words, and she wished she could just disappear.
Eventually, she collapsed, falling into the mess she had caused. The sight was horrific, the stench overwhelming. Students in the front rows began to flee, covering their noses and running to the sides. A cleaning crew brought in long hoses and began to spray the stage in an attempt to cleanse the area.
As the crowd moved to the auditorium, Caitlin, along with Wendy and others, also left the scene. Caitlin had already suspected something was off when Jasmine had offered her a drink earlier. She’d been cautious but eventually tested it and found nothing wrong. However, she was starting to wonder if the drink was meant for her originally but somehow ended up with Jasmine. Could someone have made a mistake and switched them?
As she glanced back, she caught sight of Sebastian standing at the back of the crowd, his eyes meeting hers. She quickly averted her gaze, piecing together what had happened. The answer was clear.
Once everyone moved to the auditorium, the conversation immediately turned to Jasmine’s humiliating incident.
“Did Jasmine take some laxatives before going on stage?”
“I thought I heard a cannon go off with that first sound!”
“Ugh, that was disgusting! I almost threw up!”
“This has to be the worst celebration ever! It’s definitely going down in history for being the most embarrassing one!”
After a brief hiatus, the principal made his way to the auditorium to apologize. “Apologies for the unexpected incident earlier, but we’re all set now. Let’s continue with the celebration…”
The awards portion was officially over, and now it was time for the recipients to give their speeches. The moment Sebastian took the stage, his deep, resonant voice immediately captivated the crowd. The atmosphere reached a fever pitch, with many younger female students screaming and cheering.
Wendy, unable to resist, joined in the excitement. “Oh my God, Caitlin, your ex-husband is so handsome!”
Caitlin turned to look at Wendy with a neutral expression. Wendy, feeling somewhat awkward, added, “I never realized how charming he was before! You really lost out, Caitlin. You saw how all these women are practically drooling over him, right?”
Caitlin didn’t respond. If these girls knew what kind of man Sebastian really was, they’d be as wary of him as she was.
After Sebastian’s speech, he made his way back to his seat in the front row. He leaned over and whispered something to Xavi, who appeared surprised and uncertain. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Mr. Vanderbilt?”
Sebastian urged him, “Go on, hurry.”
Soon, it was time for the performance section of the evening. The students from various grades had prepared their acts, which mostly consisted of singing, dancing, and solo performances.
As the break in the performances came, the host announced, “Next, please welcome our senior Caitlin, who will be singing for us. Let’s give her a warm round of applause!”
Caitlin’s name lit up on the screen, and many in the crowd began to realize she was *the* Caitlin from the Vanderbilt family, the one who had recently divorced Sebastian. It was already going to be awkward enough with the two of them present, but now, they’d be watching her perform on stage together. What a spectacle!
People who didn’t know Caitlin were curious to see what she looked like. After all, she had once been married to a man like Sebastian-she must be pretty, right?
As Caitlin stood up to make her way to the stage, people began to murmur. They were shocked by how stunning she looked-much more beautiful than Jasmine, the university’s supposed “queen.”
Caitlin radiated elegance, with an air of sophistication and cold beauty that captivated the entire room. Many of the boys couldn’t help but wonder, “Why did Sebastian divorce someone as gorgeous as her?”
Wendy and Phoebe, sitting in the audience, couldn’t believe their eyes. “Caitlin, you’re really going to perform? Singing?”
Phoebe, who had already signed up for a recitation, was annoyed that Caitlin was stepping ahead of her, especially in front of Sebastian.
“Caitlin, are you really going to sing?” Her classmates were all staring at her with anticipation. Simon, too, was caught off guard by this unexpected performance.
Caitlin had never signed up to perform, so the only conclusion was that someone had arranged this for her. Was it Sebastian? Or perhaps Jasmine?
As she made her way to the stage, the crowd went wild. Sebastian, seated in the front, watched her intently. It was clear that he had orchestrated this little act-he wanted to see if Caitlin could actually sing, especially since she’d once enjoyed performing with Simon.
The host, having praised her, asked, “Caitlin, what will you be performing for us today?”
Caitlin took the microphone with an impassive expression. “All the performances so far have been fantastic, with singing, dancing, and solo acts. So I thought I’d do something different. Today, I’ll be performing the ‘Chest-Breaking Stone’ for you all.”
The crowd erupted into shocked laughter.
“Wait, seriously?” they thought. “Is she joking?”
No one could believe it-Caitlin, the gorgeous and ethereal woman, was about to perform the chest-breaking stone trick. Everyone was concerned that the stone might break her delicate form, instead of the other way around.
Wendy’s jaw practically hit the floor. Simon couldn’t hide his astonishment. Even Sebastian, sitting in the front row, looked surprised.
Caitlin performing the chest-breaking stone? Could her chest really break a stone? Would she risk destroying her own reputation? Would the stone crush her instead?