Chapter 5 Stunning the Crowd
In the hall.
Cecilia's phone rang. She saw the caller ID and answered, "Hey, Seraphina."
"Hey, there's a Charity Banquet tomorrow. Are you going?" Seraphina asked. "I forgot to ask earlier."
Cecilia paused, thinking back to the past.
Tomorrow night was the annual Charity Banquet in Serenovia City, where all the big shots would be. Back in the day, she never went to these events, and Dominic never invited her to any social gatherings.
She used to think Dominic was being considerate, but now she knew it was just part of his plan to keep her out of the loop and powerless when she had nothing left.
"I'll go," Cecilia replied.
"I was just asking casually," Seraphina said, surprised. She loved attending events and hoped someone would join her, but she wasn't holding her breath for Cecilia to say yes.
"Let's go pick out dresses together tomorrow," Cecilia suggested.
"You're not joking, right?" Seraphina was still a bit skeptical.
"See you tomorrow," Cecilia said, ending the call.
Theodore overheard and was surprised. "Cecilia, you're going to the charity banquet tomorrow? I thought you didn't like these social events."
Cecilia felt that in her previous life, she had devoted all her energy to one man and never did anything for her family, which ultimately led to their downfall.
She suddenly promised, "Dad, from now on, I will protect our Lockhart family. I will assist you in running the Lockhart Group. No one can take it from us, not Vincent or anyone else!"
Theodore looked at Cecilia with newfound respect.
In the past, he had considered letting her take on the family business, but he never forced her. He knew her heart was set on Dominic, so he thought that after marriage, he would hand over the Lockhart Group to Dominic to manage.
But it was better for Cecilia to take over herself. Theodore couldn't help but feel delighted. "Alright, I believe in you!"
Cecilia smiled.
In this life, she would never be naive enough to give everything away to Dominic again!
The Next Day.
In the afternoon.
Cecilia and Seraphina went to the Luxury Gown District to pick out custom-made evening gowns.
They changed and then sat together to do their hair and makeup.
"Are you back to normal?" Seraphina asked Cecilia.
Cecilia was stunned by the question. "What do you mean by normal?"
"Yesterday with Alaric..."
"Seraphina." Cecilia's face changed slightly, stopping her.
Seraphina looked at Cecilia and muttered softly, "I don't even know what you see in him!"
She was, of course, referring to Alaric.
"I heard Dashiell Rainier is coming back," Cecilia changed the subject, genuinely afraid that Seraphina would speak without thinking.
This was a high-end gown district, frequented by the top tier of society. If someone with ill intentions overheard and spread the word, all her plans would be ruined.
"What does his return have to do with me?" Seraphina said indifferently. "Isn't he doing well abroad? Why is he coming back?"
Seraphina's tone was not pleasant.
"I thought he would come back after graduating from college," Cecilia said evasively.
"He'd better not come back," Seraphina said with a look of disdain.
Cecilia had some words on the tip of her tongue but decided not to say them.
It took an afternoon to finally dress up.
Cecilia stood up, only to hear Seraphina suddenly scream.
It was deafening!
"Cecilia!" Whenever Seraphina got excited, she would repeat her name, "Can you not be so beautiful?"
Cecilia was speechless at Seraphina.
"Every time you look better than I can manage!" Seraphina complained.
"Let's go," Cecilia said, not bothering to respond.
Seraphina wasn't actually ugly; it was just that being around Cecilia all the time made her appear less remarkable.
As for Cecilia, she was truly gorgeous.
It's hard to describe her features with words; each one was beautiful, and together, they formed perfection.
It's no rumor that every man in Serenovia City wanted to marry Cecilia!
And the reason they wanted to marry her wasn't because she was exceptionally talented, but because she was exceptionally beautiful.
On the way, Seraphina kept praising Cecilia's looks, and the two of them arrived at their destination together.
The doorman respectfully opened the car door for them.
Cecilia took a deep breath.
She hadn't attended such an event in a long time and was inevitably a bit nervous.
She maintained her best posture, extending her slender leg out of the car and slowly stepping onto the ground. In that instant, countless flashbulbs went off, leaving the reporters and media outside almost stunned.
Ms. Cecilia Lockhart of the Lockhart family! The stunningly beautiful Cecilia, who never attended banquets, made her grand entrance into the hall.
All eyes were on Cecilia.
She wore a silver, long-tailed, tight-fitting gown that perfectly showcased her delicate figure. Under the dazzling lights, the dress sparkled like stars, complementing her flawless face and fair, delicate skin. She looked like an elf who had mistakenly descended to the mortal realm, stunningly beautiful!
"Cecilia." Dominic quickly walked up to her.
He was clearly a bit angry, but he was trying hard to hide it.
"Why are you here? I thought you didn't like these social events?" Dominic asked her.
"I just suddenly felt that I couldn't stay at home all the time," Cecilia replied coldly, trying hard not to think about the scene where he had stabbed her.
At that moment, her eyes shifted slightly, looking at Dominic's arm, which was being held by his usual female companion, Eloise Thorne, one of Dominic's sexual partners.
In her previous life, she had believed they were just in a simple superior-subordinate relationship.
"Ms. Lockhart," Eloise greeted respectfully.
"Dominic had often whispered in my ear about you, Ms. Thorne, and he spoke highly of your abilities, saying you were extremely measured in your actions," Cecilia said with a smile.
"To be appreciated by Mr. Kingsley is my honor," Eloise responded gracefully, her words humble and appropriate.
But in her heart, she was full of disdain for Cecilia.
Would Cecilia be furious if she knew that Dominic had complimented her on her bedside manner?
In Eloise's mind, Cecilia was a fool, someone she never took seriously. At this moment, Eloise was just putting on a show.
"It's just that I don't know if you're holding my fiancé in such an unruly manner, Ms. Thorne, whether it's a work necessity or something else?" Cecilia's tone was cold.