The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 177

Charley said coolly, "Mr. Harper, if you have nothing of value to add, you should get back to your date."

Garnett's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground together.

"If you aren't leaving, we will," Lavinia said flatly. "The ceremony is about to start. I need to get back and take pictures of Saul."

With that, she turned and headed back inside. Charley stayed right by her side, a protective shield.

Garnett's phone buzzed. He answered it. "Corinne, what did you just say?" His voice was grave.

When Lavinia glanced back, he was still rooted to the spot, looking as though a bomb had just dropped on him.

Once they returned to the banquet hall, the atmosphere had shifted. Everyone was whispering, and the subject of their gossip was, shockingly, Sigrid.

Jocelyn and Saul hurried over, keeping their voices low. "Where were you two? You almost missed the biggest drama of the night."

"What drama?" Lavinia asked.

Jocelyn unlocked her phone and pulled up a social media post. It was an official statement from Fortune Prestige, posted just ten minutes ago:

[Our publication has received a formal legal notice from the Solstice Group Family Office. We hereby issue the following statement: The pearl jewelry worn by Sigrid Sloan during her interview with our magazine is the private property of the heir to the Solstice Group. Ms. Sloan's false claim of ownership over another person's property is solely her personal action and is in no way affiliated with Fortune Prestige.]

Lavinia was stunned. Her mind reeled, completely unable to process what was happening.

The pearl set hadn't been won by Garnett at the auction, but by the heir to the Solstice Group?

But the auctioneer had explicitly stated it was bought for her. She didn't even know anyone from the Solstice Group.

And what on earth was Garnett thinking? If he hadn't bought the jewelry, what gave him the right to take it and give it to Sigrid?

Had the whole world gone insane, or was she just having a fever dream? How could something this absurd happen?

Sigrid seemed to be the only one unaware. She was standing in the center of the room, chatting with the wife of some chairman. The wife had clearly already seen the news, her eyes darting repeatedly to the pearls around Sigrid's neck as she forced a painfully awkward smile.

Garnett strode quickly across the room and whispered something into Sigrid's ear.

The color drained from Sigrid's face. She looked up at him in sheer, absolute disbelief.

Understanding the cue, the group immediately dropped the subject.

Thankfully, Lavinia had always kept a low profile. No one in the room realized she was the actual Mrs. Harper, or she would have been surrounded and interrogated all night.

The VIP presenting the awards finally arrived, and the host took the stage, announcing the start of the ceremony. The guests filed back to the tables bearing their name cards.

***

"Garnett, what is going on?"

Tears streamed down Sigrid's face as Garnett pulled her toward the exit.

His face was completely thunderous. Refusing to say a word, he just kept dragging her outside.

"Garnett!"

She aggressively ripped her hand from his grip, screaming at him, "What the hell is going on? I demand an explanation!"