“Emily, this is Mr. Kensington,” Daniel said quickly. “Emily is… helping with the event.”
Emily extended her hand politely.
Richard never took it.
Instead, his eyes locked onto the necklace around her throat.
The color drained from his face instantly.
Beside him, Eleanor gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
Daniel laughed nervously.
“Oh, ignore that old thing,” he said, grabbing Emily’s arm roughly. “I keep telling her not to wear flea-market junk to formal events. Go stand back in the corner, Emily. You’re embarrassing me.”
No one in the ballroom could have imagined the disaster about to explode.
Richard Kensington’s voice thundered through the room.
“Take your hands off her. Now.”
The ballroom went dead silent.
Daniel released Emily immediately.
“Sir, I—”
Richard ignored him completely.
Slowly, the billionaire stepped closer to Emily. His eyes glistened with tears.
“That necklace…” he whispered shakily. “Where did you get it?”
Emily swallowed hard.
“It belonged to the woman who raised me,” she answered carefully. “She found me after a car fire thirty years ago near Fort Worth. I had a fever, a burn scar, and this necklace.”
Eleanor let out a broken sob.
With trembling fingers, she pulled a gold chain from beneath her blouse.
Hanging from it was the other half of the exact same silver sun.
The two pieces matched perfectly.
Gasps rippled through the ballroom.
