Filed to story: Dumped at the Altar Married a Billionaire (Laura & Shaun) Book PDF Free
Yet here it was – still hanging around Margaret’s neck.
A sharp pain shot through her chest.
Margaret saw the flicker of sadness in Laura’s eyes and felt a rush of satisfaction.
Smirking, she said, “This necklace has stayed with me all these years. That just proves who our parents really consider their daughter.”
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper.
“And you? You’re nothing.”
Then –
“Ahh!”
A sharp, ear-piercing scream shattered the air.
Just as Margaret was basking in her own self-satisfaction, Laura suddenly took a step forward.
With one swift motion, she yanked the six-pointed diamond necklace straight off Margaret’s neck.
Margaret barely had time to react. All she felt was a sharp, burning pain as the chain was forcibly torn away, scraping across her delicate skin.
“Aah!”
The sting was instant. A thin line of blood surfaced on her neck.
The commotion immediately drew the attention of the entire banquet hall.
Curious onlookers turned their heads, eager for gossip.
Julia rushed over in a panic.
“What is going on?”
Margaret, her face streaked with tears, threw herself into Julia’s arms.
“Mom, Laura was speaking to you so disrespectfully, so I told her not to act like that… and she just lost it! She ripped my necklace off! My neck – she almost broke my neck!”
Julia’s gaze snapped to the bloodstains on Margaret’s skin, then to Laura, her expression darkening.
“Laura, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Laura met her glare calmly.
Raising the necklace for all to see, she slowly turned it between her fingers. The six-pointed diamond sparkled brilliantly under the grand chandelier, sharp, intricate, undeniably valuable.
Laura’s tone was lazy, unhurried. “I was just taking back the necklace my grandmother left for me. No need for all this fuss, is there?”
Julia’s eyes flickered.
She had been so busy tonight that she hadn’t even noticed Margaret was wearing the necklace.
If she had seen it earlier, she wouldn’t have allowed it.
When Madam Stanton passed away, Julia had tried to retrieve the necklace from Margaret. She had even offered to exchange it for jewelry of equal value.
But the moment she brought it up, Margaret burst into tears, sobbing about how she wasn’t loved anymore.
Ever since Laura returned, Margaret had grown sensitive.
Julia had spent twenty years raising her – how could she bear to break her heart?
So, in the end, she let it go.
She figured she could always buy Laura another diamond necklace.
That way, both daughters would be happy.
Julia pursed her lips. “This necklace was given to Margaret when she turned eighteen. At the time, you weren’t part of the Depp family yet. You can’t blame anyone for that.”
Laura let out a laugh, mocking, razor-sharp.
“You really do dote on your fake daughter. What, aren’t you afraid Grandma will crawl out of her grave to make you pay for it?”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Fake daughter.
The words hit like a slap.
Coming from Laura, it was an outright declaration of war.
Margaret snapped.
The burning pain on her neck was nothing compared to the humiliation searing through her chest. Her hands clenched into tight fists. She wanted to scratch that smug look right off Laura’s face.
Julia’s expression turned ugly. Her voice dropped into a sharp hiss.
“Laura, enough! If you had never returned to the Depp family, this necklace would have always been Margaret’s!”
Laura’s lips curled in amusement, but the smile never reached her eyes.
That’s right. If I had never come back, everything would still belong to Margaret.
They never really wanted me back in the first place.
…
Jasper had been busy entertaining guests in the main hall.
But the escalating noise from the banquet floor finally forced him to step in.
The moment he saw what was happening – Margaret in tears, the guests whispering, the mess his daughters were making – his expression darkened.
This was embarrassing.
His voice was stern. “Enough. Stop causing a scene. We’re making a laughingstock of ourselves. We’ll discuss the necklace later. Margaret, go see the family doctor for your neck.”
Margaret’s eyes filled with fresh tears. Her voice trembled.
“Dad… Laura attacked me. And now you’re taking her side?”
To Jasper, this was just a petty argument between siblings.
Nothing worth ruining the Depp Group’s 30th anniversary over.
All he cared about was resolving this before it damaged the family’s reputation.
His gaze shifted to Laura.
“Laura, return the necklace to Margaret. We’ll sort this out after the banquet.”
A wave of hushed murmurs spread through the room.
Some people looked at Laura with sympathy. Others with ridicule.
Laura stared at the scene in front of her.
Julia, arms wrapped protectively around Margaret. Jasper, standing firm in his defense of her.
They looked like a perfectly loving family.
And she?
She was the unwanted outsider, the villain disrupting their peace.
She bit down hard, forcing back the sting in her nose.
“This necklace belongs to the Depp family’s real daughter. Why should she give it back?”
The voice was cold, firm, carrying a subtle edge of anger.
Every head in the room turned toward the source.
The next moment, Laura was pulled into a familiar embrace.
She looked up.
Jake.
His sharp jawline, his emotionless expression.
