Chapter 75: A cheap knockoff.

July 13 2026, 9:11pm.

The smile on Flynn Ravenscroft’s face died as soon as he saw his fiancée, Elara, cat-walking down the stairs like she owned the entire place.

She had her signature smile plastered across her smooth, creamy face, and her clear skin gleamed as she walked under the dim lights radiating from the high ceilings.

Today, she was dressed in a black mermaid dress that accentuated her curves and made her waist appear smaller than it actually was. Her wavy red hair was swept to the left side of her head, and—wait, wait hold on.

Let’s take one step back...

"Why did you cut your hair?" He asked coldly, his eyes darting to the top of her head then to her face.

He saw a flicker of something akin to worry cross her features for a split second before it quickly disappeared, replaced instead with a smile so beautiful she could have fooled him if he didn’t know better. She shrugged. "I didn’t like it long anymore and I wanted to try out something different."

Flynn, who didn’t believe her because he knew how much she obsessed over her hair, decided not to pry too much into matters that were probably not of his concern. So he turned away, let her loop her arms between his and continued the rest of the way in silence.

They got into his shiny Audi A8L Horch like the elegant couple that they were and drove off into the night, clutching at each other’s arms as if to depict the image of a perfect couple— the very thing they were not.

About some minutes past ten, they arrived in front of the high-end Aurelia Grand Hotel, its towering glass façade glowing beneath a cascade of golden lights. A line of luxury cars stretched along the entrance, their polished bodies gleaming beneath the flashes of cameras, while suited chauffeurs opened doors for women draped in diamonds and men whose names alone could buy half the city.

Flynn watched as most of these guests stepped out of their cars and disappeared through the grand doors, one after another, his heart racing in his chest with both pride and anticipation.

Pride because hell, he’d achieved this! He’d finally woven his way into high society...

And anticipation because he couldn’t wait. He couldn’t wait to wine and dine with all the public figures that would be present tonight... and Nyx’ara.

He knew she would be here.

Elara slipped her hand into his as they stepped out of the car, her face a mask of innocent beauty.

Cameras flashed immediately they were seen and she smiled, flawless as ever, leaning closer to Flynn as though she belonged beneath the lights.

He barely noticed.

His eyes however had already wandered toward the entrance.

Tonight was supposed to be simple. A party. A few hours of expensive champagne, meaningless conversations, and people pretending they hadn’t spent the better part of their lives stepping on others to get where they were.

But there was one reason Flynn Ravenscroft couldn’t seem to convince himself that tonight would be ordinary.

Nyx’ara was coming.

He hadn’t seen her since that day at the quads’ home. He hadn’t talked to her since the gazillion unanswered text messages he sent to her—

He forced the thought away.

Whatever existed between them was dead. He had made sure of that.

Or at least, that was what he kept telling himself until Elara tugged gently on his arm, drawing his attention back to her.

"Are you coming?" She asked softly but in her eyes was a look so chilly, it sent goosebumps down the length of his spine.

He looked down at her and forced a fake smile.

"Of course." He said, and together, they walked through the enormous golden doors, a unified gasp slipping through both of their lips when they walked into the grand hall.

The place was exquisite in every sense of the word. Both of them were people naturally born into wealth, but none of their wealth put together could measure up to the sheer luxury they had just walked right into.

None of what they were used to could measure up to the disgusting show of wealth they had just been introduced to.

Elara could barely hide her excitement as she wove her way through the sea of expensive guests and luxurious-smelling perfumes. Her fingers dug deeply into Flynn’s arm, as if in an attempt to hold herself together.

She mentally made notes of the things she’d seen so far that she would tell her mother about by the time she got home, and just the thought of sharing her experience with her mom and Tristan brought a smile to her lips.

However, as she walked further into the room, her smile began to freeze on her lips when a buzz began to occur by the grand entrance.

Most of the cameramen and women rushed over to the door, and so did the members of the press who were present at the party.

Elara leaned close to Flynn, her eyes never leaving the door as she asked; "Who is that?"

But Flynn was lost as well. He had no idea who it was that was causing such a buzz and in his mind, he had figured that the only person capable of doing such was the famous Singaporean businessman, Vincent Lau Jian-Hao. However, when he saw the familiar mass of silver hair, his face twisted.

It wasn’t Vincent.

It wasn’t him at all.

It was the woman whose presence he dreaded the most...

...And he feared that he didn’t know if by the end of the night, one glimpse of Nyx’ara would make him question every decision he’d made since the day he had let her go.

—

Elara, on the other hand, watched with curiosity as the smile disappeared from Flynn’s face. His very strong reaction to whoever it was that had just arrived made her curious so she refused to peel her eyes off the entrance even though she was too short to see what he had seen.

The buzz by the door continued for a full extra five minutes, and by the time the entrance cleared enough for her to see who it was, her breath hitched in her chest.

Unfortunately, the first thing she saw was the Alphas.

THE ALPHAS.

And Holy Mary mother of Jesus, they were smoking hot! ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

They looked nothing short of impeccable in their three-piece suits of different shades and colors. Their eyes were cold and focused, and their broad chests made her swoon as they made their way confidently through the room.

Their silky dark hair was the best thing she’s ever seen in her life, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to weave her fingers through their hair... that is until she saw the woman walking proudly right in the middle of them.

A woman dressed in a provocative burgundy dress.

At first, Elara was not sure she was seeing things correctly because there was no way in hell that that would be Nyx’ara.

However, as they got closer and she took a closer look at the other woman, she became sure and her mood instantly plummeted.

Why?

Because in front of Nyx’ara— this Nyx’ara— she looked no better than a slave. She looked like a knockoff. A cheap elite-to-be bought from Temu.

And her sister, who was a supposed murderer and criminal, gleamed too beautifully... and she hated it.