Chapter 42 Falling into His Arms
In the blink of an eye, the day of the charity gala arrived.
It was a gathering of Aridonia's wealthy elite.
Every year, the crème de la crème of Aridonia's affluent society attended this charity gala.
And it wasn't just a high-profile event; celebrities from the world of entertainment were invited to perform, adding to the buzz.
Hence, the annual gala drew the attention of countless netizens.
Numerous media outlets camped outside the hotel hosting the gala, all vying for a glimpse of the stars.
When Nora arrived, a male celebrity just so happened to make his entrance—one of the hottest names in the entertainment industry at the moment.
All the cameras turned to him.
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(Note: The conversion to the American context removes explicit reference to "million yuan" and instead uses "a cool million," which can be understood generally without currency specification. Contextualized to Aridonia for local flavor as well.)
Nora made her way to an alternative entrance.
As she reached the door, preparing to slide out her name badge, a familiar voice called out from behind her.
"Nora!"
She turned and spotted Kalista, who was dressed in a simple white gown and teetering on heels, Kalista approached her and stopped in her tracks.
Fury and disdain filled Kalista's eyes.
Nora had tricked her out of a substantial amount of money. It was an offense Kalista was not about to let slide.
"What do you want?" Nora asked her tone even.
Despite the venom in her gaze, Kalista's voice was deceptively sweet. "I'm just curious. What exactly brings you to this charity gala tonight? You're divorced from Isaac, and you're certainly not from old money, so you really don't belong at an event like this."
In the public eye, Kalista maintained a facade of gentleness.
No matter how much she despised Nora, she couldn't tarnish her own reputation and risk people saying she wasn't fit to be Isaac's wife, let alone the lady of the Porter family.
She was to be the future matriarch of the Porters. Every move of hers was a reflection of the family name.
Even if she wanted to strangle Nora on the spot, she had to smile sweetly and talk with gentle coercion.
A gaggle of elite society girls that had arrived with Kalista began to whisper and pointe at Nora.
"Surely she wasn't invited?"
"Isaac specifically asked Kalista to be his plus-one for the evening. There's no chance he would extend an invitation to Nora – she must have shown up uninvited!"
"Nora, don't tell us you're here trying to sneak a glimpse of Isaac, hoping to seduce him and win him back?"
"Get over it, love. Isaac's heart belongs to Kalista. He married you out of sheer necessity, and now he's finally free to be with the woman he truly loves."
"Isaac bringing Kalista to the gala is practically an official acknowledgment of her status. If you had any decency, you'd leave on your own!"
"How dare you still hang on even after being dumped. Isaac and Kalista are the unfortunate ones, having to deal with someone like that!"
"Without you in the picture, Isaac and Kalista would've been married already!"
Kalista silently basked in the murmur of discussions she was overhearing.
Her strategy was flawless.
As long as Isaac was seen taking her to formal events, the rest would treat her as the soon-to-be lady of the Porters, fawning over her once more.
Kalista looked at Nora with a smirk of self-satisfaction. "Nora, you really should quit stirring the pot. And don't even think about trying to get close to Isaac. He's not into you, no matter what tricks you pull. Considering you're Isaac's ex-wife, I'd hate to embarrass you too much.I'll offer you a chance to save yourself from embarrassment. Leave right now on your own terms. If you refuse to leave willingly, then I'll have no choice but to have security escort you out!"
Nora replied coolly, "Grandpa sent me here. You're not in a position to tell me to leave."
As she spoke, she pulled out a tag that signified her status.
Kalista's pupils contracted.
That was the host's identity tag.
Only members of the Porter family held such tags!
"Is that really a Porter family tag? Could it be that Edmund sees her as his granddaughter-in-law, aiming to set her up with Isaac?"
"Isaac has always been a dutiful grandson. If Edmund suggests a reconciliation, they might just get back together."
"If I remember correctly, Kalista only had an invitation, whereas Nora is carrying the host's identity tag."
Kalista fumed upon hearing this.
She was Isaac's girlfriend!
How could Nora just show up with a tag of higher rank?
If word got out, Kalista would be the laughingstock of their social circle!
"That tag has to be fake, or she stole it. Isaac invited me to this evening event; there's no way he'd allow her to attend. She's obviously here to cause trouble!" Kalista exclaimed sharply.
"Go get the security guard to throw her out. Keep her away from this hotel!"
People around exchanged uncertain looks.
No one dared to move.
Nora held the host's tag in her hand.
They might doubt the authenticity of the tag, but they wouldn't dare to act.
Furious, Kalista spat out, "What are you all freezing for? Didn't you hear what I said? So what if she's got a tag? We all know who Isaac truly loves and whose words he listens to. Do I need to remind you? I'll say it one more time! Get her out of here now! If anything goes awry during this event, I'll make sure Isaac hears about it, and you'll see whom he holds responsible!"
The crowd's complexion turned.
If trouble arose and they were to be blamed, not one of them could bear such responsibility.
Kalista had a point.
Regardless of what Nora held, Isaac's heart belonged to Kalista.
Crossing Kalista meant crossing Isaac.
And none of them dared to cross Isaac!
Security personnel quickly converged around Nora, forming a circle.
"Mrs. Foster, please leave. There's no need to cause a scene," one of them said.
With a nonchalant smile, Nora replied, "Sure, if I'm not welcome, I just won't attend."
After all, she hadn't come to this party of her own volition, nor did she have any desire to see Isaac. Being asked to leave was more of a relief than an annoyance.
Kalista watched with a smug smile as Nora took the hint and left. Having been deceived out of a considerable sum by Nora, Kalista felt a sense of vindication as she imagined the embarrassment Nora must be feeling in front of all the high society ladies present.
With her head held high, Kalista's lips curled in a mocking sneer as she watched Nora depart. Meanwhile, Nora, in her heels, kept her gaze fixed on the ground, proceeding with careful steps.
Suddenly, she bumped into the chest of a man. Losing her balance, she let out a startled cry, bracing for the fall. But before she could hit the ground, strong arms wrapped around her waist. With a firm tug, she was pulled back against a broad, muscular chest. A faint scent of fresh-cut grass enveloped her, leaving Nora momentarily stunned, while gasps of shock echoed from the well-heeled crowd behind her.
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