Yvonne remained oblivious, gazing shyly at him.
The host, sensing the mood, cheerfully encouraged, "How about a kiss?"
Yvonne blinked and closed her eyes slightly, as if waiting for Evander to lean in.
But Evander stood frozen, as if in a trance, unmoving.
The atmosphere grew tense.
The host, attempting to salvage the situation, called out with a smile, "Mr. Kingswell?"
That voice seemed to jolt Evander back to reality.
He suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with my amused gaze from the crowd.
It was as if something had pierced him. Abruptly, he flung Yvonne's hand away, strode off the stage, and disappeared from the hall without looking back.
Yvonne, stunned by this unexpected turn of events, looked utterly lost. Her expression turned pitiful as tears welled up in her eyes.
The host awkwardly tried to smooth things over:
"It seems Mr. Kingswell is so overwhelmed with excitement that he's momentarily lost his composure. Let's move on to the next segment."
He glanced toward my parents, who were seated beside me.
Moments ago, my parents had been all smiles. Now, they sat with their heads bowed, their faces growing darker by the second.
Panic flashed across Yvonne's face.
Unable to hold back, she urged, "Mr. Whitestone, Mrs. Whitestone, weren't you going to adopt me as your goddaughter? Please, come up now!"
My parents suddenly raised their heads, their expressions complicated as they looked at me.
There was guilt, confusion, and unease.
Finally, they waved her off and said, "One daughter, Rosamund, is enough for us. As for the goddaughter arrangement, let's call it off."
Yvonne's eyes instantly reddened.
In a hoarse voice, she protested, "But you're the ones who said Lady Rosamund was spoiled, arrogant, and inconsiderate!"
My mother awkwardly smiled and replied, "Rosamund was raised by us and may be a bit willful, but she's never done anything truly wrong. As parents, how could we ever disown our daughter?"
Yvonne pouted and argued defiantly: "But Lady Rosamund, you've only ever been spoiled by your family, arrogant and unreasonable. You bully me at home, and you bully me at school too..."
Among the guests were also some classmates invited by Yvonne.
Yvonne looked at them with pleading eyes, as if she wanted them to come forward and testify.
But the classmates hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads resolutely.
"Mrs. Whitestone, what Yvonne said isn't true."
"Rosamund may be a bit spoiled, but she's not unreasonable. She's actually very loyal to her friends.
"If Yvonne hadn't damaged Rosamund's belongings and refused to apologize or compensate, Rosamund wouldn't have even bothered with her."
