The Heiress They Chose To Lose Chapter 04
The Global Investment Summit was held in Midtown Manhattan.
The red carpet stretched from the entrance into the main venue, camera flashes turning the night almost as bright as day.
Alexander and Victoria walked at the front with Claire between them.
They smiled and waved at the press like the perfect family of three.
I was placed among the Sterling assistants and brought inside through a staff entrance.
“Miss Sterling, you can wait here.”
One of the family assistants escorted me to the farthest corner of the ballroom.
It was next to the restrooms and catering area.
Even the light from the crystal chandeliers barely reached it.
“Mr. Sterling specifically asked that you avoid moving around too much so there won’t be any unnecessary misunderstandings.”
The assistant delivered the message mechanically.
Then he walked away without even offering me a glass of water.
I took a seat on a barstool.
From there, I had a perfect view of the center of the ballroom.
Claire, dressed in her midnight-blue gown, stood surrounded by wealthy young socialites like an elegant swan.
The imperial violet bangle around her wrist shimmered brilliantly beneath the lights.
“Claire, that bracelet is incredible!”
The daughter of a hedge-fund partner stared at it in amazement.
“That clarity, that color… it looks museum-grade.”
Claire smiled shyly and stroked the bangle.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just an ordinary gift.”
She never said who had given it to her.
But the vague answer only strengthened the impression that the Sterling family showered her with priceless gifts.
Julian Prescott approached with a glass of champagne and naturally slipped an arm around her waist.
Several women nearby laughed enviously.
The sight of the two of them together clearly irritated a few socialites hoping to marry into the Prescott family.
“Who’s that woman sitting in the corner?”
Someone finally noticed me.
“Why is she dressed so cheaply?”
Claire turned.
Our eyes met across most of the ballroom.
Panic flashed through hers for an instant.
Then her flawless smile returned.
“Oh, she’s a cousin on my mother’s side.”
Claire explained gently, “She just came out of the foster system and hasn’t really experienced this kind of world before.”
“My mom thought it would be nice to bring her along and let her see it.”
“Why would you bring someone like that to an event like this?”
The women immediately lost interest.
Their voices filled with contempt.
“Claire, you’re way too kind. Bringing someone like her here only lowers the tone of the entire event.”
At that exact moment, the ballroom doors suddenly swung open.
The noisy room went silent.
The host’s excited voice rang through the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Adrian Harrington, representing the Harrington family!”
“And Mr. Damian Whitmore, representing the Whitmore family!”
The room collectively sucked in a breath.
These were two men at the very top of the East Coast elite.
The Harrington family had built its empire through traditional industry.
The Whitmores controlled an enormous financial-tech network.
Neither Adrian nor Damian appeared in public often.
Yet both had attended the summit tonight.
Alexander’s eyes lit up immediately.
The Sterlings might have been old money, but compared with families like the Harringtons and Whitmores—with generations of power and near-unmatched financial influence—they were still several levels below.
Building a connection with either family could transform the Sterlings’ position overnight.
“Claire, come on.”
Alexander adjusted his tie.
He brought Victoria and Claire with him as he pushed toward the inner circle to offer a toast.
Julian followed closely behind.
Everyone crowded forward, desperate for even a brief introduction to the two men.
Everyone except me.
I remained in my dim corner.
An empty wineglass turned lazily between my fingers.
Adrian Harrington wore an impeccably tailored designer suit.
His eyes behind thin gold-rimmed glasses were cool and unreadable.
Damian Whitmore wore a charcoal overcoat, his expression carrying the casual menace of someone who rarely needed to restrain himself.
Surrounded by the most powerful people in the room, neither man seemed particularly interested in any of them.
“Mr. Harrington. Mr. Whitmore.”
Alexander finally squeezed his way to the front.
He lifted his glass with his most polished smile.
“I’m Alexander Sterling. It’s an honor to finally meet you both.”
Adrian stopped.
He glanced at Alexander once.
Then said nothing.
Damian didn’t even look at him.
His eyes moved over the crowd, clearly searching for someone.
Alexander’s smile froze.
The champagne glass suspended in his hand suddenly looked painfully awkward.
Claire hurried forward.
“Mr. Harrington, Mr. Whitmore. I’m Claire Sterling.”
She deliberately exposed the violet bangle on her wrist, hoping the jewelry might catch their attention.
It did.
The instant Damian’s gaze landed on it, he stopped.
His expression turned ice-cold.
He ignored Claire completely.
Then he reached out and shoved Alexander and Julian aside without ceremony.
In the stunned silence, the two most powerful men in the room walked directly through the crowd.
Step by step.
Toward the darkest, most remote corner of the ballroom.
Toward me.
The woman the Sterling family considered too embarrassing to acknowledge.
Every pair of eyes followed Adrian and Damian.
Alexander stopped breathing.
Julian’s glass remained frozen halfway to his mouth.
Claire’s gentle smile seemed locked onto her face.
The ballroom was so quiet that a dropped pin would have sounded deafening.
I remained on my barstool.
My chin rested against one hand as my fingertips lazily tapped the rim of my empty glass.
Damian reached me first.
The aggression in his face vanished the moment he saw me.
“There you are, Princess.”
His voice softened.
“What are you doing all the way back here?”