CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191

Then the room began to settle, the chatter dying down quickly as eyes turned to her again.

"There has been a... very important development. I must apologize for an error in the previous announcement. Due to a misreading of the event protocol on my part, the final dress the diamond dress was mistakenly added to the auction list."

Murmurs immediately broke out across the room. Abigail, seated proudly with her hand still near her chest as if protecting her win, tilted her head in confusion.

The announcer continued, her voice firmer now.

"According to the official instruction from the executive director of Everything Luxury, the diamond dress was never meant to be sold or auctioned. It was designed to be presented as a personal gift from the brand a statement of elegance, rarity, and prestige exclusively reserved for the individual holding the Diamond Invitation Card."

Immediately the room gasped.

Then Abigail blinked in stunned silence.

And in that exact moment, all eyes slowly turned toward Cora.

She wasn’t saying anything. She hadn’t moved. But her diamond-inlaid invitation card was still tucked under her fingertips on the table plain and undeniable. The symbol of everything the dress was supposed to represent.

And for a moment just a moment a hush fell over the room.

The announcer swallowed again. "Therefore... I sincerely apologize to everyone, especially to Miss Abigail, for this error. As per the executive instruction, the dress shall not be auctioned. It is hereby withdrawn from the bid and will be gifted as originally planned to the rightful recipient as outlined in the manual."

Then She took one last breath.

"Miss Cora," she said, this time with full authority, "the Diamond Dress is yours."

At that moment, upon hearing the announcer’s sudden retraction, Victoria slammed her hand on the table, her voice piercing through the already tense atmosphere like a blade. "What nonsense is this?!" she barked. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, and her perfectly painted lips twisted with fury. "Is this some kind of joke or what?!"

Heads turned as murmurs began to rise in the crowd, and the once glamorous occasion began to shift into a spectacle.

"We will never accept that ridiculous explanation!" she continued, standing up abruptly, her chair screeching back. "Are they seriously telling us that after a proper bidding process after we won fair and square, they’re just handing it over to... to that thing over there?! Just because she’s waving some stupid diamond card invitee like it’s a golden ticket that will take her to heaven?"

She scoffed loudly, shaking her head. "Just imagine the rubbish! Is this some kind of backdoor deal? A plot?! Because that’s exactly what it looks like! What the hell is going on?!"

Gasps and confused whispers filled the air, but Victoria didn’t care. She was on fire now.

Abigail, who had been sitting beside her with her arms tightly crossed, slowly stood up and placed a firm hand on Victoria’s shoulder. "Victoria, calm down," she said under her breath, trying to maintain some control over the spiraling situation.

But then Abigail turned her full attention to the announcer. Her expression, though calm, was icy and authoritative. "Is this some kind of joke?" she asked coldly. "Because if it is, I’m not laughing."

She took a deep breath, her voice growing louder and more commanding. "I will never accept this. Never. I placed my bid in full view of everyone here. I played by the rules, and I won that dress fair and square. Now you’re telling me that just because someone has a diamond invitation, all of a sudden, that doesn’t matter anymore?"

Her fists clenched at her sides.

"No," she said firmly. "I won it. And I’m going to take what I’ve won. There are no two ways about it."

She scanned the crowd, her eyes sharp, daring anyone to challenge her. "And if you think for a second that I’m going to let this go... you’re mistaken. This is sabotage. Someone is clearly trying to disgrace me in public, and I will not accept that. Never."

At that moment, the tension in the hall was so thick it could be sliced with a blade. Everyone’s attention was glued to the stage, trying to make sense of what just happened. The once-elegant atmosphere had now shifted into one charged with confusion and quiet murmurs. And right in the eye of the storm stood the announcer, poisoning the microphone even more with her slightly trembling hands.

She forced a smile one that looked more like a grimace, and then bowed low toward Abigail and the other guests, her voice trying to remain steady even though her insides were twisting.

"Please... everyone, let me clarify. This is not a matter of sabotage. I made a mistake... I—I was the one who placed the diamond dress on the auction list. The directors of Everything Luxury never intended for it to be sold. It’s a gift reserved for the Diamond Card Invitation holders only. The manual clearly stated that. I deeply apologize. This is all my fault."

She bent even lower this time, as if her spine could compensate for the weight of her error. The crowd murmured even louder now.

But before she could rise up fully, a voice like fire cracked through the silence.

"Oh, shut up!" Victoria exploded, taking more step from her seat with so much rage that her chair nearly tipped backward. "Do you think we’re stupid? What kind of dumb story is this?! We bid. We won. Now you’re telling us it was all a mistake?" She stormed a few steps closer to the stage, ignoring the gasps and stares that followed her. "Let me warn you. If you open that mouth of yours one more time, I will come up there and slap the lies off your face!"

The announcer’s eyes widened, and she took an instinctive step back.

"We are not accepting this rubbish!" Victoria continued, turning to look at Abigail for support. "It is not difficult to understand. We won that dress in a fair bid, and it now belongs to us. Whether you or your so-called management like it or not, that dress is ours."

At that moment, Abigail, who had managed to stay calm until now, finally stood up too. Her heels clicked sharply on the marble floor, commanding attention. Her expression was fierce, and the coldness in her eyes made the announcer swallow hard.

"I want to speak to the director. Now," Abigail said, her voice low and dangerous. "Get her here. Immediately."