Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

Everyone was curiously trying to get a glimpse of the gift Nicole was giving to Hayden.

Only Natasha remained seated in her original spot, picking through the food before her.

She was not particularly fond of sweets other than the small cakes and macarons on display. They were also the only option other than alcohol.

Hayden braced herself and opened the gift. She didn't expect much from a smaller family like the Bradleys.

An emerald diamond necklace soon came into view, perfectly matching Hayden's dress that day.

"I had my father win an auction bid for this emerald diamond necklace. It really suits you!" Nicole explained as she helped Hayden put the necklace on.

Emerald diamonds were not cheap by any means. Hayden was delighted by the gift as she turned to look at Matthew.

Matthew immediately picked up on her signal and pulled out a mirror out of nowhere, like performing a magic trick.

He chimed in, "Here, have a look. How is it? Did your future daughter-in-law make a good choice?"

Hayden was so happy to receive the gift that she did not pick up on the details.

Everyone nearby who heard what Matthew said already understood the implications. A few among the crowd had already begun to think about how to cozy up with the Bradley family later.

Just then, Hayden caught sight of Natasha, who was enjoying her food, through the mirror's reflection.

The smile on her face abruptly stiffened, and Nicole's eyes also turned to follow where she was looking.

"Oh, Natasha! I had no idea you would be attending! Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I'll have Matthew bring you inside," Nicole said.

Hayden was a little displeased by Nicole's behavior. It was as if she were the star of the banquet.

Hayden and Steven may be divorced, but the Fosters still held her birthday banquet as a gesture of respect.

Nicole's pretentious behavior around Hayden naturally rubbed Hayden the wrong way.

"You're Nicole's sister, Natasha. You should have told us about your arrival earlier. Now you're just making us seem like bad hosts."

Hayden had grown distant with Natasha ever since Natasha turned down her request yesterday.

Back then, because of her relationship with Matthew, Natasha studied Hayden's preferences extensively and catered to Hayden meticulously.

Hayden would not have favored Natasha so much otherwise.

"It's fine. This is your birthday banquet after all, Mrs. Simon. I'm simply here to say happy birthday."

Natasha handed over the scarf that she never had the chance to give Hayden back then.

Nicole, given her lack of manners, decided to open up the gift on the spot.

"What's this, Natasha? It looks like it's already snagged."

She sneered and pulled the scarf out of the gift box with her fingers.

Natasha's gift may have paled in comparison to Nicole's necklace, but it was still a token of sincerity.

The scarf was originally meant for Elvira, but Natasha had no idea when they would meet again.

She didn't bother to look for something else to use as a gift.noveldrama

Nicole immediately threw the scarf back into the box with a look of disgust. "Natasha, don't tell me this is your own used scarf."

The crowd started murmuring among themselves. "What's with her? Giving something she had used as a gift? That's kind of gross."

"A scarf can only possibly be worth tens of thousands of dollars at their highest. It's nothing compared to a necklace worth millions."

Natasha sighed and explained, "Ms. Simon, you're being deceived. The necklace

is actually just an ordinary diamond necklace painted green with the best color dyeing process."

The crowd was left stunned by the reveal.

It was their first time witnessing a scene in which a gift was exposed as a fake right there on the spot.

"What are you talking about, Natasha? Do you even know what an emerald diamond is?"