Wife by Day, Boss by Night

Gracia used to be all about pink dresses that screamed "teenage dream. It suited her as being the young thing she was, but she flipped the script today. Some folks barely recognized her when she walked in.

But people must admit today's look was great. This hint of sophistication worked for her. It gave her this vibe like she carried more weight in the world.

And that clutch in her hand? It was an eye-catcher, one of those limited-edition, custom-made deals with leather so rare you'd have better luck finding a four-leaf clover.

No one was sure what happened with Brian's proposal, which seemed to fizzle out, but with Gracia's new aura, rolling up in a Rolls-Royce, and having the Howard family's butler shadowing her, she was serving some serious "first lady of the manor" energy.

The media at the entrance went quiet for a second. It wasn't until one brave soul started snapping shots that the rest of them swarmed her like bees to honey.

Gràcia didn't loiter at the door, though. She headed straight to the main event, the auction.

She whipped out her VIP ticket, found her spot, and sat in the front row without hesitation.

When Gracia took her seat, the place got a whole lot quieter.

First off, she looked drop-dead gorgeous tonight. And secondly, Brian was also attending this event. But judging by the setup, they hadn't synced calendars. There might be a good show coming.

Gracia had barely settled in when Brian strolled in fashionably with Natalie on his arm.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

Natalie was rocking the natural look, makeup-free, but still managing to hold her own beside Brian. They were a perfect match, height-wise. Some even whispered that Brian might not be up to Natalie's level despite his poster-boy looks.

Gracia always seemed like a delicate young girl beside Brian, nodding to whatever he said.

You know what they say about comparisons. They're the thief of joy. Even with Gracia's mature getup tonight, it couldn't hold a candle to Natalie's effortless elegance.

One exuded a try-hard vibe, the other a calm, collected presence that didn't need to fight to draw attention.

From the moment Natalie walked in, all eyes were on her, filled with awe and envy.

"Isn't that the dress from the runway show last week?"

"How does it suit her better than the model?"

"Can't it be more obvious? It's all about the price tag! That's a designer piece, usually reserved for A-listers and the uber-rich. Regular folks can't even dream of custom orders like that."

"Didn't Brian pick that out for her?"

The whispers spread among the women like wildfire.

Meanwhile, the high-end fashion mags had their lenses trained om Natalie, completely ignoring Gracia

since Natalie came in.

When Natalie settled into her seat, she took the gold-embossed m program from a server. Inside

Inside were

the best of the night's diamonds,

each with a story.

She skimmed it, set it aside, and

scanned the crowd, her

d her gazeo m

inadvertently locking with Gracia's in

the front

row.