Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 136

Chapter 136 When the Morren Jewel Was Revealed 

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Tylissa had never been treated this coldly in her entire life, and she could tell the indifference was genuine. He wasn’t any warmer last time, but she couldn’t believe, right then, in this setting of all places, he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend. 

She felt the surrounding gazes converging on her, and the scrutiny made her unbearably self- conscious. Fortunately, just then, the lights suddenly dimmed, plunging the hall into darkness. 

Jonathan stood on the raised platform. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to Ava’s coming–of–age party. If there’s been anything lacking in our hospitality tonight, I hope you’ll forgive us. Thank you all.” 

His speech was brief and to the point. 

Compared to the long–winded addresses others favored, this kind of succinctness was clearly far more appealing to the younger crowd. 

A beam of light suddenly landed on a spot along the staircase on the second floor. 

A slender figure stood there, and as she slowly stepped forward, the spotlight followed her 

movements. 

Ava looked down at the sea of heads below. 

She could feel the curious, probing gazes fixed on her from all directions. Straightening her back, she descended the stairs at an unhurried pace. Wisps of light mist rose around her, veiling her figure so that she appeared and disappeared within the haze. 

When she reached the landing between the upper and lower floors, the lights throughout the room came on one by one. Ava glanced toward a corner and caught sight of Jane’s mischievous 

eyes. 

Helpless over her cousin’s playful sense of drama, she quickly withdrew her down the steps, one measured step at a time. 

gaze 

and continued 

The silence around her was almost oppressive. 

The crowd seemed unable to recover from that first moment of astonishment. People instinctively held their breath as their eyes followed her. She neither hurried nor lingered, her steps steady and composed, like a classical beauty who had stepped straight out of the distant age of ancient Terran. 

They couldn’t believe that there really were people who could make a silk dress look this 

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Chapter 136 When the Morren Jewel Was Revealed 

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stunning. The soft lavender fabric traced her slender figure perfectly. Butterflies embroidered with gold and silver thread seemed ready to take flight as she moved. The collar was buttoned all the way up to her neck, her body fully covered, yet somehow no one could tear their eyes 

away. 

Her accessories were understated: a pearl hair comb nestled in her hair, pearl earrings, a string of pearls resting at her neck, and on her left wrist, as she walked, a flash of striking green. 

Unlike those who wore silk dresses online with an air that felt overly showy, this young heiress looked nothing but pleasing to the eye. She was breathtaking in a way that felt effortless, the very image of refined elegance–just like the sheltered young ladies described in books. 

Margaret was the first to break the silence. 

She stepped forward, took Ava’s hand, and looked around at everyone present. “Everyone, this is the child we have just welcomed home, Ava Morren. I hope all of you will look after her from 

now on.” 

Instantly, the atmosphere came alive. 

Applause broke out across the room, lively and sustained. A few women who were close to Margaret promptly moved in to chat with her, openly and approvingly appraising Ava. 

The hall buzzed with voices, murmurs overlapping at every turn. Ava stood beside Margaret, following her closely as she was introduced to one person after another. 

“D*mn, the Morrens really kept this girl hidden. She’s gorgeous—exactly my type. I’m calling it now, I want to pursue her.” 

“The Morren brothers will break your legs if they hear you say that.” 

“They’re already throwing her a coming–of–age party. She’s an adult. It’s not illegal to pursue her, is it? Are Geffery, Keifon, and Asher really going to police who their sister dates?” 

“Just think it to yourself. Look all you want, but don’t get ahead of yourself.” 

Meanwhile, Ryan’s expression looked terrifyingly grim. 

His whole body radiated a keep–your–distance aura. A few people had initially thought about approaching their group, but one look at their faces and they abandoned the idea altogether. 

The area around the five of them became a vacuum. 

The men nearby could all feel the unspoken pressure, a primal instinct warning them away. None of them dared drift closer, afraid that they might somehow provoke an attack the next second. 

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Ryan ground his teeth. 

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He was younger than the others and far less composed, and his temperament was already blunt and explosive to begin with. 

Hearing other men openly talk about Ava, their interest unmistakable, made him so furious that he wanted nothing more than to tear them apart. 

He was like a young lion that had been provoked but had nowhere to vent its rage. All he could do was suppress it, letting the pressure build higher and higher, waiting for the moment it would finally erupt. 

Compared to Ryan’s barely concealed anger, the others were far more restrained. 

Ethan’s gaze never left her. He watched as she moved through the crowd with Margaret, obedient and delicate like a porcelain doll. He paid attention to nothing else, his focus fixed entirely on her. 

Mason leaned lazily against the wall, one foot lightly tapping the floor. 

His expression hovered between a smile and a smirk as he muttered to himself, “Ah… my treasure’s been discovered. That’s a bit annoying.” 

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