Chapter 2

Everyone froze, and I paused as well. With trembling hands, Mike pulled an onyx seal from the sash at Grace's waist, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. "The… the Tempest Seal?" Stunned, he rang the nightclub's biggest boss. "Mr. Tucker, the Tempest Seal just turned up. Please come and verify if it's real!" Bruce's expression darkened. Even Bonnie, still nestled in his arms, fell silent. Arnold Tucker, whom they reverently called "Mr. Tucker," was my father's godson. By age, I was more like an older sister to him. Knowing this was his turf, I eased up slightly and quietly waited for Victor to return. Before long, Arnold's personal secretary, Betty Carson, showed up. She said, "Mr. Tucker will be here shortly. Let me take a look first!" Just as her fingers touched the seal, Bonnie suddenly giggled in Bruce's arms. "What a coincidence. I have one of these worthless things too!" She pulled a velvet box from her handbag. The moment the box popped open, the room broke into an uproar. There were two identical Tempest Seals. "Hers has a crack!" Bonnie said. "It's a fake." Grace cried out, "My sister gave this to me. How could it be a fake? My sister is Erica Costello!" As soon as she said that, Bonnie laughed and said, "I have lived with the Costellos for years and never met this sister of yours. You really can't stop lying. Now you're even making up a sister?" Betty inspected the seals and respectfully handed Bonnie's back. Then she casually picked up where Grace left off. "Erica?" Betty sneered like she had just heard a joke. "I've never heard of this person." "Since the real Tempest Seal is with Ms. Lynch, we won't interfere with Ms. Costello's case. Please, carry on." With that, Betty stepped aside, acting like it was no longer any of her business. The men erupted into chaos. "Do the test! I bet 100 thousand dollars that baby's mine!" "Once the test is done, we all get a turn!" All of the men rushed over at once. One even started unbuckling his belt. "I'm upping my bet! Once the test is done, I'm going in first!" The men in lab coats pinned Grace to the stage again. A silver needle flashed as it moved to pierce her pale skin. Victor still hadn't returned, but I couldn't wait any longer. "Stop!" I leaped onto the stage and kicked over the tray of metal tools. Betty's eyes went wide. "Who is this crazy woman wrecking Mr. Tucker's place?" I smiled coldly and said, "Erica. Of the Costellos."