Chapter 219

"Sophia, are we really invited to your birthday party?" Lydia Montgomery's voice trembled with excitement.

Her eyes sparkled as she nervously twisted her fingers together.

Sophia Lowell was the treasured heiress of the Lowell family. Attending her birthday gala could mean rubbing shoulders with high society. Even if she couldn't make connections, just witnessing the extravagance would give her bragging rights for months.

The classroom erupted in chatter as classmates swarmed around them.

Sophia dug her nails into her palms, maintaining a saccharine smile. "Of course! But..."

She batted her eyelashes playfully. "My brothers are throwing me a private family dinner too. That one's just for relatives."

"Totally understandable!"

"You're the best, Sophia!"

Her smile turned rigid, but she kept her graceful composure.

Across the room, Lillian Rothschild scoffed.

"Such a performance," she whispered to Evelyn Laurent. "What kind of decent party could she possibly throw?"

Evelyn flipped a textbook page without looking up. "Let her be."

Her finger paused on the calendar.

A red-circled date ten days away glared back at her.

For the first time, she noticed her own birthday.

Previous years found her either working part-time or buried in assignments. The Vincent Lowells never remembered, and she'd grown accustomed to ignoring it.

But now everything had changed.

Thinking of her doting brothers and adoring parents, Evelyn's lips curved upward unbidden.

She was actually looking forward to this birthday.

Meanwhile at the Lowell mansion, her brothers were in a frenzy of preparations.

"Director, wrap the last two episodes this week," Julian Langley commanded over the phone. "Nothing takes priority over my sister's birthday."

Alexander Langley canceled all overseas trips, buried in paperwork at his office.

Sebastian Langley's studio overflowed with fabric swatches as he scrutinized design drafts.

Deep in the research facility, Nathaniel Langley methodically pulled on latex gloves.

"How are we feeling today?" He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and lifted a glinting syringe.

On the hospital bed, Sebastian Royston convulsed violently, emitting choked whimpers of terror.