Messing With Her? Are You Crazy! novel Chapter 852

To manufacture hype and an air of mystery, the Doyle family's high-profile gala required all guests to wear masks.

In reality, it was just a convenient excuse for the usually prudish elites to throw their money around with reckless abandon.

Stepping out of the car, Serena looped her arm through Nicholas's, who was also masked, and they walked toward the banquet hall. Since she was there on official business to procure the Astral Titanium, her goal was to remain completely unnoticed. They had arrived in a deliberately understated black luxury sedan worth perhaps a few hundred thousand dollars—a vehicle that looked utterly unremarkable amidst a sea of multi-million-dollar supercars.

Inside the opulent hall, Bianca Doyle stood at the center of attention. She wore a custom crimson mermaid gown and a diamond-encrusted fox mask. As the daughter of the hosting family, wearing a mask was a mere formality; everyone knew exactly who she was.

A swarm of debutantes fluttered around her, showering her with compliments about the gala's sheer scale and exclusivity. Wealthy socialites approached her, subtly trying to confirm the rumors about the auction catalog. Basking in the adulation, Bianca offered a smug, triumphant smile.

"Bianca, this event is absolutely breathtaking," one of her inner circle gushed.

"Seriously, the Doyle family is setting the new gold standard for Vaelion City."

Bianca tilted her chin up, her eyes gleaming with arrogance. "Naturally. Our family's true power goes far beyond this." She took a delicate sip of champagne, her gaze sweeping the room as if searching for someone.

"Who knows?" Bianca scoffed. "The Lancasters are so embarrassed they haven't dared to announce it publicly."

Another girl frowned. "Is she really that shameful?"

Bianca took another sip of champagne, her smile dripping with malice. "You hit the nail on the head. The girl they brought back was raised in some backwater town. She's full of nasty habits, didn't even finish high school before getting expelled, and ran away to the city to gold-dig. I heard she aggressively throws herself at wealthy guys, acting like a desperate stray just to get a taste of the high life."