He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 153

Juniper Lane purposely wore a very light, understated makeup look today; stepping into a venue like this required a massive amount of courage.

The Sterling family wielded immense power and influence, filling the guest list with the city's absolute elite, while the reporters who had caught wind of the event were barricaded far away from the venue.

A lavish red carpet stretched all the way from the drop-off point to the hotel's grand entrance.

The evening banquet was dazzlingly opulent, making Juniper's fifty-dollar pale green dress blend into the background—neither drawing attention nor looking entirely out of place.

Before the event, Zara Zimmer had handed her a dossier outlining the general backgrounds of the VIP guests.

Juniper had never stepped foot in this exclusive world before, so she needed to memorize their identities.

She stood holding a glass of champagne, genuinely surprised to spot Caleb Xavier in the crowd.

The banquet was a high-stakes networking ground, with small groups huddled together in quiet conversation.

Juniper took a step toward Caleb, realizing he was the only person she actually knew here.

But after taking just a few steps, she noticed Caleb walking away with his drink, heading straight toward Nelson Saint.

She immediately spun on her heel, desperate to avoid a run-in with Nelson.

Yet she couldn't shake the feeling of a lingering, intense gaze burning into her back. She kept her head down, realizing it made perfect sense—Julian and Nelson were close friends, so of course Nelson would be at an event like this.

She pressed her lips together, reluctant to throw away such a rare networking opportunity, but suddenly felt a small hand grip hers.

She looked down to find Josie Saint, apparently lost and looking for her parents.

There were hardly any children at a high-society banquet like this.

Josie didn't even realize who she was holding onto; she was simply too short to see faces in the crowd.

Juniper instinctively pulled her hand back, wanting absolutely nothing to do with Nelson's child.

But in the next second, Josie tumbled to the floor, scraping her knee so badly that blood immediately pooled on the ground.

Josie had been clutching a heavy glass of juice; the glass shattered on impact, and she had landed squarely on the broken shards.

Caught off guard by the sudden accident, Juniper immediately knelt down. "Are you okay?"

Josie's eyes instantly welled with tears, and she burst into loud sobs.

She sat on the floor, the blood gushing from her injured knee, making the cut look incredibly severe.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify