Sophia Sullivan parted her lips.
She wanted to argue.
But the words died in her throat.
Her identity as the Crimson Serpent was no longer a secret.
The perfume competition scandal had caused an uproar.
It had barely settled down.
Now it was being dragged into the open again.
The surrounding gazes pierced her like needles.
Her cheeks burned.
She suppressed her fury.
Instead, she turned her skepticism toward Sophia.
"Three hundred million? That's quite the claim, Ms. Sullivan."
"Did someone else gift you that card too?"
Her tone dripped with sarcasm.
In her eyes, Sophia couldn’t possibly afford such an amount.
That card had to be shady—
Probably payment from a sugar daddy.
The moment she spoke, the room fell silent.
All eyes locked onto the card.
A few discerning elites gasped.
"That’s a Decagon Platinum Card!"
"The holder must earn at least a hundred million annually."
"And pass strict identity verification."
"It’s a status symbol."
Chloe froze.
She thought she’d misheard.
Liam Winston frowned.
The idea was absurd.
"How could she be a Decagon VIP?"
"That card has to be fake."
His voice was firm.
He couldn’t even secure a Decagon invitation.
There was no way Sophia had a Platinum Card.
Then he remembered—before the divorce,
Sophia had given him a Decagon invitation.
But she’d taken it back afterward.
Even scraped the wallpaper off the walls.
The woman was despicable.
Liam scoffed.
"I saw the token first."
"Sophia’s just causing trouble."
"She probably scammed that card."
Before he could finish,
a bespectacled man nearby spoke up.
"Perhaps Mr. Winston should educate himself."
His gaze was disdainful.
"Decagon Platinum Cards are biometric."
"The holder’s name is engraved."
"Impossible to forge—globally unique."
A simple verification would settle it.
Liam sneered.
"That name can’t be hers."
If Sophia were truly a Decagon VIP,
why would she endure three years in the Winston family?
But then it hit him—
If someone else had given her the card,
it meant Sophia already had a powerful patron.
A Decagon VIP, no less.
His face darkened.