My Stepsister Livestreamed My Billion-Dollar Wedding Gown Chapter 03
Hale let out a cold laugh and glanced sideways at me.
“Keep quiet now, and we might still let you share in the benefits later.”
Talia paid me no mind at all.
Her gaze suddenly locked onto her phone screen.
[I recognize this gown! It’s that famous couture piece! There’s something hidden inside.]
Her eyes lit up instantly.
She handed her livestream phone to Sterling and bent down to search through the gown.
Her hands moved wildly over the fabric, traveling from the skirt up to the sash and tangling the neatly arranged bead embroidery I’d finished.
I stepped forward to stop her, but she quickly moved between me and the gown.
Her fingertips paused at a raised section on the side of the sash.
She examined it twice before pulling a jade medallion from the hidden pocket inside the sash and lifting it toward the light.
The stone was flawless, translucent like still water.
Under the lamp, it glowed with a soft, rich luster.
Talia practically jumped back in shock, eyes blown wide, and shrieked in a high-pitched voice.
“Gwen! You’ve got such an amazing treasure!”
I looked over, startled.
Talia held the jade medallion high above her head.
Light passed through the stone, casting a warm glow across her palm.
She turned toward the camera, her tone dripping with envy.
“Hey guys, look. This must be some secret treasure Gwen’s hiding.”
I immediately spoke up.
“Talia, put that down right now! It’s far too precious to replace!”
Talia tilted her head and held the medallion up to her own neck like she was trying it on.
“Gwen, why are you so stingy? I just wanna look at it. Won’t you even let me see?”
“Give it back!”
I stepped forward, reaching for it.
Sterling moved into my path and blocked me.
I stopped short, my frustration rising.
Hale grabbed the gown’s long train and looked at me with a threatening stare.
“Gwen, if you want this gown to stay intact, just let Talia play.”
“Who are you trying to impress with that petty attitude?”
Mom came closer and reached for a row of pearls stitched onto the gown’s sleeve.
She plucked one pearl free with a laugh and tossed it lightly in her palm.
“This pearl is so round. It’d make a perfect bracelet for Talia.”
“Don’t touch it!”
I shouted.
No one listened.
Sterling stared at the view count on the livestream dashboard, his eyes growing wider.
“Nearly two million viewers. Talia, you’re gonna be a top streamer.”
Talia covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter, her eyes curved into thin crescent slits.
The rest of them gathered around her, talking over each other, growing more excited by the second.
Mom clapped her hands, saying they’d sign with an agency once Talia hit the trending page.
The whole family would benefit from her growing popularity.
Sterling grinned from ear to ear.
“Once Talia blows up, attention on my family’s boutique will skyrocket. Gwen, your atelier could benefit from Talia’s popularity too.”
Hale turned to glance at me and sneered.
“See? Regret not helping Talia from the start?”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and reached for my phone.
Hale reacted instantly.
He stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
I stopped and looked at him.
“If something really goes wrong later, we’ll say you ruined the gown yourself. No one will believe you anyway.”
Sterling raised the livestream camera toward me, comments scrolling nonstop.
[She’s jealous of her sister again.]
[Pretending to be so pure and high and mighty.]
[This is so satisfying to watch.]
I gritted my teeth and tried to make a call.
Hale took my phone and powered it off before slipping it into his pocket.
I turned to leave and get staff to stop them.
I’d barely taken two steps when Sterling moved in front of me, blocking the doorway.
I stopped in my tracks.
The entire room had become a spectacle.
And this time, I finally understood.
There was no reason for me to keep protecting people who had never protected me.
