Chapter Three: The Third Shareholder at the Gala

On the night of Obsidian's charity gala, Zhiwei wore a rented black dress and a share certificate worth nine figures around her wrist. She had sealed the cotton paper in transparent archival film, turning it into an absurdly plain bracelet. An attendant stopped her. Xie Yutang approached with champagne. “The invitation is real. The guest may not be. Wearing a counterfeit does not make it an antique.” “Nor does wearing an inheritance long enough make it belong to the counterfeit heir.” Conversation died. Yutang moved to throw her drink, but Zhiwei caught the base of the glass. “Your brooch is last night's replica. The prong angle is off by two degrees. Obsidian PR ordered rushed work.”