Joanna Jacobs's smile made Liam Valerius, who was speaking on stage, falter and forget what he was going to say next.
The background music seemed to stop. Everyone turned to look at Liam Valerius on stage, their faces holding various odd expressions.
'So after all that, after all those heartfelt words... turns out he just memorized it all. Nothing he said was actually from the heart...'
Liam Valerius glanced helplessly at Jameson Valerius, and sure enough, his father's expression darkened. Jameson turned to speak to the person beside him, no longer listening to Liam's speech, refusing to even look at him.
Onstage, Liam Valerius gritted his teeth, watching the crowd gathered around Damien Valerius below. He hastily concluded his half-finished speech and stepped down.
