Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 127: Dress Debacle & Birthday Gala

The Neo-Luminara Grand Galleria sparkled like a jewel box under the midday sun, its glass-domed atrium casting golden rays onto the marble floors below.

Arthur stood rigidly beside a mannequin display, his expression teetering between boredom and impending doom.

Meanwhile, Ashley radiated energy, practically buzzing with excitement.**

"Arthur, look!" she exclaimed, holding up a dress that seemed to be made entirely of silver chains and questionable life choices. "This one screams mysterious femme fatale, don’t you think?"

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "It screams arrest me for public indecency."

Ashley pouted and tossed the dress back onto the rack. "You’re no fun!"

She turned to the boutique’s sales associate, a wide-eyed young woman who looked like she regretted her career choices. "We need something elegant but dangerous, like if a stiletto knife were a dress!"

The associate blinked in confusion. "I... think we have a Valen that might fit that description?"

Arthur checked his watch for the seventh time in ten minutes. "Ashley, the gala is in three days! Don’t you already own fifty dresses?"

"Fifty-seven," she corrected him while flipping through another rack. "But none say ’I’m sophisticated enough for politics but could also ruin your life.’"

A passing shopper choked on their coffee.

Arthur sighed and pulled out his phone to check messages, anything to distract himself from this fresh hell. "Just pick something black and normal."

Ashley gasped dramatically, clutching her chest as if wounded. "Black? Normal?Arthur, I may be your cousin, but I refuse to be your fashion victim!"

She held up a crimson gown with a slit that promised scandalous adventures ahead. "This! This is the one."

Arthur eyed it with growing horror. "That’s not a dress; that’s a liability lawsuit waiting to happen."

"Nonsense! It’s confident." She turned to the associate with determination in her eyes. "I’ll try it on, and bring me those stilettos that could double as murder weapons!"

As Ashley disappeared into the dressing room, Arthur resigned himself to his fate by leaning against a display case.

His phone buzzed,a message from Nathaniel:

"How’s Operation: Tame Ashley going?"

"I’m considering disowning her," he typed back.

The response came instantly: "Too late! She’s already in the will."

Before Arthur could reply, an ear-piercing shriek echoed from the dressing rooms followed by an ominous crash.

"Ashley?" he called out warily.

The curtain flew open to reveal Ashley tangled in what appeared to be three different dresses alongside a toppled clothing rack and one very distressed sales associate.

"I may have... underestimated the complexity of this zipper," Ashley admitted, struggling to free herself from the fabric that had ensnared her.

Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, summoning every ounce of patience he could muster. "You’re a grown woman. How do you not know how zippers work?"

"They’re treacherous, Arthur! One second you’re fine, and the next, bamb,you’re a human hoodrito!"

The associate, now visibly sweating, attempted to help untangle her. "Ma’am, if you could just, oh dear, that’s the curtain rod...."

Arthur rubbed his temples in exasperation. "I’m leaving."

"No you don’t!" Ashley lunged forward, still half-wrapped in fabric, grabbing his wrist with surprising strength. "You promised! No running away!"

A small crowd began to gather around them, phones discreetly (and not-so-discreetly) recording the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

Arthur weighed his options: stay and endure this humiliation or fake his own death and flee the country entirely.

Before he could decide on an escape plan, Ashley finally broke free, only to trip directly into him, sending both of them crashing into a mannequin display.

Silence.

Then came Ashley’s muffled voice from beneath a pile of faux limbs and sequined fabric:

"...Okay, maybe I see your point about the liability thing."

Emerging from the wreckage with a mannequin arm awkwardly draped over his shoulder, Arthur stared at the ceiling as if asking the universe why.

The boutique manager approached with a strained smile. "Mr. Osborn, perhaps... online shopping would be more your speed?"

Ashley finally stood upright and dusted herself off with a triumphant grin. "Nonsense! We’ll take the red one,and whatever cleaning bill comes with..."

She gestured dramatically to their surroundings. "This."

With all the resignation of a man signing his own execution order, Arthur pulled out his black card.

As they left the boutique,Ashley triumphantly carrying her dress while Arthur carried emotional scars,she looped her arm through his.

"See? That wasn’t so bad," she chirped cheerfully.

Arthur shot her a deadpan look. "I will never take you shopping again."

Ashley beamed at him mischievously. "Yes, you will."

And honestly? The terrifying part was that she was probably right.

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The Hyperion GT20 purred to a stop before the grand staircase of the Neo-Luminara Grand Ballroom, its obsidian-black finish gleaming under the soft glow of floating lumen orbs that lined the entrance.

As the doors lifted smoothly, Arthur stepped out, his polished dress shoes meeting the crimson carpet that unfurled like a fiery tongue up the marble steps.

Beside him, Ashley emerged in a gown of liquid crimson, its shimmering fabric moving with an almost sentient grace; the high slit revealed just enough to be scandalous without crossing into indecency.

"Okay, Ashley, try not to embarrass me tonight," Arthur muttered as they ascended the stairs, his eyes scanning the security detail discreetly positioned along the railings.

Ashley adjusted her delicate silver torque and flashed him a wicked grin. "Oh please! If anyone’s going to make a scene tonight, it’s definitely you."

The grand entrance doors loomed twenty feet tall, carved from rare blackwood harvested from the floating forests of the Celestial Archipelago.

As they swung open, a breathtaking spectacle unfolded before them: it was the mayor’s birthday gala,a dazzling display of wealth and power.

The ceiling soared high above them,a domed masterpiece crafted from transparent alloy that revealed a star-studded night sky.

The stars shimmered with an amplified brilliance thanks to some hidden technology that made them burn like diamonds.

Chandeliers made of crystallized ether floated unsuspended overhead, casting prismatic light that refracted across the room in dancing rainbows.

Beneath their feet lay polished obsidian veined with gold, so flawless it reflected guests like a dark mirror.

Towering arches lined the walls and led to balconies where shadowy figures,bodyguards no doubt,stood watch over this extravagant affair.

At the center of it all was a raised platform featuring a musician playing a harmonium,an instrument native to Panterra’s elite.

Its strings were woven from deep-sea leviathan nerves, producing sounds that resonated in bones rather than ears,low and thrumming in an oddly hypnotic rhythm.

A banquet table stretched along one wall, laden with delicacies Arthur had only ever read about in luxury gastronomy logs:

Emberclaw Crab Legs: Harvested from volcanic trenches in Ignis; their shells still steaming and meat infused with spices that danced on your tongue.

Stratos Puffin Eggs: Delicate orbs served in spun sugar nests; their yolks shimmering silver.

Voidfin Caviar :Glittering black pearls sourced from fish swimming in lightless depths; said to induce lucid dreams if consumed excessively.

And drinks? No less extravagant! Instead of wine, servers floated by with flutes of Starlight Nectar,a luminescent blue liquor distilled from flowers blooming only under moonlight.

The elite of Neo-Luminara glided through the hall like exotic fish in a vibrant aquarium,striking, formidable, and fully aware of their own significance.

Arthur recognize a few people in the hall as well. His gaze landed on Senator Orla Drake, engrossed in conversation with a cluster of corporate titans, his impeccably tailored suit shimmering with threads of pure cerulite.

Nearby, Madame Rose, a mid-sized arms dealer, reclined on an opulent divan, her gown crafted entirely from interlocking platinum scales that danced with every breath she took.

As Arthur scanned the room, he nodded occasionally to those around him, the true crème de la crème of Neo-Luminara: business moguls, high-ranking officials, and influential politicians.

Suddenly, he froze; his eyebrows shot up as he caught sight of Jessica Armitage in the far corner near the mayor’s podium.

The voluptuous policewoman stood out in her ice-blue gown,a stark contrast to Ashley’s fiery attire.

Their eyes locked instantly; Jessica’s lips curled into a smirk that promised trouble.

Ashley noticed Arthur’s sudden halt and followed his gaze to Jessica.

A playful smirk crept onto her lips as she leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. "Well, well! Looks like someone’s very happy to see you."

Arthur quickly diverted his attention and continued walking through the hall, though he couldn’t suppress the tension tightening in his jaw.

As they navigated through the crowd, snippets of conversation floated around them:

A frazzled investor lamented to his companion while clutching a glass of champagne: "I’ve lost nearly half a billion on the northern expansion plan! If Osborn Real Estate hadn’t swooped in, I’d be sinking in the bay right now!"

Two businessmen clinked their glasses while laughing heartily: "I heard your investment made quite a splash from yesterday’s news report!"

"Hahaha! It’s all small profit," replied the other one, though pride gleamed unmistakably in his eyes.

Nearby stood a military officer from a neighboring country discussing issues with weapons manufacturers: "The new railguns keep jamming! If you can’t fix them soon, I’m taking my business to Osborn Heavy Industries."

"Please Lieutenant Joss," one manufacturer pleaded earnestly. "Give us just a few months, we can deliver satisfactory results!"

In another corner, a chef berated a server: "Who served the Emberclaw without chilled nectar? Do you want someone’s tongue to melt?"

The entire hall buzzed with energy as conversations intertwined like threads in an intricate tapestry, people weaving among one another to forge connections.

Women donned alluring dresses flitted about amidst laughter and clinking glasses filled with charming voices.

Arthur and Ashley nestled into a cozy table near a pillar, their laughter mingling with the lively chatter of the party around them.

They were in their own little world, savoring delicious bites and sipping on drinks, completely unfazed by the bustling crowd in the hall.

Ashley spotted a passing tray and swiftly plucked two flutes of Starlight Nectar, handing one to Arthur with a gleeful grin.

"Wow! The mayor really knows how to throw a party, doesn’t he?" she exclaimed, smacking her lips as she took in the refreshing drink.

Arthur took a careful sip, feeling the chill of the nectar dance on his tongue. It was like swallowing a piece of the night sky itself.

He sighed contentedly, "He really does know how to throw a party."

With a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, Ashley leaned closer and suggested playfully, "How about you throw an even grander party someday? Imagine that!"

Arthur paused for just a moment, taken aback by her enthusiasm. But then he nodded with an infectious smile. "Okay! I’m up for it!"

Just then, a melodious voice chimed from behind them, breaking through their banter: "Never thought you’d be invited to this party too, Arthur!"