Half a month later at the Kingsport Grand Hotel, an invitation-only gala was being held in the top-floor ballroom. It was a welcome banquet hosted specifically for the mysterious L, the Grand Prize winner of the exhibition, to celebrate the launch of her domestic tour. The city's influential figures, celebrities, and leading artists were in attendance, mingling amidst the clinking of glasses and the rustle of designer gowns.
I wore a moonlight-white haute couture gown with my long hair elegantly pinned up, while an exquisite silk evening glove covered my right arm to hide those hideous scars. Arm in arm with my grandfather, Mr. Vance Sr., I walked gracefully down the spiral staircase. The eyes of the entire room instantly focused on us as admiring compliments and polite flattery followed
