Chapter 127 The Press Conference Begins
The CEO's office upstairs had never been so lively. Nathaniel had surprisingly allowed the stylists into his office, turning it into Aurelia's fitting room.
Seeing the gown displayed in his office lounge, Aurelia felt as if she had been given a sweet treat. That man, who usually spoke harshly, could also do things that made people happy.
The two stylists were amazed by the luxurious gown. One of them couldn't help but exclaim, "The fabric and the cut of this dress are probably beyond the reach of ordinary designers. It must have cost a lot."
The other stylist chuckled, "Mr. Heilbronn isn't someone who cares about money. He has more than he can spend."
"You're right, but having a dress customized to fit his wife's measurements and not revealing it until the last minute to surprise her—such men are rare."
"Enough. It's someone else's husband. Our husbands don't understand what surprises are."
After chatting for a while, the stylists finally came to their senses.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, should we change?" one of the stylists said.
Aurelia nodded.
The gown was taken off from the dummy and placed gently on the large bed in the lounge. After the stylists left and closed the door, Aurelia carefully examined the gown. The fabric was soft yet textured, embodying the understated luxury style she loved, and it fit her perfectly.
As she was about to change, she noticed a row of black marks around the waist of the pristine white dress, marks that wouldn't be noticed unless looked at closely. She picked it up and saw, written in pen, 'I am a whore.'
The small words were densely packed, coincidentally at the seam.
With no time to dwell on who had maliciously ruined her dress, as the press conference was about to start, she put the dress aside. The most urgent matter now was to find a replacement outfit.
Seeing that she hadn't changed and looked flustered, the stylists followed her out, not knowing what had happened.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, what's wrong?" one of them asked.
Aurelia quickly called Ulysses. "Ulysses, can you bring me a dress for the press conference now?"
Knowing her measurements, Ulysses readily agreed, "Where are you? I can come over right now."
"I'm at the Heilbronn Group. How long will it take?" she asked.
Looking at the map, Ulysses replied, "About an hour. Will that be okay?"
An hour was too long. Aurelia's heart sank. With less than half an hour until the press conference, by the time Ulysses arrived with the dress, the event would likely be over.
"Ulysses, it's too late. I'll figure it out," she said before hanging up, not even paying attention to the people following her. She decided to go downstairs to find Nathaniel; he was unreachable, but she was sure he would have a solution.
As she was about to step into the elevator, Marcus emerged from it, catching her by surprise. Seeing her distressed expression, Marcus asked, "Aurelia, what's wrong?"
Aurelia explained truthfully, "The dress I'm supposed to wear has been maliciously ruined, and I need to find a new one as a replacement."
Adjusting his glasses, Marcus smiled gently, "Aurelia, don't worry. Have you forgotten what I do?"
Aurelia, who had been frantic, suddenly remembered that Marcus was in the luxury gown business, and his Auro brand store likely had dresses she could use for emergencies.
"Uncle Marcus, please help me," she said.
Marcus chuckled, "Don't worry."
He immediately called his assistant to bring the dress.
Still caught up in her nervous state, Aurelia worried she might miss the time if she had to wait. To her surprise, within just two minutes of Marcus making the call, his assistant arrived with a beautifully packed box, as if it had been prepared in advance and was awaiting a call.
"Mr. Heilbronn, here are the dress you requested," the assistant said.
Marcus took the box and handed it to Aurelia's stylist.
"Aurelia, go change. Don't worry. If you need anything, tell me," he said.
"Thank you," Aurelia replied, too preoccupied to say more, and hurried back to the CEO's office to change.
She decided to keep the dress incident low-key. It wouldn't look good for the Heilbronn Group if such an embarrassing incident were exposed.
Marcus provided a black gown with pearl embellishments, matching the quality of the previous one. After changing into it, Aurelia felt a slight pang of regret; she had preferred the white dress.
It seemed Marcus preferred black; the last time, he also gave her a black dress.
As she stepped out in the new outfit, it drew murmurs from the stylists waiting outside.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, this black dress is quite nice too. I think it suits you even better than the white one," one of them commented.
"Nonsense. I still think the white one looks better. Mrs. Heilbronn, where was the white dress damaged? I didn't see any flaws," the other stylist said.
Aurelia politely smiled and had the white dress packed up. Despite passing this hurdle, she knew Nathaniel would need to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, she had a good idea of who would stoop so low to do such a thing to her, considering who her adversaries were.
Just as she was about to head downstairs, Nathaniel called.
"Are you ready? The press conference is about to begin. Come down now."
Downstairs, numerous media outlets had gathered. This launch event for the Heilbronn Group's new products was grander than any before. Dozens of large and small media outlets were present, and every media outlet with a recognizable name had been invited.
With such a large gathering, everyone speculated that the Heilbronn Group's new seasonal flagship jewelry piece must be extraordinary.
Everyone waited with bated breath.
Those in the industry who couldn't attend were glued to their televisions, waiting for the live broadcast.
Many of Nathaniel's friends had come to the event, and Heilbronn Group employees were eagerly awaiting the start of the conference. They had been working overtime for over a month to prepare for this moment, and now they were excited to see the results.
Aurelia, accompanied by a few people, emerged from the CEO's private elevator, and the crowd quickly made way for her.
Nathaniel watched as she approached, her makeup exquisite, her beauty almost too intense, but she wasn't wearing the custom gown he had prepared for her.
He was filled with countless doubts, but he couldn't ask her about it in front of everyone at that moment. He felt some dissatisfaction, wondering what was going on with this woman. Why wasn't she wearing the dress he had sent her? He prepared it for her especially. Moreover, he had reminded the designers many times, fearing the gown would be delayed and disrupt the event.
But she wasn't wearing it.
Glancing at his watch, he saw it was exactly 10 a.m.
"Let's begin," he said.
The host took the stage to speak, "Respected guests, media friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the Heilbronn Group's jewelry division's summer new product launch. Now, let our Mr. Heilbronn and the designer showcase the exquisite new jewelry piece for this season, a stunning diamond bracelet."
Nathaniel took out the jewelry box containing the showcase item, opened it, and revealed a sparkling diamond bracelet that shone brilliantly under the flashlights.
The crowd gasped in awe, "It's so beautiful."
Sharp-eyed journalists had already noticed that the diamond bracelet Aurelia was wearing on her wrist was identical to the one held by the Heilbronn Group's CEO. They were astonished and asked, "Mr. Heilbronn, isn't it a tradition for the Heilbronn Group to create a single piece for each season's new collection, with production starting months later? Why does your designer have one already?"
Other media outlets chimed in, "Exactly, Mr. Heilbronn, this isn't fair. Everyone knows that the Heilbronn Group's jewelry pieces are unique and hard to come by. The designer shouldn't casually wear them."
"Mr. Heilbronn, are you giving special treatment to the designer? Isn't this breaking industry rules?"
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