Chapter 200 Summer's Thoughts
As Daphne failed to reply, Charles's fingers hesitated over the keyboard, then amid a whirl of complex emotions, he sent another message.
Charles: [Once this is over, if you still can't stand me, I won't bother you anymore.]
He had realized over the past few days. Regardless of whether he liked Daphne or regretted their past, he resolved that if she truly couldn't stand him, then he shouldn't trouble her.
Daphne looked at his message and finally replied with a single word.
Daphne: [Okay.]
Charles couldn't quite pin down how he felt upon seeing her response.
Sometimes, he doubted if Daphne ever loved him at all. If she had, why had she remained so composed since the divorce?
She seemed... incapable of heartbreak.
In the following days, Charles kept sending flowers as usual, and Daphne had her assistant dispose of them as usual.
Daphne didn't need to pretend; Kayla had only mentioned Charles pursuing her and hadn't said that Daphne reciprocated any feelings. Thus, she proceeded as usual.
Before they knew it, three days had gone by, and the time for the party Marcus had mentioned arrived.
Daphne, uninterested in dressing up, simply wore her usual attire. Her hair spread across her shoulders, revealing her smooth and full forehead.
The party was scheduled for four o'clock in the afternoon. Daphne, after finishing her work, took a ride in the car that was arranged by Marcus, concerned that she might not attend. She arrived exuding an aura of indifference.
The party venue had everything one could ask for; food, drinks, and entertainment were all available in abundance.
She casually scanned the room, her gaze noting the roughly dozen people present, an even mix of men and women, each one engaged in conversation, laughter mingling with the sounds of the party.
Seeking to be inconspicuous, she found a spot where she could lower her presence and settled in, prepared to just sit through the long hours ahead.
What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was Summer's arrival.
She had barely settled down when Summer's grating voice appeared, accompanied by a surprised shout, "Daphne! Why didn't you tell me you were here? I've been looking all over for you."
Daphne opened her eyes to see Summer standing before her in a pretty dress and meticulous makeup.
"Let's go join the games over there," Summer suggested, overly familiar as she reached out to grab her, her eyes calculating, "The people Marcus introduced you to are all in that area."
"Let go," Daphne's gaze fell on the arm that Summer had grasped.
Summer hesitated, noticing others were beginning to gather around them, and said with a seemingly hurt tone, "I just thought you looked a little bored by yourself and wanted to take you along for some fun, no other reason."
"Who is this person? Why haven’t I seen her before?"
"Could she be crashing the party?"
"Summer, do you know her?"
The crowd's questions overlapped.
Over the past two years, thanks to her connection with Mr. Murphy, Summer had socialized with numerous high-society women, even more so than Daphne.
Apart from Lucia and their mutual friends, Daphne hardly engaged in socializing. It was both a genuine dislike for such events and a lack of need.
"I know her; Marcus asked her to come," Summer explained, her gaze shifting subtly, "But she doesn't really enjoy these kinds of events, it's her first time here."
With just a few words, Summer managed to twist the truth, leading the others to assume Daphne was just another social climber inserted into the party at her request to catch a wealthy heir.
Now, everyone speculated that Daphne took Marcus' generosity for granted.
"If you don't like it, then don't come. What’s with the attitude?" someone chided.
"Don't worry about her; let's go enjoy ourselves," another suggested.
"But Marcus asked me to take good care of her. If I just leave like this, Marcus might blame me," Summer said, acting the part perfectly.
Others, who didn't know Daphne, naturally took Summer's side, "If Marcus blames you, just let us know. We'll speak on your behalf."
"Exactly!"
"Forget about it, let's go.”
They walked away with Summer in tow.
Under other circumstances, Daphne might not have cared, knowing well that whatever others said was of no consequence to her.
But this was different; although Daphne hadn't befriended these socialites, she knew a bit about them. Everyone present today, aside from Summer, came from a strong family background, each one being the treasured darling of their household.
She didn't care about her reputation, but she did care about Lydia's.
This was her first appearance in this social circle, and if Summer succeeded in tarnishing her reputation, the circle would buzz with exaggerated tales of today's events.
By then, even if her real identity was revealed, everyone would just think Lydia had a sister with a bad personality.
But before she could speak up, another voice, surprisingly, cut into the conversation, "Daphne?"
Daphne was perplexed. What was going on today? Why was she running into two acquaintances at this event?
"It truly is you!" Aubrey approached with an open and friendly demeanor, "I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. What brings you here?"
Aubrey's words drew the attention of the onlookers. As the second daughter of the Smith Group, Aubrey was well-known, and her status was no secret.
Now, seeing her so warmly engaged with a stranger, who she appeared to quite like, the crowd was puzzled.
"Aubrey, who is this?"
"Do you know her too?"
The people nearby began to hesitate.
Compared to Summer, they were more familiar with Aubrey, who had grown up in the social circle.
Aubrey was the legitimate second daughter of the Smith Group, while Summer's connection to the Murphy Group was more tenuous; no one could be sure if she would remain affiliated with them.
"I forgot to introduce myself." Daphne finally said, her expression still serene, "I'm Daphne, from the Murphy Group."
At that revelation, everyone froze.
They mulled over her words; Daphne from the Murphy Group—this meant that she was also legitimate heiress of the Murphy Group.
But wasn't Lydia the only child of the Murphy Group?
"Are you Lydia's sister?" A voice tinged with curiosity piped up, coming from a girl who looked particularly sweet, standing not far from Daphne.
Daphne simply replied, "Yes."
The sweet-looking girl was astonished.
She approached with a smile, introducing herself, "I'm Qian Yun, a close friend of Lydia's. I've always heard her talk about having a sister, but I thought she meant a cousin."
To introduce oneself with the Murphy Group as a prefix meant that you were indeed a blood daughter of the Murphy Group.
With that clarification out in the open, the atmosphere shifted.
Just recently, those who had been griping about Daphne instantly came over to introduce themselves. That's just how social circles worked in America. If a person was without a strong personal background, only friends would bother with you, but if you had a solid background, even if you ignored others, many would still seek you out.
With just a simple self-introduction, the situation shifted.
Summer watched as the people who had been with her moments before now clustered around Daphne, her hands clenching unconsciously on the sides of her dress.
Daphne wasn't fond of such social niceties, but she felt compelled to set the record straight with Summer, "Miss Wen, next time you're out, don't casually misrepresent what Marcus meant because it might tarnish the reputation of Marcus."
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