Chapter 158 Sampling
George was startled, a flicker of joy rising in his heart. He thought, 'Could it be that Emma had come back? Is she comforting me?'
For a moment, warmth filled George's heart, pushing away all his pain and despair. He slowly lifted his head, looking expectantly towards the source of the voice.
But when he saw it wasn't Emma standing there, but a staff member, his joy quickly turned to disappointment. The staff member, wearing an apologetic expression, gave a slight bow and said with concern, "Mr. Russell, you've been here a long time. It might affect others who come to mourn."
George's hopes and fantasies shattered right then. The staff member made him realize that Emma was destined to exist only as a memory.
"I understand," he replied softly, slowly standing up. His gaze fell once more on the tombstone, silently saying goodbye in his heart.
He turned to leave, each step heavy, like he was walking through endless sorrow. Maybe he really should let go of his fantasies and accept that Emma was gone.
On his way home, George got a call from Scarlett, "George, tomorrow Lakeside Haven is hosting an international jewelry exhibition organized by the Stuart family. You should go with Anna."
"No," George replied coldly.
"Why are you being so stubborn? Considering your relationship with Anna, do you think you can just say no?"
"Relationship? What relationship do I have with her?"
Scarlett remembered that at the Russell Group's 50th anniversary celebration, George had publicly announced that he was canceling his engagement with Anna. But the engagement between two families couldn't be undone by his words alone.
If the engagement was really off, what would happen to the collaborative projects between the Stuart Group and the Russell Group?
The Stuart Group's main business was in jewelry, which had brought significant profits to the Russell Group in recent years. If the engagement was canceled, those profits would go to someone else.
Even if George didn't care, did that mean the entire Russell Group wouldn't care either? What would the board of directors think? Would they kick George off the board and replace him with a new president?
Scarlett was extremely frustrated and couldn't help but curse Emma under her breath. Emma was truly a wretched woman.
When she was alive, she messed up George and Anna's relationship as a mistress. After she finally died, she gave George and Anna a chance to get engaged.
But even after her death, her negative influence lingered, causing George to stay single for three years. Now, it was even worse; she sent someone who looked exactly like her, Isabella, causing George to lose his mind and cancel the engagement.
Anna was Lucas's mother, yet she didn't even have an official status, making Lucas an illegitimate son.
If George were in front of her, Scarlett would definitely scold him. But George had hung up the phone, leaving Scarlett to fume on her own. Scarlett thought to herself, 'Fine, you don't want to attend the jewelry exhibition? I'll go!'
Every five years, Lakeside Haven hosted a jewelry exhibition, with different prominent families taking turns as the organizers. This time, the exhibition was being hosted by the Stuart family.
Word on the street was that Miss Lady's chief designer was going to show up. So, two hours before the event, Sophia had someone waiting at the entrance to give them a top-notch welcome.
Anna was also sent to the entrance to wait for Miss Lady's chief designer. Lately, Anna's reputation had taken a hit, and she’d even been trashed online. Most people would hide out at home, but not Anna. She didn’t care about the rumors at all.
She wanted to shine, to stand in the spotlight, and make those online trolls eat their words.
Her attitude put Sophia and Henry at ease. They'd been worried that the online hate would get to her, but seeing her strong stance, they stopped worrying.
Sophia even had Anna greet the important guests at the entrance. She wanted to show everyone that no matter what Anna had been through or done, she was still a valued member of the Stuart family, and they had her back.
So, Anna moved gracefully through the exhibition hall, soaking up the praise from everyone.
Word about Anna had spread through her social circle. Everyone knew what she'd done to Emma, and most people avoided crossing her. They were extra nice to her, hoping to stay on her good side.
Anna was making her rounds and had just reached the entrance when she saw Isabella stepping out of a luxury car.
Isabella wore an elegant evening gown, had flawless makeup, smooth skin, and features so perfect they looked like art. However, a flash of jealousy crossed Anna's eyes.
Even though Anna was decked out in a luxurious gown, she couldn't match Isabella's radiance.
Especially after her face got injured. It had healed a lot, but some scars were still there. No beauty treatment could completely fix it.
Every time she saw Isabella's flawless skin, it stung. Jealousy and anger twisted inside her. Anna's fury grew, and she started plotting ways to humiliate Isabella at the exhibition, to completely outshine her.
After a moment of thought, a wicked smile crept onto Anna's face.
She called over Levi Morgan, one of the security guards, whispered something to him, and sent him off.
So when Isabella reached the entrance of the exhibition hall, Levi stopped her.
"Sorry, I need to see your invitation," Levi said.
Isabella was a bit surprised but quickly composed herself. She gracefully pulled out her fancy invitation from her handbag and handed it to Levi. The invitation was thick, beautifully printed, with her name and all the exhibition details in gold letters, making it look super official.
However, Levis took the invitation, didn't even look at it, and said directly, "This invitation is fake."
Isabella raised an eyebrow. She had already guessed what Anna was up to. From the moment she found out the Stuart family was hosting this exhibition, she knew it wouldn't be easy for her to get in. So she had Miss Lady's headquarters send her an invitation, and it was top-notch. She didn't expect to be stopped even with that.
"This is the official invitation I received. I definitely did not forge it! Please verify it again," Isabella said.
Levis didn't care whether the invitation was real or fake; his job was simply to prevent Emma from entering, nothing more. Without saying a word, he just shook his head and refused.
Isabella realized that no matter what she said or did, with just herself and this invitation, she wouldn't be able to get past security.
So there was no point in wasting any more effort.
She retreated to the waiting car, planning to wait for Anna to personally invite her in.
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