Chapter 250 Showing Off
In the middle of the noisy crowd, this chick in a long white dress just glided through like she owned the place. Her hair was flowing down her shoulders like some kind of fancy waterfall, and her skin was so fair it made her dress look dull.
But the real showstopper? That necklace on her collarbone was sparkling with diamonds and surrounded by rubies. It matched her bracelet perfectly. Not too flashy, just enough to double her already killer looks.
Christian took a swig of his wine, eyes glued to her. "Damn," he muttered, totally mesmerized by her elegance.
Then he noticed something.
He turned to Trinity, standing right in front of him, and blurted out, "Wait, you two are wearing the same dress?"
At first, he didn't even realize it. The dresses looked so different on them. Trinity's dress seemed to overshadow her, making her look like an accessory to the dress.
But on Ashley, the dress was just a backdrop, letting her figure and grace shine like a pearl on display.
Trinity's face turned plain and forgettable in comparison.
How could this happen?
When Timothy answered Ashley's call, Trinity was there and made sure Timothy gave Ashley the same dress. The other dress had a super tight waistline that would rip if you took a deep breath.
Trinity figured Ashley, who had to rent a dress, wouldn't have any decent jewelry to match. She thought Ashley would look like a poor heiress, while her own million-dollar jewelry would steal the show.
Trinity clenched her fists, her smile turning stiff. "Isn't she broke? Where'd she get that jewelry? Did she rent that too?"
Christian asked, "You knew about her dress all along?"
Trinity gritted her teeth. "I wanted to embarrass her!"
Christian sneered, hating Damian's dumb moves even more.
Others might not know, but he remembered that the jewelry Ashley was wearing was bought by Damian at a charity auction years ago for over eighty million bucks. The diamond in the necklace was top-notch.
Ashley held her clutch and walked confidently into the crowd.
As expected, people started whispering and giving her dirty looks.
"Isn't that Ashley Astor?"
"Oh my God, how can she be so shameless? Her whole family is hiding in Sylvania, not daring to come back, and she's flaunting her wealth like this."
"The Astor Group owes shareholders billions, and tens of thousands of shareholders are screwed. If they saw Ashley's outfit, they'd probably storm in and strip her."
The murmurs got louder, finally catching Victor's attention. He was surrounded by a few people, holding a wine glass, and he slowly looked at the lone figure under the lights. He was stunned.
Ashley? What was she doing here?
"Mr. Victor Hearst, Ashley wasn't on the original guest list. Mr. Damian Hearst arranged for her to come," Victor's assistant Jack Campbell reminded him.
Victor got it. "Damian and Ashley are tight in private."
Nathan, who had a say in this, glared, "Victor, did you see her jewelry? Isn't that what Damian bought?"
Damian didn't usually attend charity events, but he donated a lot and bought tons of auction items. Victor couldn't remember them all. "Keep an eye on her and see what she's up to."
Today, Ashley was getting the cold shoulder from everyone. Nobody even bothered to say hi, but she didn't let it faze her. She grabbed a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray and took a slow sip.
Even if no one gave her the time of day, she was still as stunning as a blue rose.
Victor and Nathan had probably already marked her as the enemy. Now it was a game of who could outsmart who.
Ashley sipped her wine, thinking back to what happened just ten minutes before she left today.
She had slipped into her dress but couldn't find any decent accessories. She was about to settle for a watch when she got a call from Thomas.
"Ashley, are you home? Can you come down for a sec?"
She was about to head out, so she threw on a light coat over her dress and went downstairs.
Thomas handed her a fancy jewelry box. "Mr. Hearst said you should wear this set tonight."
Ashley instantly recognized the pricey diamonds. "Thomas, thank Mr. Hearst for me, but I can't wear these. Flashy jewels will just cause more trouble, especially with my family's situation."
The Astor Group was already in shambles and didn't need more attention.
Thomas replied, "Mr. Hearst wanted me to tell you: In this world, the strong make the rules. Acting weak will only hurt you. It's better to be confident and shut up those who doubt you."
Damian's rules were always about survival of the fittest.
Ashley said, "That's Mr. Hearst's philosophy, not mine."
Damian could talk all he wanted, but did he get what regular folks went through?
Thomas insisted, "Mr. Hearst said that once you reached an agreement, you became a team. Think about the bigger picture. Also, change into these shoes; they're your size."
In the end, Ashley took his advice.
"After all, her family was once loaded. The Astor Group can't be totally broke."
"Is Ashley trying to snag a sugar daddy tonight to bounce back?"
"Does she even know what kind of event this is? She's asking for trouble. She must be nuts."
"I heard she handled a few lawsuits for KM Group, and Mr. Hearst thinks highly of her."
At the mention of Damian, the gossipers got louder.
Until someone suddenly gasped, "Oh my God! Didn't you notice she's wearing the same dress as Trinity?"
Trinity walked into the middle of the buzz. "Ashley, I never thought we'd both pick the same dress."
Ashley frowned, remembering Timothy's change of heart. Was Trinity there at the time?
If so, was this all a setup?
Ashley said calmly, "What a coincidence." Trinity sneered, "Oh dear, they are too much! Even if the Astor Group went bankrupt, they shouldn't have tried to fool you with a fake dress, right?"
Fake?
The dress was from Timothy. Could there be an issue?
Trinity tugged at the long skirt. "The original has the designer's initials here, but yours doesn't. Didn't you get scammed?"
Trinity had secretly ripped off the signature from Ashley's dress, leaving no trace.
Tonight, Ashley was supposed to be utterly humiliated.
Trinity thought, 'Trying to make a comeback in high society? Keep dreaming!'
Several fashion-savvy socialites chimed in, "That's right, Trinity's dress has a signature, but yours doesn't."
"Miss Astor, if you couldn't afford Timothy's custom design, you could've picked another brand. Why go for a fake to satisfy your vanity?"
Mocking laughter filled the air. "Ashley, the Astor Group took so much money. Can't you even afford a dress? Afraid to spend your dirty money?"
"Ridiculous! A fake heiress in a fake dress."
