Chapter 92 Rachel's Justification
In the ensuing moment, Jagger appeared to piece together the puzzle and serenely positioned himself before her, obstructing Adrian's line of sight. He wore a congenial smile as he declared, "Natalie and I are here to extend my parents' felicitations to Mr. Howard Senior on his birthday."
A gasp of surprise escaped Alice's lips. "Oh? Natalie, is that you? I hardly recognized you." As puzzled expressions turned her way, she nonchalantly clarified, "Apologies for my rudeness. It's just that I find it hard to believe that our family's maid is Dr. Kamel's girlfriend."
Her words, neither too loud nor too soft, were audible to all present.
In no time at all, the revelation that the Cullen family's maid was in attendance at the birthday banquet rippled through the room.
Natalie exhaled slowly.
She was well aware that Alice would seize any opportunity to belittle her.
Lowering her gaze, Natalie addressed Alice in a composed tone, "Ms. Cullen."
Melissa, who had yet to depart, suddenly recalled, 'Isn't this the maid who was falsely accused at the Cullen Villa? No wonder she seems familiar.'
She cast a fleeting glance at Natalie before shifting her scrutiny to Alice.
"Jagger is a distinguished guest of our Howard family, and so naturally, his girlfriend is as well," Melissa stated.
Her words, neither too light nor too heavy, felt like a public rebuke to Alice. Alice felt a pang of injustice, her lips pressing together as her fingers tightened at her sides.
Natalie hadn't anticipated Melissa's support, but the term girlfriend? It seemed the explanations were growing increasingly convoluted.
Especially with Adrian's icy gaze fixed on her, stirring a sense of unease.
She whispered to Jagger, "I'm a bit peckish, I'd like to grab a bite."
"Of course, I'll accompany you."
As Jagger prepared to escort Natalie to the buffet area, Adrian intervened, "Wait."
Natalie's body tensed, and beneath her downcast lashes, she saw Adrian advancing towards them.
Adrian halted before them, noting her apprehension, and couldn't help but smile. "Dr. Kamel, may we have a word?"
"Absolutely," Jagger lightly patted Natalie's hand, "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
Natalie nodded, acutely aware of the frosty gaze on the back of her hand. She was almost too frightened to raise her head, and she hurriedly made her exit. Alice watched her retreating figure, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"She's just a lowly servant, what right does she have to be here? Once I become Adrian's wife, Natalie will realize the only place for her in the world is in the garbage dump!" Alice muttered under her breath.
Alice's gaze shifted and landed on Rachel, who was presenting a painting to Ruben as a birthday gift.
Her brows knitted slightly. Ruben had a penchant for more classical items, and most of the guests who had come to celebrate his birthday had brought famous paintings. Alice was concerned that the gifts would be compared.
Fortunately, upon closer inspection of Rachel's painting, it was not a priceless work of art.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Ruben smiling and affectionately ruffling Rachel's hair. "You have a kind heart. Grandpa really likes it."
Alice watched the scene unfold, her hatred so intense that her nails nearly dug into her palms.
The Cullen family wasn't originally a distinguished aristocratic family. Curtis' modest company only generated an annual income of around two million dollars. His investments had failed this year, and he had expended a considerable amount of effort and resources to procure this famous painting, only to receive a mere nod from Ruben.
Why was Rachel more deserving?
Feeling a surge of resentment, Alice didn't expect Rachel, who was still playfully bantering with Ruben, to suddenly raise her head and smirk defiantly at her.
Despite her anger, Alice didn't dare to confront the Howard family's most favored lady. She was forced to swallow her dissatisfaction.
Just then, a stir erupted from the entrance of the banquet hall. A voice in the crowd announced, "The Lawson family has arrived."
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