Chapter 223 Debut Met with Ridicule
Time flew by, and bam, it was the day of the KS WORLD charity jewelry auction.
Since this gig was all about charity, KS and MINT magazine didn't hype it up much, but it still grabbed a ton of media buzz in Mugden.
MINT was a big deal in the fashion world, and you could tell by the swarm of celebs dying to be on its cover.
On the big day, the hotel was popping with activity and packed with stars.
The whole security crew was out to keep things chill, and the celebs played along, quickly heading in after waving to their fans to dodge any chaos or stampedes.
Things got even crazier when a fancy stretch Lincoln rolled up.
Bodyguards opened the door, and out stepped Tiffany and Debra, rocking some seriously swanky evening gowns.
Most of the other socialites had slipped in through the VIP entrance, but Tiffany and Debra? They loved the spotlight.
"Hey, isn't that Nicole's aunt?" someone yelled, making Tiffany's ears burn and her face go green.
Tiffany had spent years shaking off the labels of "washed-up actress" and "mistress" to become the wife of the Wellington Group's chairman.
But now, thanks to Nicole, she had a new tag—Nicole's aunt!
Sure, she was Nicole's aunt, but the way it sounded now felt like a slap in the face!
"It really is her!" someone else chimed in.
"Wasn't she called out by the prosecutor for bribery and corruption before?"
"Yeah, and then she got off."
"Does she think we forgot? How does she still have the guts to show up? Why doesn't Patrick do something about her?"
"Every time I see her, I remember how she bragged about Nicole at that birthday party, only for Nicole to totally embarrass her right after. Isn't that karma?"
"I crack up just thinking about her priceless expression!"
Tiffany's face went from red to black, her legs like jelly. Without Debra's help, she wouldn't have been able to move.
She thought people would've forgotten about that mess by now.
But nope, some humiliations would stick with you for life, and Nicole had totally wrecked her carefully built self-esteem!
With all the mocking voices around, Tiffany and Debra rushed into the hotel, looking totally defeated and awkward.
"Tiffany, you should lay low from now on and try not to show your face in public," Debra said, pouting. "Every time you show up, I get dragged into it too. It's super embarrassing."
"Debra! Are you saying you're ashamed of me?" Tiffany, fuming, pinched Debra's arm hard, making her break out in a cold sweat, and snapped, "I barged into the Wellington family's door, pregnant with you, putting up with all kinds of humiliation and scorn, and I never felt embarrassed. And now you're ashamed of me? If I hadn't thrown away my dignity and risked everything to cling to Patrick, would you be a daughter of the Wellington family? Would you have this fancy and respectable life?"
Debra clutched her bruised arm, feeling so humiliated by Tiffany's scolding that she wished she could just vanish.
Growing up, even though Tiffany had Patrick wrapped around her finger and cleared the path for her, Debra always felt deep down that Tiffany was a rough-around-the-edges woman, totally unfit for high society. She couldn't hold a candle to folks from prestigious backgrounds like Sophia from the Clark family or Donna from the Taylor family.
The event that night was split into two parts: a cocktail party and an auction.
At the cocktail party, the room was packed with familiar faces, making it seem like half the entertainment industry had shown up to support the event!
As the hotel manager and the person running this charity gig, Evelyn naturally got swarmed by the media.
Facing the cameras and mics, she was cool and collected.
"Ms. Taylor, Ms. Smith has now chosen the Wellington family's hotel for her wedding. At this critical moment, you're hosting MINT magazine's charity event. Is this a competition with the Wellington Group?" a reporter asked.
"I get why people might think that, given our ongoing rivalry with the Wellington Group," Evelyn said with a faint smile. "But this event is MINT magazine's choice, purely coincidental, and not intentional."
"News previously reported that Ms. Smith chose KS WORLD hotel for her wedding. Why did she switch to the Wellington family's hotel? Is there a mistake?" the reporter continued.
Evelyn replied, "This involves a contract, which is an internal business secret of the hotel, so I can't disclose it."
"Is the reason for the switch related to the exposure of Ada's wedding venue, leading her to cancel the cooperation with you and turn to the Wellington Group?" the reporter pressed.
Evelyn's expression stayed calm, but her eyes darkened slightly.
'This reporter is probably planted by someone with an agenda!' Evelyn thought.
In the corner, Jessica sipped her champagne, enjoying the sight of Evelyn getting grilled by reporters, a dark smile playing on her lips.
That reporter was her plant.
Even if it didn't blow up into a major scandal, it was still satisfying for her to see Evelyn squirm under public scrutiny.
At that moment, Tiffany and Debra, feeling all high and mighty, also approached, facing Evelyn with arrogance instead of fear.
"You're right. It is indeed because of that issue," Evelyn's smile faded, and her expression turned serious.
The crowd went nuts!
Jessica frowned, never expecting Evelyn to answer the question honestly instead of dodging or making excuses.
She was totally thrown off!
"Everyone, please don't make things difficult for Ms. Taylor. She's already swamped dealing with her hotel's breach of contract," Debra said, raising her chin arrogantly. "But Ms. Taylor, don't be discouraged. Better luck next time. The Wellington Group will take this as a lesson and won't make the same mistake. We'll meet our clients' needs and ensure confidentiality."
