Chapter 229 Identity Exposed Again!
Edward and Gilbert both felt a jolt in their hearts, shooting a glance at Evelyn.
They could tell right away she was pissed.
So, they backed off.
'Why sweat it? No need to get all worked up,' they thought.
"Congrats, Ms. Taylor! The necklace is yours!"
The auctioneer, sharp as a tack, didn't wait for anyone else to react and wrapped up the auction, letting Evelyn snag the item without a hitch.
Two seconds later, the room burst into applause.
Evelyn, though, stayed stone-faced, her eyes deep and unreadable, showing no hint of happiness.
"Tiffany! Evelyn bought that fake! Does she even know it's a fake?" Debra's voice was shaky with panic.
"Shut up! You want everyone to hear?" Tiffany gave her a sharp pinch on the elbow, her eyes flashing with malice. "Evelyn definitely doesn't know. She wouldn't expect a fake at her own auction. That thirty million bucks is like her doing you a favor!"
Debra was still uneasy, asking, "What if she finds out when she gets home?"
"Once it leaves here, it's not your problem! Who's to say it wasn't swapped at home or if she's just trying to slander you?" Tiffany sneered.
Debra admired Tiffany's knack for twisting the truth, secretly wishing she had Tiffany's brain.
Ada, seeing her jewelry from Debra being bought back by Evelyn at the highest bid, couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
She even thought Evelyn might still want to collaborate; otherwise, why go to such lengths?
'The arrogance of youth!' Ada thought.
At that moment, Evelyn's beautiful eyes darkened as she pulled out her phone and sent a message to William.
Then she casually adjusted her sitting posture, like she was waiting for a good show to start.
"Next, we have this piece of jewelry, which comes from..." As the red cloth was lifted, the auctioneer's enthusiastic words abruptly stopped.
He looked at the teardrop diamond in the display case and then at his schedule.
'There's a mistake; the item doesn't match!' the auctioneer thought.
When the dazzling spotlight hit the glass case, everyone was stunned!
"Am I seeing things? Isn't this the necklace Ada just donated?"
"Yeah, it's the same one!"
"No way! Every piece of jewelry designed by Alexa is one-of-a-kind. How could there be two identical ones at the same auction?"
"So, is one of them fake?"
The crowd buzzed with speculation, pointing at the necklace in the display case.
Ada leaned forward in shock, staring at the necklace like she'd been struck by lightning.
Tiffany and Debra were paralyzed with fear, their hands tightly clasped together. Debra felt a cold sweat trickling down her back.
The necklace Debra gave Ada was fake.
That could only mean one thing: the necklace on stage, donated by someone else, must be real!
"Ms. Taylor, didn't you verify the items before the auction? How could this happen?" Eiss's tone was concerned, not accusatory.
"Am I the one not playing by the rules? Or is it Ms. Smith?" Evelyn's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
Eiss asked, taken aback, "Is this necklace real?"
Amid the crowd's suspicion, Evelyn gracefully stood up and walked to the stage.
Edward's dark eyes narrowed as he watched Evelyn, her radiant smile and stunning features glowing with brilliance.
His heart pounded beneath his crisp suit, and every inch of his skin felt like it was on fire.
"Alright, folks, first off, as the organizer of the 'MINT' charity event, I gotta apologize for this mess and the bad vibes it caused. As the hotel manager, it's on me, and I'm really sorry." With that, Evelyn bowed deeply to the guests, all polite and composed, as the room gradually quieted down.
"Secondly, I wanna clear up that this 'Drops of God' necklace was donated by me." Evelyn's lips curved slightly.
The crowd was shocked and immediately turned to look at Ada.
Ada was stunned, and everyone was staring at her. She could only cast a bewildered glance at Debra.
Debra could only look towards Jessica, but Jessica had already slipped away in the chaos after sensing something was wrong!
Evelyn looked down at the ridiculous cycle, her red lips curling up. "Ms. Smith, I didn't know you were gonna donate this necklace tonight, so this is indeed a coincidence. Please don't misunderstand."
"Ms. Taylor, why do you have a 'Drops of God' necklace?" Ada's confident aura took a nosedive, and she asked stiffly.
Evelyn's smile faded, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Ms. Smith, the key issue now isn't why I have the same necklace, but that your necklace is fake."
Everyone was stunned and thought, 'What? Fake?'
The room was plunged into shock.
Tiffany managed to keep her cool, but Debra was already pale with fear from Evelyn's words!
"This necklace was given to me by Debra from the Wellington Group. How can it be fake?" Ada still couldn't accept the fact.
If the necklace was fake, then her grand gesture of donating it as a genuine item would be utterly foolish!
"Ms. Taylor! How can you say the necklace Debra gave Ms. Smith is fake? Have it appraised first! Otherwise, you're slandering us!" Tiffany felt that things would get out of hand if this continued, so she sternly jumped in to take control of the situation.
"If I dare say it's fake, it means I have a way to verify it. I'm not making baseless claims." Evelyn remained calm, her tone steady.
Her beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of mischief.
Edward sat upright, his gaze fixed on Evelyn's face, his thin lips curling slightly.
'That sly fox-like expression again. Whenever she smils like that, she is up to no good.'
In the past, that expression always infuriated him. Now, he found it cute and pleasing.
"Ms. Taylor! You claim Miss Wellington's necklace is fake, but do you have proof?"
"Ms. Smith is a seasoned jewelry collector. If it were fake, wouldn't she have noticed?"
"Yeah, Ms. Taylor! You need to be responsible for such claims! The two necklaces are identical. There should be an expert to appraise them before drawing conclusions!"
Evelyn remained unfazed, facing the crowd's clamor.
Suddenly, the heavy doors of the venue were pushed open, and everyone instinctively turned to look.
A blonde beauty, wearing sharp high heels, walked in with a commanding presence, capturing everyone's attention.
Even Edward couldn't help but look back, his pupils contracting sharply!
'Is that Sliva? Why is Sliva here at this moment?' Edward thought.
"It's Sliva! The head of Alexa's studio!" Someone in the audience recognized her and exclaimed!
"Sliva is here? She's Alexa's right-hand woman. Who could be more qualified to appraise Alexa's jewelry?"
Under everyone's gaze, Sliva walked straight to Evelyn without looking around.
Evelyn, with a calm smile, gracefully stepped off the stage.
"You're here." Evelyn greeted her warmly, surprising everyone.
Sliva stopped in front of her and gently kissed the back of her hands, a gesture of utmost respect and admiration.
"Sorry, Alexa, I'm late," Sliva said.
