Chapter 231 Willing to Take Responsibility for Her
As soon as Sliva dropped those words, the crowd went nuts, all eyes zeroing in on Debra!
Edward heard it, his eyes got a bit darker, but he kept his cool, like he saw this coming a mile away.
Even he had a hard time getting close to Alexa, so no way he believed Debra could snag Alexa's bling. Something smelled fishy.
Thinking about it, Edward's anger flared up, and he shot a death glare at Evelyn again.
Evelyn's skinny shoulders shrank a bit, looking at Edward like he was off his rocker.
'What's with that look, like he's ready to bite someone's head off?' Evelyn thought.
With everyone giving her the stink eye, Debra's face went ghostly pale, and she ducked behind Tiffany.
"Miss Wellington, have you been playing me from the start?" Ada, eyes blazing with anger, grilled Debra, "Just to win me over, to make me team up with you, you pulled this low-down trick to fool me?"
"I, I..." Debra was sweating bullets, couldn't get a word out.
"I trusted you without a second thought because you repped the Wellington Group and I thought you had good character. Now this happens, and I'm doubting the whole Wellington Group! This is so not what I'd expect from a family with a hundred-year rep in Mugden!"
Ada, embarrassed in front of Alexa, was fuming and naturally took it out on Debra, blaming the Wellington Group.
The crowd shook their heads, 'For real! A big-shot family gives a superstar a fake gift and gets called out in front of Alexa herself!'
"Ada, whatever gifts Debra gave you on the side, and whatever deals she closed, as the president of the Wellington Group, I had no clue. Your wedding was all on Debra." Edward's tone was ice-cold, totally detached, "Her actions are her own and have nothing to do with the Wellington Group."
Evelyn, hiding in his tall shadow, raised an eyebrow in surprise at his words.
Tiffany was so mad she could almost grind her teeth to dust!
"However," Edward paused, his gaze on Evelyn getting intense, "Regarding the fake, the loss caused to Ms. Taylor, that is, Alexa, I, on behalf of the Wellington Group, am willing to take responsibility."
'Willing to take responsibility for her?' The crowd exchanged looks, feeling like his words were fine, but there was something off.
Evelyn's eyes darkened again, and she turned away from Edward with a cold smirk.
She thought he could ditch Debra. But it looked like he still had to clean up the mess for Tiffany and Debra, thinking about the bigger picture.
Anyone like him could talk big about wanting her to win.
"Wait! Why are we being treated like we did something unforgivable? We're victims too!" Tiffany quickly jumped up to defend Debra, her face red with urgency, "Debra had good intentions, knowing you liked Alexa's jewelry, so she went all out to get you a treasure, hoping to seal our deal! The Wellington family is loaded; we can afford not just one but ten pieces of Alexa's jewelry. Why would we risk our rep with a fake just to please you? If we knew it was fake, we wouldn't have bought it. We also want to go after the seller!"
The crowd buzzed in disbelief, "Tiffany, buying a fake and then bragging she can buy ten pieces of Alexa's work? That's some next-level shamelessness."
"Mrs. Wellington," Sliva finally had enough and shot back coldly, "Everyone knows each piece of Alexa's jewelry is one-of-a-kind and rarely hits the market."
"Because getting one is so tough, people hang onto them forever. Unless they're in a real bind, no one sells. You should've thought about getting scammed when you bought it. Plus, even if you had the cash, Alexa wouldn't sell to you."
Sliva's eyes were full of mockery, "From any angle, you're way out of your league."
"You! You!" Tiffany was fuming, her face turning beet red.
The crowd silently cheered for Sliva's words.
After all, Tiffany had stirred up trouble so many times, her rep in Mugden was hanging by a thread. If she wasn't Mrs. Wellington, she would've been run out of town ages ago.
Someone like her, with zero self-awareness, needed a reality check!
"Furthermore, Miss Wellington," Sliva's tone shifted, now targeting Debra, "Are you really clueless about the fake, or just playing dumb?"
Debra, trying to keep it together, replied, "Of course I am clueless! Why would I buy a fake? It's not like I can't afford the real deal!"
"I doubt that," Sliva shot back.
The crowd was puzzled, thinking, 'What's she getting at? Is there more to this?'
Edward's brows knitted in confusion, his dark eyes shifting to Evelyn, who had stayed quiet.
At that moment, Evelyn's beautiful eyes lifted slightly, and her red lips curved into a silent smile.
Every move she made was like a tiny, shining arrow, piercing his heart.
So she had been in control all along.
She, who had been watching from the sidelines, was the mastermind behind the whole thing!
"What do you mean? Are you trying to frame Debra?" Tiffany clung to Debra, playing the victim.
Sliva ignored Tiffany, asking Debra, "Miss Wellington, do you remember who you hired to forge this necklace?"
Debra didn't dare to answer; anything she said would be digging her own grave!
"Can't remember? Let me help you." As Sliva spoke, a man appeared on the big screen on stage!
"Hello, Desmond," Sliva greeted the man on the screen with a smile.
"Hello, Sliva. And Alexa," Desmond looked at Evelyn, scratching his head shyly.
"Your craftsmanship is still top-notch." Evelyn didn't blame him at all, just smiled faintly, "From the moment I saw this necklace, I knew it was your work."
Debra's vision blurred, and if Tiffany hadn't held her up, she would've collapsed.
Desmond sighed guiltily and then showed a receipt in front of the camera, saying,
"I was hired to forge Alexa's work. Please take a close look at the signature on this receipt to see who asked me to make the fake necklace."
The crowd gathered around, and the reporters' cameras zoomed in on the screen.
The signature at the bottom was clear as day, reading [Debra Wellington!]
Tiffany's eyes widened in shock, and she whispered urgently to Debra, "What's going on? Didn't you say Jessica had someone make it? Why is your name on the receipt?"
"Tiffany, I was set up by Jessica!" Debra was on the verge of tears.
