Chapter 174: Ripping a Dress Off
“[Alright, got it. I’ll send someone to pick you up. Then we’ll head to the Prescott Manor together. Remember, I’ve arranged a date for you! He’s a senior from our university. Just tell everyone you came with him!]” Diana texted quickly.
Caroline replied with a simple: “[Okay, got it.]”
After sending her response, Caroline waited for her ride. An hour later, a black SUV from Halfmoon Manor pulled up, and Caroline got in without hesitation.
At seven-thirty that evening, Frederick and Claire arrived at the Prescott Manor. The moment Claire stepped in, everyone’s minds flashed back to her manslaughter conviction and prison time four years ago. Looks of disgust and contempt were thrown her way, but they quickly averted their eyes when they noticed Frederick standing beside her.
One bold woman couldn’t resist muttering, “Well, it’s good to have someone powerful watching your back. She killed the real Prescott heiress and can still waltz into this phony party without a care in the world. What a disgrace to be at the same gathering as a jailbird like her.”
“Watch your mouth! Don’t you know where you are? She’s with the General! Do you have a death wish? Want to get yourself shot?” her companion hissed, dragging her away.
The Prescott couple spotted Claire but quickly turned away to greet other guests, the memory of their actual daughter Anna’s death too painful to bear.
Only Elizabeth approached warmly. “Claire, you finally made it! Grandma’s been missing you terribly.”
“I’ve missed you too, Grandma. Here’s your birthday present,” Claire replied, long accustomed to her parents’ cold shoulder.
“Oh my goodness! Is this… is this a Chris evening gown?” Elizabeth gasped when she saw the dress.
The name ‘Chris’ drew a crowd like moths to a flame.
“How on earth did you get your hands on a Chris gown? They’re practically impossible to come by! Some people spend their whole lives trying!”
“Seriously! Chris is always jet-setting around the world, sometimes staying in one place for years without moving. The boutiques are usually closed, and all we can do is leave messages.”
“And Chris only picks one person per season to design for. Just one dress a year! They’re incredibly rare.”
The woman’s eyes gleamed with envy at the sight of the gown, suddenly forgetting that Claire had just gotten out of prison and her connection to Anna’s death four years ago.
Frederick, seeing how things were playing out, quietly slipped away to mingle with other guests.
At that moment, Diana arrived with Nathan and Jane. Diana felt sick to her stomach watching Claire bask in all the attention over a mere evening gown. But she calmed herself with the thought that the higher Claire rose now, the harder she’d fall later.
She followed Jane up the stairs, echoing her sentiment, “Yeah, Chris’ evening gowns are really hard to come by. Claire, you’re so thoughtful.”
Inwardly, however, she scoffed, “Hah, as if she could get her hands on a Chris original without Frederick pulling strings. This ex-con has nothing, what a joke.”
After her snide thoughts, she scanned the crowd for Gregory. Her mother, Jane, kept a firm grip on Diana’s arm, pleased with her behavior so far. Before they’d arrived, Jane had warned her that today’s event would be attended by Kingstown’s elite from both political and business circles, and Frederick and Claire’s engagement announcement meant there could be no drama.
Diana had no intention of causing a scene. All her attention was focused on finding Gregory.
“He promised to mess with Claire. Why isn’t he here yet? If that unreliable creep doesn’t show up, how am I supposed to pull this off?” Diana anxiously scanned the crowd, but instead of Gregory, she spotted Caroline, who had arrived with the senior student Diana had arranged.
She seized the moment while Jane was chatting with some society ladies to slip away.
“Caroline, do me a favor and keep an eye out for Gregory,” she said, showing Caroline a picture. “He’s the key to everything today!”
“Got it!” Caroline nodded and joined the search.
As business giants in Kingstown, many members of the Prescott family had naturally come to attend the banquet. Moreover, Elizabeth held a significant portion of the Prescott family’s shares, and shares meant power. For Elizabeth’s birthday celebration, countless people were falling over themselves to attend. Now was the perfect moment to strike.
Diana intended to show all of Kingstown Claire’s true colors, which would ensure she could never stay by Frederick’s side. Not to mention, Nathan was planning to announce Claire and Frederick’s engagement!
Finally, ten minutes before the banquet’s start, Diana and Caroline found Gregory.
“Honestly, you come here and don’t even bother to find me? Don’t tell me you’re backing out of our plan. The party starts in 10 minutes, do you think we have enough time?” Diana was practically on fire with anxiety.
“How could you even think that? Diana, I might break promises to anyone else, but never to you!” Gregory held Diana’s hand with a smile, speaking in soft, soothing tones.
“Relax, we’ve got this. Ripping a dress off takes what, a minute tops? I’m a pro at this, you know that. Just get her over here, and leave the rest to me. See? I’ve even got the props ready.”
“I’ve measured it perfectly. Everything will be done in minutes. There won’t be any way to explain it away!” Gregory spoke playfully, waving the prepared handkerchief.
“Alright, I’ll go get Claire now.” Diana nodded and turned to leave.
However, after just a few steps, Harrison blocked her path. “Ms. Hawthorne, who do you think the Prescott family is? You can’t just do whatever you please here,”