Chapter 56
“Come back here, you troublemaker!” Karen ordered with a gloomy expression. She thought, “This granddaughter of mine… really is my greatest nemesis. She always makes me angry every time we meet.”
Elvira turned around and said indifferently, “Since you don’t want me to leave, can you move aside and let me in? It’s not nice blocking the doorway.”
Elvira stood there, exuding an elegant yet effortlessly casual beauty. She seemed to glow, attracting everyone’s attention. The gown she wore left all the women present emotionally overwhelmed. They wanted to know which haute couture designer it was from and eagerly sought to order a similar one.
With Elvira attracting so much attention, Judy was far from pleased. Of course, Karen was also displeased, thinking, “Today’s anniversary celebration is mainly for Judy. What’s with Elvira coming here to steal the limelight?”
“Hurry up and change out of your cheap clothes and those fake jewels!” Karen said. “Don’t you know what kind of occasion we’re at today? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for wearing a bunch of knockoffs?” With that said coldly, Karen waved to call her assistant over, wanting her to bring Elvira to change into a more average-looking dress.
The female guests began to whisper among themselves. They were surprised that the eldest daughter of the Willis family wore knockoffs. They found Elvira vain, yet secretly admired how she managed to make the knockoffs look so classy. ‘Some people are just naturally elegant,’ they thought.
A snort of laughter cut through the air. It was quite loud, attracting everyone’s attention. Karen looked over. Elvira also looked at the woman who suddenly sneered.
Seeing everyone looking at her, the woman walked over confidently and loudly said, “I thought the Willis family was wealthy and aristocratic. I came to Jersten on a business trip today and specifically came to join the anniversary celebration. It seems that I’ve overestimated the Willis family. As expected, a family of low social status hasn’t seen much of the world.”
That remark angered Karen. Judy frowned at the woman. She felt the woman looked familiar, but couldn’t remember where she had seen her before.
Amber couldn’t contain her impatience, but she knew the guests were either wealthy or influential, so she had to first find out who the woman was and assess whether the Willis family could afford to offend her.
“Who are you?” Amber said. “Since you’re a guest, why are you mocking the host?” Her tone wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Diana Wesley stepped forward to explain. “I brought this guest here,” she said. “She’s Emma Wilson, the chief designer of Luyden Group. We’ve been good friends for years. When she heard that I was attending Willis Group’s anniversary celebration today, she came along with me.”
Diana’s words caused an uproar among the guests, especially the women, who were all excited. Luyden Group was the world’s largest luxury brand. Almost all the haute couture gowns worn by the female guests were produced by this brand.
Emma was the ultimate object of admiration for all the female guests. Everyone hoped to have her personally design a gown, but Emma only served the royal families of various countries. Ordinary people couldn’t order a gown personally designed by her.
Judy remembered she, too, desired a gown designed by Emma. However, she wasn’t in a position to commission one. She had even considered asking Emma to be her mentor, but Emma had ignored her.
Judy’s eyes lit up. She thought, ‘Emma actually came to my family’s anniversary celebration today. Does this mean that I have a chance to ask her to be my mentor? If I could become Emma’s mentee, my reputation as a designer would be greatly enhanced. I’d be able to attract more fans!’
“Hello, Miss Wilson,” Judy said. “My name is Ju…” She wanted to establish rapport, hoping to gain Emma’s favor. Emma immediately waved and interrupted her, saying, “Interrupting someone while they’re speaking is very rude. Does the second daughter of the Willis family have such a bad upbringing?”
That left Judy completely dumbfounded. She didn’t know how she had offended Emma. She thought, ‘I just wanted to compliment her. Why was I scolded for having a bad upbringing?’
Amber was angry seeing this woman scolding her daughter. Karen was initially quite happy, but when she heard this, her expression darkened. She said, “Even if you’re a designer from Luyden Group, you can’t speak arrogantly here, right? Is this your upbringing?”
The brief exchange lasted less than two or three minutes. Elvira had been looking at Emma curiously. After the exchange, Elvira saw Emma smile and say, “I can also tell from you that your family is nothing more than nouveau riche lacking in cultural refinement.”
“You…” Karen was so angry she was about to have a heart attack. She thought, ‘One should always let people save face, no matter what. This woman is simply humiliating the Willis family right in front of the city’s elite.’
“Stop talking for a moment,” Emma said. “You just said that Miss Elvira’s gown and jewelry are all fake, which is embarrassing. Let me tell you now that you people are the ones who are embarrassing yourselves! Not only is Miss Elvira’s gown authentic, but it’s also an antique. Its market value has long been valued at over 20 million dollars. The jewelry set she’s wearing is also an antique with a value exceeding 100 million dollars! This is just my initial estimate. If it were to be auctioned, the price would probably double. It is truly a set of priceless treasures!” Emma’s words caused an uproar.
Everyone widened their eyes and looked at Elvira again, thinking, ‘No wonder we find her gown eye-catching and her jewelry so shiny. It turns out that they are all authentic and are actually antiques. Who exactly is Miss Elvira? She can wear such expensive treasures! The Willis family is ignorant of the value of things, so much so that they mistake treasures for fakes? What that woman said is right. Isn’t this the behavior of nouveau riche?’
Hearing Emma’s words, the expression on Judy’s face was more unpleasant than a crying expression. She asked anxiously, “Miss Wilson, did you make a mistake? How could my sister possibly…”
“Are you questioning my professional competence?” Emma said. Her words made everyone believe that the things Elvira wore were genuine. Emma was an authoritative figure in the fashion design industry. If she said Elvira’s gown and jewelry were real, then she must be right.
Judy didn’t dare to speak anymore. She was also a designer. If she dared to question further, she would probably not be able to establish herself in the design industry.
“Of course not,” Judy said. “I’m just curious. Elvira, how could you afford such expensive items?” Her jealousy was nearly impossible to conceal.
“This is a gift from my husband’s grandmother,” Elvira said. “If you have a problem with it, go find someone to give you one yourself.” She smiled radiantly. She was pleased seeing the displeased members of the Willis family.
Elvira found Emma especially pleasing to the eye.
Karen felt that she had lost all her dignity. She also deeply hated this designer called Emma, thinking, “This woman is clearly causing trouble on purpose!”
Just as Karen was staring at Emma with hostility, Emma said to Diana, “Let’s leave. Don’t associate with nouveau riche like the Willis family anymore. It does you no good.”