The Substitute Bride: Doted by My Billionaire Husband by Sumpto Midway

Chapter 18: A Slap in the Face

Monica glared at Olive. The dress seemed custom-made for her. Olive wasn't just beautiful; she was alluring. Had she not been sent to an orphanage, she would have been among L.A.'s socialites.

Monica stepped forward, taking Olive's small hands affectionately. "Olive, you've changed your dress. Come, let me introduce you to some friends. Wait, why is your dress so familiar? Isn't this the princess dress Gabriella is meant to wear tonight?"

Olive showed no surprise. She knew the confrontation was coming.

Gabriella stared at Olive, wide-eyed. "Olive, why are you wearing my princess dress? Today's my birthday! This luminous princess dress is a birthday gift from my mother…"

Pearl chimed in, "Olive, you're going too far! Today's Gabriella's birthday. Why did you steal her dress?" Gabriella's friends, aware of her luminous princess dress, began whispering amongst themselves.

"What's wrong with this Olive girl? Was she trying to steal Gabriella's clothes to show off? That's so selfish!" one muttered.

"I heard she just returned from the orphanage. I'm certain she couldn't take her eyes off the dress. She stole it! What a shame!"

The stares fixed on Olive turned unpleasant. Patrick approached. After the previous incident, he wanted to avoid further embarrassing drama.

He glared at Olive and reprimanded her in a low voice. "Olive, today is Gabriella's birthday. Why would you steal her dress? You have zero sense of propriety. Go change upstairs immediately. And don't come down until the party is over."

Gabriella blinked repeatedly, as if on the verge of tears. "Dad, please forgive her. After all, Olive and I are sisters. If you want, I could give her the dress." Two tears rolled down her cheeks.

The ladies and socialites glowered at Olive with contempt.

"Gabriella's too kind. If it were me, she'd be forced to remove the dress!" a voice declared.

"Yes, absolutely!"

The scene played out exactly as Monica had planned. A satisfied smirk appeared on her face. "Olive, why don't you go upstairs for a while…"

Olive, silent until now, furrowed her brows and muttered, "This dress is mine, not Gabriella's."

Her words ignited an uproar. Monica felt a pang of unease. "Olive, no need to argue. Let's go upstairs."

Olive looked at the floor, a hint of resentment in her voice. "The dress isn't from Luminous; it's an imitation."

Imitation?

Most guests were Luminous fans. A woman immediately stepped forward to verify Olive's claim by checking the zipper logo.

"This dress is a high-quality imitation," the woman concluded.

What!

Monica and Gabriella felt their hearts sink. Gabriella rushed forward, incredulous. "Are you sure?"

"The Luminous logo has an eagle. But this bird isn't an eagle," the woman explained, showing Gabriella the zipper.

The crowd exchanged glances. "It turns out Olive didn't wear Gabriella's dress. But why is she wearing a fake?"

"Today's Gabriella's birthday. Mom called and told me to dress nicely. But I didn't have a nice dress, so I spent my last money on this imitation. I know what I did was wrong, but I wanted to attend my sister's birthday party," she explained softly, her head bowed.

"Dad, I didn't want to embarrass you. I just wanted to fit in after all these years." Her voice cracked as she wiped away a tear.

Olive's emotional explanation turned the situation around.

"What's really going on? It seems Patrick doesn't love Olive," someone muttered.

"Look at Gabriella crying like she's the victim, when Olive is the real victim," another added.

"It's Monica who should be blamed! Why didn't she buy Olive a dress? Is it because she's not her biological daughter?"

The situation had dramatically shifted. Monica was caught completely off guard. She hadn't known the Luminous dress she bought was fake!

Patrick felt embarrassed again. He stood shamefacedly with his hands in his pockets. Monica and Gabriella stared at Olive in defeat. Once again, Olive had outmaneuvered them.