Chapter 868
“Honestly, that white Pearl-Embellished Gown was absolutely gorgeous, and it complemented you perfectly.”
That Jocelyn Hunter might have been empty-headed, but she certainly had an eye for fashion.
“Let’s just go with this one. Didn’t someone else already want the other dress?” Claire knew Victoria was dead set on paying for her no matter what.
In that case, rather than spending money at a competitor’s boutique, she might as well funnel the profits back into her own brand. Keep the wealth in the family, as they said.
“You’re just going to give that dress up?” How could a young woman lack even a shred of competitive spirit?
If it had been Melissa…
What was Melissa really like?
Ophelia thought back carefully. Her attitude was essentially: Whatever catches my eye belongs to me, and no one can take it away.
But it’s just a dress. Even if someone else wears it, they’ll never look as beautiful as I do.
Yes, Melissa had always possessed that exact brand of unwavering confidence.
It was the arrogance of a privileged heiress, nurtured by a lifetime of boundless wealth.
Every aspect of her lifestyle and wardrobe was impeccably refined, yet she never had to exert the slightest effort to maintain it.
“Even if I step aside, she won’t necessarily get her hands on it.”
Claire shrugged nonchalantly.
And indeed, Jocelyn never managed to purchase the gown. The moment Ophelia declared she no longer wanted it, Amanda Wade immediately bought it for herself. Even if it just sat untouched in a closet, it was never going to a cheap mistress.
However, the Wade family owned an entertainment agency, and Amanda had no intention of letting the white Pearl-Embellished Gown gather dust.
When the right opportunity arose, she could simply gift it to one of the A-list actresses raking in profits for their company.
Larkin Wade would never dare lay a finger on anything his wife personally gifted.
Otherwise, whoever ended up wearing the dress might find themselves in serious trouble.
The day of Padgett’s birthday banquet finally arrived. The luxury hotel hosting the event was located just a short distance from the Churchill Estate.
The venue was an upscale Eastern-style restaurant, its private banquet hall radiating classic, vintage elegance.
At first, the attendees assumed it was merely a standard birthday celebration.
It was meant to be an intimate gathering. The patriarch had sent out very few invitations but some social climbers shamelessly pulled strings just to attend and offer their congratulations.
Business partners of the Churchill family who caught wind of the event pleaded with
the elder Churchill brothers, eventually securing a handful of extra invites.
Larkin Wade managed to score an invitation entirely by leveraging his connections with Karla.
“First, I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedules to celebrate this old man’s bionday. Foriginally planned, for a simple family dinner, but with so many friends and relatives showing their support…”
Padgett took the stage personally. After a lengthy speech, he waved Claire over.
“Today, aside from celebrating my birthday, there is someone very important I wish to introduce to you all.”
Claire’s appearance instantly sent a shockwave of stunned silence through the crowd.
It wasn’t just her breathtaking
beauty that captivated them. In that
singular moment, anyone in the
room who had known Melissa saw a striking, undeniable resemblance.
Pike had heard long ago that his older brother’s family had located their missing granddaughter.
But he was a busy man-busy wining and dining young beauties—and hadn’t bothered to return to Cabinda just to see what his great-niece looked like.
Now that he had rushed back for his brother’s banquet, he finally laid eyes on her, and even he was frozen in disbelief.
“The resemblance is uncanny.”
He muttered under his breath.
Tiffany, who already harbored intense resentment toward the main Churchill branch over her nephew’s scandal, felt her bitterness multiply tenfold.
She was burning with jealousy!
She had never been able to measure up to Melissa, and now, her own daughter, Yolande, was being eclipsed by some wild brat who had popped out of nowhere.
“Dad, are you just going to stand by and watch? It won’t be long before this wild brat completely replaces our Yolande.”
“The main branch used to adore Yolande, but now they don’t even invite her over anymore.”
“How could this wild brat possibly compare to our brilliant Yolande?”