Chapter 29

“Nancy is your friend. If you don’t want to help her, fine, but how could you just stand by and let them call the police?”
Charlotte looked up, her eyes clear and bright with a hint of frost on her perfect face. Olivia shrank back, unsettled by the chill in Charlotte’s gaze.
“I know her, but she’s not my friend.”
“She broke something in the store and refused to pay for it. The staff had every right to call the police.”
Charlotte dropped her phone into her bag and spoke softly, a faint, unreadable smile on her lips. “Isn’t she your friend too? If you can’t tell right from wrong and insist on defending her, why don’t you just pay off her debt? It’s only, what, over a million dollars?”
Olivia sucked in a sharp breath, her cheeks burning. Over a million? How was that her problem?
She was used to the spotlight, always competing and hustling, her face popping up on TV, social media, everywhere.
“Wait, isn’t that Olivia?”
Someone in the crowd recognized her. Olivia quickly smoothed her hair and pulled out her best fake sweet smile. She had a reputation as a socialite to protect.
“She’s hilarious. All bossy when accusing someone else, but the moment it’s about her, she turns into a scared little turtle.”
The mockery around her made Olivia’s smile freeze on her face.
“I just heard that woman say Charlotte is the Main family’s real daughter.”
The gossip spread like wildfire.
“I thought the Main family only had one daughter. If Charlotte is the real one, then Who’s Olivia?”
“Olivia’s just the stepdaughter. Her mom brought her into the Main family when she got married,” someone explained.
“No wonder Charlotte’s got that whole graceful vibe going on.”
Now everyone was staring at Charlotte. She was dressed simply, no makeup, but her features were stunning and her presence impossible to ignore. She sat silently on the couch, looking like she’d stepped out of a painting.
“So why is Olivia dripping in designer brands, and Charlotte’s dressed like that?”
The crowd kept whispering, their eyes sharp and judgmental.
Olivia caught fragments of their words. Gold-digger. Stepmother. Ugly rumors swirling.
“What are they even talking about?”
“Olivia!”
Elizabeth grabbed Olivia’s hand and walked over to Charlotte, putting on a smile that almost looked loving as she raised her voice can someone bring out the most expensive dress in the store? Let Charlotte try it on.”
The priciest dress… That one was worth two million.
The other customers turned to stare, surprised. Wasn’t Elizabeth supposed to treat Charlotte badly? This looked pretty generous.
“Elizabeth, is it this one?”
A shop assistant brought out a purple dress sparkling with tiny crystals.
Elizabeth held the dress up to Charlotte, glancing over her shoulder. The last customers were leaving, and the crowd at the door had scattered. Her smile disappeared.
“This dress doesn’t really suit you. Let’s look for something else.”
She handed the dress straight to Olivia. “Now, this kind of glamorous dress is perfect for Olivia.”
“You don’t mind, do you, Charlotte?”
Olivia snatched the dress, shooting Charlotte a glare.
She’d waited six months for this dress, spent over a million just to be allowed to buy it. She was sure that if she wore it on stage at her next Competition, shed outshine everyone.
Charlotte glanced up, cool and calm, her eyes lingering on the dress as her brows
lifted slightly.