“Dahlia, you can head up first. I’m waiting for a friend here.” Julie made up an excuse to send Dahlia away once they entered the hotel lobby.
She was well aware that with Dahlia around, she would never get the attention she yearned for.
How would she make acquaintances with the rich and famous then? How would she get to know rich, eligible men?
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you at the banquet hall.” Without giving it much thought, Dahlia took the elevator up to the banquet hall.
With Dahlia gone, Julie quickly became the center of attention. She deliberately walked around the lobby and flaunted coquettishly, attracting much attention.
Some men approached her in an attempt to strike up a conversation, but she rejected them all, playing hard to get.
“Hey, you’ve got such lovely earrings! May I know where you bought them from?”
“Yes, that’s true! I’ve never seen such exquisite carrings before!”
“These rubies are huge! They must have cost you a lot!”
Soon, not only the men came up to her, but even the ladies flocked over to ask her about the earrings. As usual women could not resist jewelry.
“These ruby earrings are from Pandarum. My boyfriend gave them to me. These are uniquely custom–made, and they are the only pair out there. As for the price, they were not too expensive. Just a million or two.” Julie pretended to be unconcerned about their price and smiled.
Though her words sounded humble, arrogance was evident on her face.
“A million or two, and you say it’s not expensive? Seems like you’re not the average Tom, Dick, and Harry!”
“How fortunate you are to have a boyfriend who gives you such precious earrings!”
“From how I see it, it’s not the price that matters, but the sincerity behind it! It’s custom–made and unique! That’s so sweet! How I envy you!”
The group of women chattered away praising Julie.
That fueled Julie’s vanity, pleasing her to no end. She really enjoyed being the center of attention and being.
praised by others.
Right then, a Rolls–Royce Phantom pulled up at the door.
The car door opened and out stepped an alluring woman with delicate leatures and long, flowing hair. She
came walking in like a celebrity among a group of adoring fans.
“Miss Hummer?!”
The lady’s appearance garnered a lot of attention and a commotion started both inside and outside the lobby.
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The crowd that had surrounded Julie immediately dispersed and flocked over to Tina, ready to flatter her.
She was, after all, the star of the day. Edwin Hummer’s daughter, Tina Hummer!
Julie had intended to go over and welcome her too, but as there were too many people surrounding Tina, she
did not do so.
She knew that going along with what everyone was doing would not make her stand out, and she needed to stand out to make Miss Hummer notice her.
At the thought of that, she intentionally stood at the entrance and tried her best to show off the biggest asset she had on her at the moment, which happened to be the pair of ruby earrings.
That was the first step to forming a connection with Miss Hummer. She refused to believe that there was any
woman on earth who could resist the temptation of such irresistible jewelry.
As Julie predicted, Tina stopped in front of her when she reached the entrance, with the crowd still around her.
Her gaze was fixed on Julie.
Julie suppressed her excitement and walked up to Tina to introduce herself when she saw that the timing was
right. “Hello, Miss Hummer. I am Julie Amberson. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
She stretched her hand out for a handshake. But Tina ignored her outstretched hand and stared unwaveringly
at her earrings.
“Those ruby earrings, where did you get them from?” she asked icily.
“My boyfriend gave them to me. These are custom–made Pandarums, you won’t be able to find a similar pair
out there. But of course, Miss Hummer, if you fancy them, I can give them to you.” Julie was secretly delighted.
“Even the daughter of the wealthiest man can’t resist these earrings,” she thought to herself.
“Boyfriend?”
Tina’s expression clouded over. “Is it Matt Laney?”
The reason why she asked was that she had received the exact same pair of ruby earrings from Matt as her
birthday gift not too long ago.
“Oh! Do you know Matt too, Miss Hummer? In that case, we’re friends too!” Julie’s eyes lit up.
Who knew that a pair of earrings would be the key to her success?
“Who’s your friend? Bitch!”
Tina glared at Julie and struck her across the face.
Smack! A loud, crisp sound was heard.
Julie was at a loss as she held her cheek in her hand. “Miss Hummer, wh–why did you hit me?”
“What is your relationship with Matt Laney? You better come clean. If you hide anything from me, I’ll make
sure you won’t live to see the next sunrise!” Tina’s expression made it clear that she meant every word she
said.
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She would not let other women mess with what was hers.
“Miss Hummer, I think you’re mistaken. Matt and I are just regular friends, nothing more than that!” Julie
started to fluster.
She did not know what had happened, but it was obvious that she had angered Tina.
“Would regular friends give you ruby earrings worth a million dollars? Do you think I’m a dim–wit?” Furious
was an understatement to describe what Tina was feeling at that moment.
“It has nothing to do with me, Miss Hummer! These ruby earrings aren’t mine, they’re my cousin Dahlia’s! I only borrowed them for a few days!” Seeing that the situation wasn’t favorable to her anymore, Julie stopped
pretending and came clean with the truth.
“Dahlia Nicholson?” Tina’s eyes narrowed into slits.
She remembered that that was a name that Matt had mentioned when he asked for her help concerning the interrogation room. She hadn’t put much thought into it then, but it turns out that there was something fishy
going on with the two of them.
“That bitch! She seduced my man, and she has the audacity to show up at my birthday party?! Is she trying to provoke me?” Tina gritted her teeth as a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
“This is all Dahlia Nicholson’s fault, Miss Hummer. I’ve got nothing to do with it. Will you please let me off?”
Julie was so scared that she broke out in cold sweat.
She finally got an idea of what had happened. Tina and Matt were obviously a couple. The main problem was that Tina recognized the pair of earrings. That was no different from her catching Matt and Dahlia together.
“Shut up! If you do not have a death wish, then do what I tell you to do!” Tina roared.
“You name it, Miss Hummer. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll try my best to accomplish it!” Julie promised
wholeheartedly.
“Put this into Dahlia’s bag.” Tina took a delicate jewelry box and handed it to Julie.
“What do you mean, Miss Hummer?” Julie could not wrap her head around Tina’s request.
“Don’t ask questions! Just do as you’ve been told!” Tina scolded. “Yes, yes.” Julie nodded vigorously. She was in no place to refuse.
