Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
Mara felt a surge of anxiety and agitation. Jada stood on the stage, a place she had once dominated with confidence. She had been sure she would win the championship and everyone’s praise, yet now, she faced public criticism—harsh and unforgiving. Susan had thoroughly outperformed her.
Jada fought to keep her emotions in check, her eyes reddening as she faced Susan. “Susan, you haven’t had formal training. How are you this good? If you were really talented, wouldn’t it have shown earlier? Why only now?”
Her gaze then turned to Dane in the audience. “I see Mr. Patton is quite taken with you. Perhaps that’s your real edge. I bet Mr. Patton got you the best teachers. You’re so lucky, Susan.”
“Jada, what are you implying here?” Susan responded, her expression turning cold. “You’ve been defeated. Are you going to honor your word?”
“But Susan…” Jada said, her voice shaking. “Does Mr. Patton know you’re carrying another man’s child?”
The accusation echoed through the hall, leaving everyone in shocked silence. A cold look crossed Isabella’s face. Panic flickered across Susan’s features. Dane looked stunned initially but quickly signaled for the host to remove Jada from the stage.
Susan’s eyes darted to Dane. She noticed his first instinct was to remove Jada rather than react with anger, adding to her turmoil. The host then said, “Jada, as per the deal you’ve made with Susan, you must exit the competition. Please stop spreading unfounded claims.”
Jada, not expecting Dane’s reaction to be so measured after such a revelation, was surprised by his deep feelings for Susan. What did Susan possess that was so compelling?
“I’m not spreading rumors. Everything I’ve said is true!” Jada replied, pulling out a document and turning to Dane. “Here is Susan’s pregnancy report. She didn’t tell you because the child isn’t yours!”
“This is a competition venue, not a stage for your drama,” Dane said coldly. “You’ve lost. Leave the competition now!” Staff members quickly approached the stage to escort Jada away.
Jada could no longer hold back her distress and anger. It was bad enough that her status had been diminished, but now Susan, whom she had always seen as inferior, was on the brink of being celebrated as a genius perfumer. Even if she couldn’t win, she was determined not to let Susan win either.
“I’m stating facts. With the rise of new perfumers, if someone like Susan becomes celebrated, will others mimic her morally questionable actions? Soon, the reputation of all perfumers will be tarnished!” Jada cried out defiantly.
Esteban’s face turned stormy, and Mara felt a heavy sense of despair. Jada’s behavior was a disgrace to the Riggs family! Esteban, a man who deeply valued his family’s reputation, was visibly upset. However, upon reflection, if Susan had indeed been unfaithful to Dane, it wasn’t Jada’s fault.
The audience, after considering Jada’s words, began to see some logic in them.
“Susan hasn’t denied the claim. Could she really be expecting a child with another man? Mr. Patton is our investor. Could her actions endanger us?”
“What Jada is saying might be valid. If Susan truly acted improperly, someone with such poor morals does not deserve the championship.”
“Indeed, if this is true, Susan’s title should be revoked!”
“Susan isn’t offering any explanations. Is this an admission?”
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. Susan, standing on the stage, clenched her fists. She found herself unable to lie, particularly with Dane’s eyes on her. Yet, acknowledging the truth would bring disgrace to both the Patton and Riggs families.
The emotional torment was overwhelming, like a sharp pain piercing through her heart. She was in utter turmoil! What was her best course of action?
“Jada, you’re absolutely ruthless,” Isabella said, standing abruptly, her voice piercing through the tense atmosphere. “You can’t stand to see your sister succeed, so you drag her name through the mud. Have you no decency? Susan only intended to surprise my brother! Yet here you are, maligning her in public. Your malice knows no bounds!”
Isabella could no longer pretend to be friends with Jada. She had reached her breaking point and was now resolved to shatter Jada’s illusion once and for all.
Jada’s face darkened. She thought Isabella was utterly despicable. Her heart raced with anger. Everything Isabella had done before felt like a carefully crafted facade, nothing but a sham. Isabella had never really cut ties with Susan. Thus, her promise to offer support was nothing but a lie. Her being kicked out of the Riggs Group must have been part of Isabella’s cunning plan. With this realization, Jada felt even more furious; she had been manipulated by Isabella.
“If the child really belongs to your brother, why does she look like this? Clearly, it’s not the case!” Jada hissed coldly. “Isabella, Mr. Patton is your own brother. Are you really willing to hurt him for Susan’s sake?”
Jada could no longer control her voice, and her face flushed with anger as she realized she had been hoodwinked by Isabella. Everyone turned their gazes at Isabella and Jada, noticing the escalating confrontation between them. They had seen Susan’s uneasiness earlier.
Susan kept her head down, feeling the weight of the situation pressing heavily on her shoulders. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t say anything.
Isabella faced Jada and snapped back, “Since you insist that she has cheated on my brother, tell me who that man is. Who is the man who can hold a candle to my brother?”
Those questions made Jada speechless for a moment. She struggled to form a response. Everyone around them was also confused. Dane’s prestige was well-recognized. He was viewed as a formidable counterpart to Andrew.
Could it be that Susan had cheated on him with Andrew? Finally, Jada found her voice. “Does infidelity hinge on the other person’s status alone? She can cheat with anyone she fancies.”
Obviously, she had no intention of yielding.
“Enough!”
Suddenly, a deep, authoritative male voice thundered from the crowd. Such an interruption made everyone turn their eyes toward the source of the voice. A figure stepped forward, exuding an air of authority. It was none other than Esteban.
A flicker of exhilaration flashed through Jada’s eyes when she saw Esteban. She knew how much he valued reputation and discipline. He would definitely not let Susan off the hook. Once Esteban reproached Susan, her reputation would suffer severe and lasting damage.
Even if Esteban later blamed her for publicly exposing Susan’s affair, it didn’t matter. Susan’s reputation was already irreparably damaged at that time. The future of the Riggs family rested dependably in Jada’s hands. At the thought of this, Jada’s heart raced with excitement, and she looked at Esteban expectantly.
Esteban’s calm yet firm voice rang out in everyone’s ears. “Susan’s mother was once the most celebrated perfumer in Ansport. Obviously, she has inherited her mother’s extraordinary talent. Jada, you may have overlooked your sister’s endeavors, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t toiled tirelessly.”
He looked at Jada sternly and continued, “How about you? You haven’t demonstrated the same aptitude. We invested so much money in you and sent you abroad for advanced studies, but we didn’t expect you to come back forgetting all about manners and decency.”
The weight of his words pressed down on Jada like a giant hammer striking her. Her face turned pale at once. Even in this predicament, Esteban still chose to be partial to Susan.
This time, Dane also stepped forward. “Perhaps some of you are unaware, but Susan’s mother was the renowned top perfumer in Ansport, Colette Bowers.”
The mention of Susan’s mother and her renowned legacy as the most celebrated perfumer in Ansport resonated with everyone present. Colette had propelled Lorpond’s perfumery to its zenith, drawing international perfumers to Lorpond for training and bestowing countless accolades upon the nation’s perfumery industry. Sadly, fate was cruel to such a genius; she died before she could even reach the age of thirty-five.
“I know that Colette was married, but I didn’t expect her to be married to Esteban and Susan is her daughter.”
“Colette was my mentor, and I admire her very much. Her skill in perfumery was unparalleled, and everything I know, I owe to her. So, how can her daughter be any worse? Jada is simply jealous of Susan.”
“Talent runs in the blood. Since Colette was a genius, how can her daughter be devoid of talent? What about Jada? Isn’t her lineage dubious? She’s just envious of Susan. How reprehensible!”
Susan felt warm as she realized how much support she had garnered because of her late mother, Colette. Those who once treated her coldly unexpectedly spoke up in her defense. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back, feeling both grateful and emotional.
She didn’t expect their admiration for her mother to translate into empathy and respect for her. After all these years, she still stood under her mother’s protective umbrella.
“When you came to my office a few hours ago, attempting to tarnish Susan’s reputation, I chose to ignore you. But I didn’t expect you to refuse to relent. Such behavior is unworthy of a perfumer,” Dane scolded.
Jada’s face turned pale at once. She didn’t expect Dane to expose her so openly. Before she could speak, he continued, “After being disqualified from this competition, you can never participate in future competitions. Does anyone here have any objections?”
No one dared to say a word.
After Jada was promptly escorted out of the competition, the awarding ceremony resumed, this time without interruption. When Susan accepted her trophy, tears welled up in her eyes. Feeling nostalgic, she held the trophy aloft, its polished surface gleaming under the lights. Finally, she received the trophy her mother once had. If Colette were here to witness this, she would be very proud.
After the awarding ceremony concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed. Susan was left to cater to many reporters wanting to interview her. By the time they finished, it was already past ten in the evening.
Susan went backstage, where the atmosphere buzzed with excitement and chatter.
“Believe me, I’m telling the truth. You’ve all been deceived by Susan. I can’t just forge this pregnancy test, right?” Jada took out the pregnancy test result and showed it to Isabella. As soon as she saw Susan return, she immediately confronted her. “Susan, you’re finally back. It’s time for you to give everyone an explanation,” she demanded.
Susan’s gaze swept the room. She looked at Isabella, then Esteban, and finally fixed her gaze on Dane. Dane’s deep-set eyes remained soft. But his voice was resolute when he said, “Susan, don’t be afraid. I believe in you.”
Susan’s nose tingled as tears streamed down her face. Earlier, she had held back the truth in front of the crowd, but now, could she really keep lying to Dane?
“Just admit it, Susan! You’re pregnant!” Jada yelled, her voice ringing out, stripped of any pretense of noble composure.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Susan admitted slowly.
The room fell into an abrupt, tense silence.
Esteban’s face darkened, his expression unusually severe.
Mara’s voice was soft as she asked, “Susan, what’s going on? How could you keep something this important from us? Is the child really not Dane’s?”
Jada sneered. “I guess the child is Onyx’s! I saw her at the hospital, about to have an abortion. If it were Dane’s, why would she do that?”
Esteban’s expression darkened even further.
Susan kept her head down, her face a blank mask, but her fingers were clenched so tightly that they turned white. “Susan, tell us the truth. What’s really going on?” Mara pressed her.
Jada, wearing a cold smile, looked at Susan. “Go ahead, admit it. You went to a hotel with Onyx; you slept with him.” Then, with a triumphant glance at Dane, she added, “Mr. Patton, I wasn’t lying. If she truly loved you, she would’ve gotten rid of the child.”
Dane’s gaze shifted to Susan. “Susan…”
Susan raised her head, locking eyes with Dane. Her face, drained of color, seemed almost ghostly, but her voice remained steady. “Yes, that night, he took me to the hotel. I don’t remember what happened after that… and later, I found out I was pregnant. I was too scared to tell you, too afraid of letting you down.”
Her voice faltered as she closed her eyes, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed you.”