Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
Giana shook her head, still convinced it was a counterfeit.
“Sorry, ma’am, but this necklace isn’t the real deal,” Giana interjected.
The foreign woman looked puzzled. “Is that so? May I see it up close?” she asked, extending her hand.
Without hesitation, Susan unfastened the necklace and handed it over, her confidence unwavering. The woman examined it carefully, her fingers tracing its intricate details. Meanwhile, Giana tugged at Susan’s arm and whispered, “I told you, wearing that fake necklace is only going to give you grief. People will think you’re trying too hard. Maybe you should keep it in your purse tonight.”
Susan remained silent, watching the woman appraise the necklace. Gradually, the excitement on the woman’s face morphed into seriousness.
Feeling sorry for Susan, Giana shook her head, certain that the woman had realized the necklace was fake.
“Miss, why did you lie to me?” the woman asked sharply, her eyes narrowing at Giana with a mix of disappointment and disbelief. “This necklace is genuine. I’ve been a jewelry appraiser for years, and I can guarantee with absolute certainty that this is authentic.”
Giana’s smug smile faltered, then vanished altogether. She was shocked.
Ignoring Giana, the woman turned back to Susan, her excitement returning. “So, are you willing to sell it to me?” she asked eagerly.
Susan hesitated and sent a message to Isabella. It had been a gift from her, after all.
A moment later, Isabella replied, “I gave it to you, so it’s yours. You can do whatever you like with it.”
Susan, touched by Isabella’s words, agreed to sell the necklace for its original price, though the woman insisted on paying double.
“Thank you, my dear friend. Goodbye,” the woman said, cheerfully blowing a kiss to Susan before striding away.
Giana felt dizzy. The necklace she had long coveted was, in fact, real.
Susan’s gaze turned ice-cold as she looked at Giana, stripping away her pride.
Feeling utterly humiliated, Giana cleared her throat and stammered, “Susan, aren’t Isabella’s parents farmers? How could she afford a million-dollar necklace?”
“Isabella has always been honest with us,” Susan replied firmly. “She would never give us anything fake. But you, Giana, you’ve only ever looked at her with suspicion.”
Susan’s voice was steady, her gaze filled with disappointment. “You’ve changed, Giana. I don’t like the new you. From now on, we’re no longer friends.”
After Susan’s cutting words, she turned and walked away, leaving Giana standing there, lost in thought and weighed down by regret. She had just lost a million dollars and a friend.
Inside the reunion venue, the organizer had reserved a large room. Many of their schoolmates had already arrived, and the attention of the group centered on Eliza and Gilbert, who sat at the heart of the gathering, basking in compliments.
Susan quietly sat in a corner, observing the scene. Teresa, dressed distinctively and exuding confidence, glanced at Susan and sneered. “Susan, why hasn’t Isabella shown up yet?”
“She’ll be here shortly,” Susan responded calmly.
“Really? I thought she wouldn’t dare to come,” Teresa continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “After all, she was a fake heiress who took someone else’s place. Now that she’s lost her status and her fianc?, she must be feeling quite embarrassed.”
Susan shot back, her disdain for Teresa evident. “She was raised in the Chapman family. It wasn’t her choice to be mistakenly taken there. And fianc?? Isabella has better options.”
“Better options? Do you mean Dane? That’s ridiculous. Isabella must be delusional to dream of marrying into wealth,” Teresa mocked.
The others joined in, whispering scornfully. Back in high school, Isabella had been the most admired girl, praised for her beauty and charm. Now, everyone was eager to see how she would present herself at the reunion.
Eliza, playing the part of the kind friend, interjected, “Teresa, let’s drop it. Isabella is probably already feeling bad. We haven’t seen each other in so long—let’s just enjoy today.”
“Okay, Eliza. You’re always the kind one,” Teresa replied, her envy thinly veiled as she admired Eliza’s custom-made dress, which oozed sophistication.
“Eliza, your dress is stunning. It must have cost a fortune!”
Eliza smiled modestly. “Only about five hundred thousand dollars.”
The others gasped in awe. “Oh my God! Five hundred thousand dollars! I’m so jealous. I don’t think all my clothes combined would add up to that much.”
“Eliza and Gilbert are such a perfect match—she’s beautiful, and he’s handsome.”
“A wealthy young man like Gilbert deserves a woman of equal beauty and class,” one person remarked, adding to the flattery that fueled Eliza’s glowing smile.
As nearly everyone had arrived except Isabella, Teresa couldn’t resist another jab. “Why hasn’t Isabella shown up yet? Does she not have the courage to face us?”
Just then, the door opened, and Isabella stepped in.
She wore a long black dress that hugged her slender figure, and her minimal makeup only served to enhance her striking natural beauty. Her long black hair flowed elegantly, and she moved with a regal grace that immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Suddenly, Eliza’s extravagant outfit paled in comparison to Isabella’s understated elegance. It was as if Isabella had stepped out of a painting, her presence commanding the room. The quiet murmur of admiration in the air didn’t escape Eliza’s notice, and fury surged within her as she realized she had been outshined.
Feigning surprise, Eliza smiled warmly. “Isabella, you’re here. You’re still so beautiful—no wonder men are so drawn to you.”
Her words jolted the crowd back to reality. Yes, Isabella was beautiful, but they quickly remembered her fall from grace, associating her beauty with her presumed ambition to marry into wealth.
“Of course, everyone prefers beautiful people over someone as ugly as you,” Isabella said, casually seating herself next to Susan.
Eliza’s smile instantly vanished. Isabella’s sharp response cut through the tension like a knife.
Gilbert, who had been observing Isabella with conflicted admiration, frowned. Her aggressiveness irritated him. “Isabella, you’re a lady. Couldn’t you speak a bit more gently?”
Isabella shot him a cold glance. “And you’re a man. Should you really be arguing with a woman?”
Gilbert was left speechless, his frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
Teresa scowled, trying to diffuse the situation. “We’re just looking out for you, Isabella. Why do you have to be so hostile? We’re here for a reunion, to have a good time.”
Isabella leaned back in her seat, unbothered. “I’ll enjoy myself when I’m happy. Eliza started mocking me the moment I walked in. How can I be happy with that?”
Caught off-guard, Eliza felt a flush of embarrassment but quickly tried to play innocent. “Isabella, I was only complimenting you. You’re overreacting.”
Isabella’s eyes flashed with a calm yet deadly resolve. “I just said you were ugly. Isn’t that the truth?”
The room fell silent, and Eliza’s face turned red with humiliation.
Susan, sitting next to Isabella, felt an overwhelming urge to clap. Isabella’s sharp wit was captivating, and Susan wished she would continue.
“Alright, it’s rare for us to gather like this. Let’s enjoy a meal together,” someone suggested, attempting to play the peacemaker.
As everyone began to eat, the room quieted down, though the conversation consistently circled back to Eliza and Gilbert.
Susan, ignoring them, leaned toward Isabella and asked, “What kept you?”
“I ran into some trouble on the way,” Isabella replied, her voice tinged with mild frustration.
The “trouble” was Andrew. Knowing that Isabella would be attending a reunion where Gilbert would be present, he had felt a pang of jealousy and had kissed her passionately in the car, leaving her struggling to avoid showing up with swollen lips.
Just then, a man approached and raised his glass toward Isabella. “A toast to you, the most beautiful girl in our school.”
Isabella glanced up, realizing she didn’t recognize the man.
“I’m sorry, I’m not fond of drinking,” she said bluntly.
“Do you know what Asher’s been up to these days, Isabella? You shouldn’t dismiss him so quickly,” Teresa interjected with a mischievous grin.
It turned out that the man was Asher Cruz, who had pursued Isabella during their high school years. But now, she had no idea what he was up to. Asher, mistaking her indifference for ignorance, began to boast, “I’m working at my father’s company now. It’s a publicly traded group with ties to the Santos family and other powerful families. Isabella, I know you’re having a hard time. If you ever need help, I’m here. We’re old classmates, and I won’t just stand by.”
As he spoke, Asher reached out to touch Isabella’s shoulder.
Susan felt her blood boil, but before she could act, Isabella grabbed Asher’s hand and pushed it away, causing his hand to slam against the wall with a thud.
The room fell silent.
Eliza, who had intentionally invited Asher to the reunion, watched with narrowed eyes. She knew Asher had once admired Isabella but had been too hesitant to act because of her high status as a member of the Chapman family.
Now that Isabella had lost her status, Asher saw an opportunity. He thought she would be desperate for help and surely willing to accept his advances. But he hadn’t expected her firm rejection.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.