While his sister was changing, Hector could not stay behind and indicated to the maids:
-The dress is quite expensive, so be careful when picking it up.
Before leaving the room after Umberto, he muttered:
-Don’t touch me….
No sooner had he uttered these words than a scream was heard in the room.
The two men looked at each other stunned and rushed at the same time.
They ran straight to Albina with anxious eyes.
-Albina, what is it?
-It wasn’t me! -Albina shook her head as she also stood up from her chair with a frown and her finger pointed at the closet, “The scream came from there.
Umberto and Hector looked at each other with beating hearts and somber faces as they thought of something at the same time.
The next second, two maids came running out from inside with a box in their hands.
At the sight of the three, the maids’ faces paled, their bodies trembled and their arms shook so much that they could barely hold the large box.
-Sir, the dress, the dress is torn?
Hector scrunched his eyebrows with eerie hostility.
-Open it and let me see.
He had already guessed something in his mind, and so he was even angrier.
It was his sister’s first appearance, an important opportunity for the Espina family to introduce her to the circle, and it was simply too terrible that the dress was ruined at such a crucial moment.
The person behind it was trying to ridicule his sister and wanted to spoil the party.
Hector immediately thought of a candidate, Diana.
He could think of no one else but her to do that.
The maid carefully took out and unfolded the dress.
The dress was extremely beautiful and Albina, along with several masters, gave her heart and soul to its making for two weeks.
But now the dress had been cut and the fabric was sagging and torn in such a way that it would be impossible to recover it completely unless it was woven and mended with extreme delicacy.
The point was that there was simply no time left and the dress could not be returned to its original shape in the short time available.
Umberto and Hector’s faces were tense.
Albina walked over and looked at him closely.
-The top half of the jewels and the fabric are not half damaged, the only thing that looks torn is the hem.
She looked a little puzzled and turned her head to look at the two of them.
-When the dress was in the box, the jeweled side was facing up, and the torn side seemed to be pressed underneath, right? Why do you think the culprit didn’t cut off the jeweled top when he damaged the dress, instead of flipping the bottom part over and cutting it off?
“Y…”
Albina stared at him.
“The culprit must have been extremely nervous. The torn opening looked like it would have taken several cuts before it was completely severed. Now this is strange.”
Umberto reflected for a moment.
-The culprit must have known the value of the gems, and if he destroyed them and the damage was too great, not only would the Espina family pursue the matter to the end, but the price would be correspondingly greater.
Albina nodded.
-It made sense.
She looked at the two maids.
The maids were so frightened that their legs gave out.
-Miss Albina, we didn’t do it. We saw that her makeup was finished and went to pick up the dress, but when we did, we found that the hem was torn.
The other maid nodded her head.
-Yes, that’s right, it really has nothing to do with us. We both went together, so if one did it, the other would have seen it.
Albina rubbed her chin.
-I didn’t say you did it either. You don’t have to be so nervous, I’m not going to eat anyone.
-Now is not the time to talk about it,” Hector suddenly spoke up. As your pregnancy was something we hadn’t foreseen, most of the clothes we prepared before won’t fit you, and it seems that this is the only garment you can wear, so if it gets spoiled, it will be difficult to find something that fits you perfectly….
She said this with a look of extreme urgency.
Hector didn’t want to ruin Albina’s party just because of the dress.
-Brother, there’s no need to rush….
Albina was about to reassure him when she heard a frightened scream from the door.
-Albina, what happened to your clothes!
Those present looked at the cause of the noise and saw Diana at the door.
Diana was delicately made up, her features were exquisitely adorned, her hair was straight, and she was wearing a smoky pink dress, the material of which was light and the skirt was layered as if with a mist, giving her a fairy-like aura.
Albina’s professional nature kicked in and she subconsciously looked at Diana’s dress, mentally going over it from the design to the choice of materials.
Her instinctive display was interpreted as envy in Diana’s eyes, which was somewhat amused.
This dress was of high quality and of a well-known brand, she spent a lot of money for this party and bought it especially so that she could overpower Albina and make a dazzling appearance.
She considered it money well spent in getting that look from Albina.
The unconscious emotion in Diana’s eyes was caught by Albina, who was watching her intently.
Albina’s lips curved as she looked at her and complimented her:
-Diana, this dress complements your makeup today, it’s gorgeous.
Diana wanted to be complimented, but was a little offended by Albina’s matter-of-factness.
She looked at Albina, who had her makeup was finished and didn’t look particularly powdered, but she had nice foundation features and her skin was clear and flawless.
Not to mention the fact that the Espina family hired a special makeup artist to bring out all the strengths of her features with just a little makeup.
She obviously wasn’t wearing a dress, but that calm and powerful aura hardened with her.
Diana felt uncomfortable again, as if she were inferior to Albina.
-Let’s not talk about me. Albina, why is your dress in this state? The party is about to start, I just saw that some guests have arrived and it’s too late to prepare the new dress.
Diana was deliberately playing up the tension and fanning the flames.
Hector listened to her with fire in his heart.
-This is not something you need to worry about. If you’re free, go downstairs and help Mom and Dad with the guests.
Diana was disgusted and paused for a moment, holding back her anger as she looked at Albina and said:
-Albina, I’m going to see if there is a dress for you, wait for me.
She hurried away without waiting for Albina to answer.
Albina’s dress was damaged and she had no choice but to find one that would fit her.
Diana looked impatient and a sneer was on her face.
She had to rummage through her closet and find a few dresses that had been out of season so Albina could make a fool of herself in front of everyone.