Then, Bianca asked a nearby waiter to bring Paige a glass of warm water.
Little did she know, Dave stood on the balcony of the second floor, watching the scene below. A glint of surprise flickered in his eyes as he observed Bianca. Beside him, Justin also watched Bianca with admiration. He couldn’t help but comment, “I didn’t expect Bianca to be so capable. Did you see that? She effortlessly struck up a conversation with Director Lopez’s wife!”
“If she heard her idol praise her like this, she’d be thrilled,” Dave muttered.
Justin had no idea what he was talking about. He looked at his friend in confusion. “Idol? Me?”
Dave shot him a harsh glare, leaving Justin feeling awkward and wondering how he had upset Dave again.
In the banquet hall, Paige glanced at Bianca gratefully after taking the antihistamine. “What’s your name, young lady?”
“I’m-”
“You don’t need to know her name. She’s just an assistant to an agent!”
Bianca was interrupted by a harsh voice from behind.
Ashley stepped forward, nudging Bianca behind her with her shoulder. Then she positioned herself in front of Paige and introduced herself with a flattering smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lopez. I’m Jasmine, the newest artist at Phoenix Entertainment. It’s wonderful to meet you!”
Paige frowned and glanced at Bianca standing behind Ashley. Before she could respond, a group of female stars who had overheard Ashley’s introduction quickly surrounded her.
High-pitched, flattering voices filled the banquet hall.
“Mrs. Lopez, you look like you’re in your 20s. You have to tell us your beauty secret!”
“Your dress is Armani, isn’t it? It looks so gorgeous on you!”
“Your diamond ring has to be at least ten carats, right?”
Paige was losing patience, but her face lit up when someone complimented her ring. She proudly showed off her hand, letting the big diamond sparkle in the light.
“My husband gave me this for our 20th anniversary,” she said. “I scolded him for spending so much, but he said I deserved it.”
“That ring must’ve cost a fortune!”
Seeing the way Paige reacted, everyone around her realized that the ring was the key to her heart. They began to praise the ring one after another, claiming that they were jealous that Paige had such a loving and generous husband.
Paige was so elated that she forgot all about Bianca.
Bianca glared at Ashley angrily. If Ashley hadn’t interrupted her, she could’ve gotten closer to Paige. Given the current situation, she’d only come across as desperate if she tried to strike up a conversation with Paige again. She had to give up for now, so she retreated to a corner and rested for a while.
In the middle of the party, Ashley went to the ladies’ room. Just as she emerged from the cubicle, she happened to run into Paige, who was washing her hands. Her ten-carat diamond ring was lying on the side of the wash basin. Just then, Paige’s phone rang. She walked out of the bathroom to answer the phone- completely forgetting about the ring!
With a sneaky smile, Ashley swiftly snatched the ring and casually walked out of the restroom, acting as if nothing had happened.
Bianca tried to shake off her frustration and headed to find Paige, hoping to continue their conversation. Time was precious, and she couldn’t miss this chance. But as she took a few steps, someone bumped into her.
“Bianca, watch where you’re going!” Ashley scolded, her voice grating on Bianca’s ears.
Bianca frowned. Ashley seemed determined to bother her tonight. Did this woman really think she was easy to mess with? Without a word, Bianca took a step forward, accidentally stepping on Ashley’s foot.
“Ouch!” Ashley yelped, her face paling from the pain.
Bianca smiled at her and said, “Ashley, maybe you should watch where you’re going next time. Otherwise, you might get in the way of someone’s shoe!”
Ashley was angry, but she smirked, knowing her plan was working.
Suddenly, Paige rushed out of the restroom, looking panicked.
“My ring’s gone! Someone took it!”
Everyone was surprised by Paige’s revelation. Soon, the party organizer rushed over to her. “Mrs. Lopez, what happened?”
“I took off my ring to wash my hands in the restroom. Then I stepped out to take a call. When I came back, my ring was gone! Someone must’ve stolen it!”
Upon hearing this, the organizer swiftly instructed the waiter to lock the doors and prevent anyone from leaving. Then, he addressed the guests, “If anyone took Mrs. Lopez’s ring, please return it now!”
The room filled with puzzled looks.
Suddenly, Ashley seized Bianca’s wrist and raised it for everyone to see. “It was her! I saw her sneaking out of the restroom just now!”
Bianca’s face darkened. She immediately realized that Ashley had intentionally bumped into her earlier to frame her. The ring must have been slid into her bag during that moment.
“Is that true?” Paige hesitated, recalling Bianca’s earlier kindness.
The crowd started murmuring.
“Who’s she?”
“No idea. Never seen her.”
“Oh, wait! I remember her! Jessica introduced her to me earlier. She’s a new assistant at Phoenix Entertainment.”
“What? How did she get invited?”
Jessica pushed through the crowd to defend Bianca. “Bianca didn’t do it! She’s innocent!”
Ashley confronted Jessica aggressively. “How can you be so sure? She’s just an assistant. She probably couldn’t resist the temptation of Mrs. Lopez’s expensive ring. After all, she wouldn’t earn that much money in her whole life! And the rest of us are all big names here. If she didn’t take it, who else would?”
Everyone turned to look at Bianca, their eyes filled with suspicion or disdain.
Justin, who had watched everything from the second floor, felt uneasy. “Should I step in?”
Dave waved him off. “No rush. Let’s see how Bianca handles it.”
As the crowd started to doubt Bianca, Ashley smirked, feeling confident. “Why don’t you open your bag and show us if the ring’s inside?”
But Bianca remained composed. With a calm smile, she admitted, “The ring is in my bag.”
This revelation stirred up quite a commotion.
The guests had varied reactions.
“She seems so pretty and innocent. Could she really be a thief?”
“I’ve seen people like her before. They’ll do anything for money.”
“But stealing from Mrs. Lopez? She’ll be blacklisted from the industry!”
“She brought it upon herself. She deserves to be blacklisted!”
Paige’s doubt quickly turned into disappointment.
However, Bianca remained calm. She looked at the restless crowd and said, “But I didn’t steal the ring. Someone put it in my bag to frame me.”
“Why would anyone here frame an assistant like you?” One of the guests scoffed.