Before Lillian could answer, a young girl wearing a pink dress came fluttering in from the door. She didn’t even spare a glance at Lillian. “Daddy!”
“Where have you been causing trouble now?” Peter scolded her affectionately.
Lillian didn’t wait for the family to continue their conversation. She quietly left the small meeting room.
Sophia pouted, “Daddy, do you know that Conrad is downstairs? I really love him, he has this wild vibe. So sexy.”
Peter and Helen exchanged a helpless glance. “You, stop being so willful. After your mom returns from seeing her family, we’ll go home. What happened to your previous boyfriend?”
“Don’t mention him. Walker isn’t as good as Conrad. I broke up with him. Mom was invited back by Conrad, right? Why can’t I go after him? Daddy, love is free!”
Lillian felt like she was struggling to breathe. She walked outside, holding her chest and trying to take in more air.
So, she really didn’t recognize her.
When Helen came out, she saw Lillian leaning against the railing. Unable to resist, she walked over and softly asked, “Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Lillian turned her head to look at her.
Helen stared back and asked, “Have we really never met?”
“Maybe we have, but if you don’t remember, it doesn’t really matter whether we met or not.” Lillian finished speaking and turned to leave, as if a ghost was chasing her.
Helen quickly followed, “What’s your last name?”
Lillian could have said nothing, but she still turned her head and answered, “Lewis.”
Helen opened her mouth, as if she had suddenly recognized who she was. “You’re… you’re Lillian Lewis? Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Helen looked a bit anxious, but just then, Sophia’s voice came through. “Mommy, can I wear this crown?”
Helen turned to her. “No, Sophia, that’s a special crown.”
She was eager to go inside but didn’t want to let Lillian leave just yet.
“Can you…”
“Someone else needs you more,” Lillian said, then quickly turned and left.
Sophia peeked out. “Mommy, who was that? What were you talking to the waitress about?”
Helen glanced in the direction Lillian had gone, then turned back and said, “It’s nothing. The crown’s not for you to wear…”
“I know, I was just going to wear it for a little while! No one will notice.”
Lillian kept walking, not noticing where she was going. Once she calmed down, she realized she had acted out of line. She could have handled the situation better, but looking at Helen’s expression, she just couldn’t control her emotions.
“Where have you been?” The head waiter came up the stairs and saw Lillian standing there in a daze. “No wonder I didn’t see you downstairs. How did you end up here? There aren’t enough people downstairs, and you’re here slacking off. Come on, get downstairs.”
Lillian was pulled downstairs by the head waiter, who gave her a stern look. “When the ball starts, you better pay attention. When serving drinks, don’t spill them on any important guests. If you do, I’ll sell you to pay for the damages.”
Lillian nodded. “Understood.”
At the event, there were too many familiar faces. Lillian hid behind a curtain. The goal had already been achieved. Peter’s mysterious wife, whose face had always been a secret, had now been revealed. There probably wouldn’t be any more chances to meet her.
She took out her phone and contacted Jack, planning to report today’s results so he wouldn’t wait in vain.
The ballroom was buzzing with excitement.
The host had already taken the stage. “Tonight, we welcome you all to our event. After voting, we have the winner of tonight’s Best Dressed Lady, and I’m about to announce her name-”
At this point, the music built up suspense, and the lights dimmed.
“It’s our Golden Flower Best Actress, Miss Pandora!”
Pandora looked genuinely surprised as she basked in the compliments and applause from the crowd.
“And now, let’s welcome our mysterious award presenter for today-First recipient of the Golden Flower Best Actress, Ms. Helen!”
The crowd was in an uproar. Helen had long since retired from the industry, and in recent years, she rarely updated her social media accounts. Yet today, she appeared to present an award to Pandora, leading everyone to think this was all part of Conrad’s grand plan to help the spokesperson of the Brown Family Group rise even higher.
If the photos from today got out, Pandora’s fame and popularity would skyrocket! It would be a surefire way to get her to the peak of her career. The actresses in the audience were so jealous, their faces nearly twisted with envy.
Pandora and Helen exchanged a smile, holding hands as they stepped onto the stage and opened the gift box containing the carefully wrapped crown.
The crowd gasped in shock.
Those who recognized the significance knew immediately that this crown had once been worn by the queen when she was young. Pandora’s priceless necklace, which she was already wearing around her neck, was already incredibly valuable. With the addition of the crown, people’s minds began to shift.
It was clear-this was a slap in the face to the White family. After all, since Pandora had climbed the social ladder with Conrad, her career had skyrocketed. She had won award after award, and resources had flooded in from all directions.
Could it be that this Pandora was really Conrad’s mysterious woman, kept on the side?
Lillian peeked out from behind the curtain and saw Pandora stepping off the stage and walking over to Conrad, who had just come down from the upper floor, inviting him to dance the opening waltz.
Lillian shifted her gaze away. The opening dance had already begun, and Conrad was likely already on the dance floor with the Best Actress, ready to wrap up the grand entrance perfectly.
Lillian felt a sense of emptiness.
“Let’s go. We need to organize the back storage area,” someone patted her on the shoulder.
Lillian recognized it as one of her team members, so she got up and followed.
When she returned, the atmosphere in the venue had completely changed.
“The crown is missing? Well, we’ll have to call the police. How are we supposed to know where such a large crown went?”
Pandora was sitting on the sofa, looking distressed. “I only went to the restroom to change my dress. I was worried the crown might get knocked off, so I left it on the coffee table. I was in the inner room with the staff for just a short time, and when we came out, the crown was gone!”
“Check the surveillance footage!”
“Sorry, the cameras didn’t record.”
“Then search the entire cruise ship. You mean to tell me the thief can just fly away with it?” Conrad sat on the sofa, his gaze dark. He was eager to find out who had the guts to steal something right under his nose, especially something he had brought from the Brown family.
“I was with others the entire time. I never left the ballroom, I don’t even know where the restroom is,” someone said, hurriedly trying to provide an alibi.
“Could it have been the waiter who took it?” someone else suggested.
At this, Lillian, who had been on duty in the lobby, had no choice but to step forward to confirm her whereabouts.
A chill ran down her spine as she feared the worst.
“Isn’t that Lillian?”
“Oh my God, how did she get in here? She’s working as a waitress, aha! Could she be here to steal?”
Sharp, judgmental eyes turned toward her.
Conrad’s face darkened the moment Lillian walked over.
“Mr. Conrad, should we just search her? A desperate woman like this, she could be the one who stole it,” someone jeered.
Lillian lifted her gaze and met Conrad’s eyes.
“Hey, has anyone seen Lillian? I didn’t even notice her in the entire venue.”
Someone in the corner suddenly spoke up. “I think I saw her head upstairs.”
The upstairs? That’s where the restroom was!
The comment almost nailed Lillian to a pillar of shame.
Meanwhile, Martin looked at Evelyn, who had spoken, with shock on his face.
Evelyn appeared confused, but quietly said, “I really saw her head up to the second floor.”