A week later, Emily received the dress delivered by Victoria’s assistant. The dress was royal blue, exuding elegance and sophistication without being ostentatious. It was suitable for the formal occasion of the birthday celebration. Victoria indeed had good taste.
After the miscarriage, Emily rarely showed a smile. She tried on the dress and made some slight alterations where necessary.
While Isabella was sitting on Olivia’s couch eating chips, she received a call from David. She had zero interest in Mrs. Hannah’s birthday celebration.
Olivia, on the other hand, was ecstatic. “I’ve been wondering how to get closer to Charles. This is a golden opportunity!”
Charles was the CEO of a top-tier media company, a self-made legend in his early thirties.
Not long ago, news surfaced that the company was in the process of producing its fourth movie and was already in the casting phase. Olivia had acquired the script through her connections and was very optimistic about it.
“You’ve had enough vacation. This opportunity can’t be missed,” Olivia told Isabella.
Isabella, munching on chips, retorted, “You’ve presented me with so many scripts that I didn’t like. Yet, you insist on this one. Olivia, do you have a penchant for torture?”
“The ones I’ve chosen for you are the best,” Olivia assured, almost patting her chest.
Isabella had no choice but to believe her.
“Fine, send me the script. I’ll take a look when I get some time.”
“You’re not meeting a director; you’re meeting a gentleman like Charles. You just need to display your charm,” Olivia remarked.
Isabella almost choked on her chips hearing this.
“Why did you do that? You’ve sprayed chips everywhere; it’s disgusting,” Olivia expressed strong dissatisfaction and disdain.
Isabella was even more dissatisfied, simply leaving the remaining chips on the coffee table. “Are you trying to trick me again? Is he reliable? What if he develops feelings for me?”
“Relax, I’ve already checked. Charles likes sexy beauties, not your type,” Olivia once again reassured her.
Isabella: “…”
“Come on, Isabella darling, I have high hopes for you,” Olivia earnestly patted her shoulder.
Isabella grabbed the chips on the table again and took a forceful bite, causing a crunching sound. Olivia felt a bit uncomfortable; she had a feeling Isabella was biting her.
Initially planning to stay for dinner at Olivia’s, Isabella received a call from Mrs. Ada before they could start, asking her to accompany Aria to choose a gift for Mrs. Hannah.
The Turner family had a special status, and they didn’t expect expensive gifts or cash at the birthday celebration. However, some juniors would prepare gifts as a token of goodwill, often delivered before the celebration.
Unable to refuse, Isabella reluctantly accompanied Aria to the mall.
Wearing five-inch heels and with an empty stomach, Isabella felt her feet ache from walking. She regretted not wearing flats to spare herself the agony.
“Aria, have you decided what you want to buy?” She could hardly move and took a seat on a chair in the mall, trying to maintain her appearance by not taking off her high heels.
Aria had no idea; she had never interacted with people at Mrs. Hannah’s level.
Isabella wouldn’t give Aria any advice. She understood it well-helping this grandmother and granddaughter pair meant no credit for doing a good deed and faced criticism for any missteps.
They were at a place where a jewelry store was conveniently in front of them. Aria’s eyes brightened when she saw the gold longevity peaches displayed in the showcase.
“Isabella, do you think this is suitable?” Aria asked her.
Of course not! Isabella thought to herself.
Gold fell into the category of precious items. This gold peach was worth at least tens of thousands. Such a valuable item wasn’t suitable as a gift for a birthday celebration, especially from a junior to an elder. These were gifts used by corrupt officials to bribe higher-ups.
But she had to phrase it carefully to avoid hurting Aria’s feelings.
“It might be a little too valuable,” she said.
But Aria never listened to advice. She asked the clerk to pack it up without checking the price.
When it was time to pay, she found out her card didn’t have enough balance.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. Could you use another card?” the cashier politely said.
Aria felt embarrassed because she only had that one card and a few bills in her wallet. “Is there an issue with my card? Did it get demagnetized?”
“Sorry, ma’am. There isn’t enough balance on your card,” the cashier said.
Aria felt embarrassed. She remembered there was still sixty or seventy thousand on the card, money left from the last time she bought clothes. It was then that she realized the price of the gold peach.
“Isn’t this peach hollow inside?”
Cashier: “…”
There were people waiting in line behind her, and whispers were audible: “Can she afford it or not? If she can’t, she should step aside and not hold up the line.”
Aria stood there stunned, only able to look at Isabella.
“Isabella, can you lend me twenty thousand?”
With so many people watching, could she say no? She had to take out a bank card from her wallet and hand it over.
Watching the cashier swipe the card, Isabella felt a bit distressed. Twenty thousand yuan could buy so much formula for Asher.
She spent twenty thousand yuan just to settle things down and escorted Aria back home.
Thinking about the birthday celebration now gave her a headache. She specifically went to the study, researching about Charles online.
Andrew came back from his entertainment engagements and was surprised to find the study light still on.
Leaning against the doorframe with his tall and slim figure, weariness showed between his brows. This was the fifth engagement of the week, and the mingling at the table had tired him out. He even began to miss the simple, almost monotonous life he led in the military, a time when he felt more liberated.
Isabella was focused on the computer in front of her, her back to the door, completely unaware that there was someone else in the room. She didn’t even know when he had stood behind her.
“What are you doing?” His voice was as melodious as a cello, breaking the quietness of the night, startling her unavoidably.