Fortunately, her arm had mostly stopped hurting today. The bruising on her shoulder blade had spread, leaving a dull ache, but luckily no bones were broken. Otherwise, she would be bedridden for a month. With no other choice, Zoe Lancaster dragged her exhausted body out of bed.
Preston Quincy’s grandfather was a kind old man who had always treated her well, so she really ought to attend his birthday banquet. After discharging herself from the hospital, Zoe headed straight to the shopping district and bought a tea set for him, spending two months’ worth of her salary.
Social obligations were just like that. For wealthy families, face was everything. She couldn’t afford to brush it off, or Martin Lancaster would undoubtedly give her grief.
Having dropped tens of thousands on the gift, Zoe simply couldn’t bring herself to buy a new evening gown. Instead, she took a taxi back to her apartment to look through the dresses Simon Hawthorne had instructed Secretary Linden to purchase for her over the past two years. She hadn’t worn a single one of them.
After all, it wasn’t appropriate to be too flashy in the workplace, and the clothes he gifted her were worth hundreds of thousands at a minimum.
Unfortunately, most luxury evening gowns for formal occasions exposed the arms and legs, or featured plunging necklines and bare backs. With the bruising on her shoulder blade and the redness on her arm, showing skin would only invite unnecessary gossip.
In the end, Zoe chose a long-sleeved, gold-flecked mermaid dress. It featured a deep V-neckline that revealed a generous expanse of her collarbones. Her stunning figure was perfectly suited to carry such an elegant yet sexy gown.
By the time she finished getting ready, it was already six in the evening. She took a taxi straight to the hotel hosting the banquet. The venue had been entirely booked out for the event, and rows of luxury cars were parked outside.
Zoe entered the main hall with her invitation, only to see Riley Lancaster walking toward her.
"Why are you so late?" Riley’s tone was tinged with dissatisfaction, but her eyes couldn’t help scanning Zoe up and down. She recognized the dress—it was a limited edition from this year’s autumn collection, worth over 1.2 million. But the main issue was... Zoe’s figure was just too good. With an angelic face and a uniquely fiery body, she boasted a tiny waist, perky hips, and unbelievable proportions, not to mention an enviably ample bust. Riley was also wearing a low-cut dress today, but compared to Zoe, she looked pitifully flat. Her expression instantly darkened.
"As long as I’m not late," Zoe replied, flashing a fake smile.
Riley sneered, "You’ve moved up in the world, haven’t you? Affording such an expensive dress... Is the salary of a lowly PR supervisor really that high?"
"Jealous? If you’re so envious, why don’t you resign from your manager position at our family’s company and come work for me? I’ll show you the ropes," Zoe shot back.
Riley scoffed. "What can I say? Dad has high hopes for me. The company will be mine in the future. As for you, you’d better cling to a man as soon as possible. Marry Preston Quincy to secure your wealth and status, so you don’t spend your whole life losing to me."
"Then you’d better hurry up and find a powerful man to beg for marriage. I’ll gladly give up this ’blessing’ to you," Zoe retorted, thoroughly disgusted by such retrograde rhetoric.
It was unclear which nerve this struck, but Riley’s face immediately turned even more sullen. The tension held until they arrived in front of Mrs. Quincy.
Mrs. Quincy had been chatting and laughing with other guests, but her smile vanished the moment she saw Zoe. Glancing at Zoe’s outfit, she frowned. "Dressing so flashily... Are you terrified people won’t notice you?"
Already in a foul mood after yesterday’s ordeal, Zoe wasn’t about to hold her sharp tongue. "I haven’t married Preston yet. There’s no need for you to be in such a rush to discipline me, Mrs. Quincy."
What era was this? To still be lecturing people with such Silver Empire mentality!
Furious, Mrs. Quincy scolded, "I don’t understand why a young girl like you can’t learn to be obedient. Would an elder ever try to harm you? Our family had better options to begin with. Shouldn’t you feel a little grateful?"
Zoe frowned, about to retort. Beside her, Riley was panicking. She grabbed Zoe’s arm and yanked it hard. "You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Quincy. Zoe doesn’t mean what she says. Please don’t lower yourself to her level."
A sharp pain shot through Zoe’s arm—it was the exact one she had injured. Just then, Martin Lancaster walked over, prompting Mrs. Quincy to dial back her lecturing tone.
Knowing full well that Mrs. Quincy had deep-seated prejudices against Zoe, Martin smiled broadly and said, "Our Zoe is a very well-behaved girl. She’s never even dated before. She is pure and innocent in every way, so please rest assured, Mrs. Quincy."
Mrs. Quincy coldly scoffed.
Zoe took the opportunity to pull her hand out of Riley’s grasp. She had just stealthily massaged her arm when a chorus of gasps erupted from the front of the hall. Curious, she looked up, instantly freezing.
At the entrance, two people had just walked in.
The man wore a black suit adorned with a rose-shaped diamond brooch. Tall and strikingly handsome, he stood out effortlessly in the crowd. Beside him, a woman elegantly held his arm. Her hair was styled in a half-up princess do, making her look as exquisitely delicate as a porcelain doll.
Their arrival instantly made them the center of attention. The various socialites and elites who had been mingling couldn’t hide their excitement.
"Mr. Hawthorne! Boss Hawthorne actually came. We’ve really struck gold today!"
"You didn’t know? Mr. Quincy and the previous head of the Hawthorne Family were friends in their youth. Now that Old Mr. Hawthorne is severely ill, as the eldest grandson, he definitely had to come pay his respects for the birthday."
"Who’s that next to Mr. Hawthorne?"
"A female celebrity. Word is she’s his confidante. He dotes on her quite a bit!"
Zoe felt as if she had been struck by lightning. A bone-chilling cold spread through her entire body, and she couldn’t stop trembling.
She couldn’t believe it. Only yesterday, she had been subjected to such a perilous ordeal, and Stella Joyce was clearly the mastermind behind it. Yet today, Simon Hawthorne was acting as if nothing had happened, bringing Stella as his date to the birthday banquet?!
Seeing Simon, Mrs. Quincy was practically leaping with joy. "The heir of the Hawthorne Family has graced us with his presence! Our old man certainly has a lot of face!"
Simon Hawthorne was at the very pinnacle of Kingsford’s pyramid! Though young, countless titans in the financial circle had to pay him immense respect.
With that, Mrs. Quincy threw a sidelong glance at Zoe. "The Hawthorne Family is on good terms with ours, yet some people still don’t know how to be grateful."
Marrying into the Quincy Family was a blessing she had accumulated over lifetimes!
Zoe’s ears were ringing so loudly that she could barely hear anything. The sensory overload persisted until she watched helplessly as Simon walked over with Stella.
His deep, dark eyes swept past her, his gaze lightly skimming over Zoe’s entire body. The woman’s skin was as white as snow, and the prominent cleavage of her ample bust was hard to miss. Her devilish figure had already drawn countless sidelong glances from the crowd. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded in greeting to Mrs. Quincy. "Mrs. Quincy, this is a small gift prepared for Mr. Quincy. I hope he likes it."
Linden stepped forward to present it.
Grinning from ear to ear, Mrs. Quincy instructed someone to accept the gift. "Your presence alone brings light to our humble gathering, Mr. Hawthorne!"
She then looked at Stella, eager to curry favor. "You two make such a matching couple!"
Stella covered her lips and giggled. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a pale-faced Zoe, a flash of mockery and smugness deep in her gaze. "Thank you."
She smugly noted that Zoe was nothing but a defeated opponent who must have suffered plenty of torment and terror yesterday. Anyone who dared to oppose her should be prepared for such an end!
Oblivious to the underlying tension, Mrs. Quincy remained dead set on belittling Zoe. She sighed. "Mr. Hawthorne has excellent taste. My son’s, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired."
These words made even Martin lose face. However, since it involved business matters, he had to endure it. But...
"Well, I’d say my taste is quite good. I also happen to like someone like Mr. Hawthorne," Zoe said, her voice light but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.
Instantly, the atmosphere nearly imploded!
Simon’s eyes darkened.