Chapter 130 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
Over at the banquet hall, Dahlia was puzzled when she saw Julie panting as she entered. âDidnât you say that you were waiting for a friend, Julie? Whereâs your friend?â
âSomething came up and she couldnât make it.â She smiled sheepishly. âOh, Dahlia, could you lend me your compact mirror, please? I need to fix my makeup.â
âI remembered that youâve brought one yourself,â Dahlia said. âMineâs faulty. Iâd prefer to use yours.â Without waiting for a reply, Julie took Dahliaâs bag and fished around in it.
Dahlia was annoyed by that. She had to admit, her cousin was really a spoiled brat who lacked manners.
âThanks, Dahlia.â Julie tossed Dahliaâs bag back to her after she managed to get the compact mirror out. Then, she made up some excuse to go to the washroom.
Right at that moment, Tina made her entrance, followed by a crowd behind her, creating a ruckus in the banquet hall,
In the end, she stopped smack in the middle of the hall.
âQuiet down, everyone. I have an announcement to make.â Tina raised her hand and gestured for the crowd to
calm down.
The effect was immediate and the hall fell silent.
âItâs my birthday party today, and it was meant to be a happy occasion, but something awful has happened!â
Tinaâs gaze swept across the hall before she continued. âA pair of valuable earrings which I have intended to wear for the occasion has been stolen. They are a unique pair of customâmade Pandarum earrings, and they are priceless to me!â
The crowd was in an uproar when they heard that.
âWhat? Did someone steal Miss Hummerâs earrings? Who has the guts to do that?â
âWe must find out who did it! Such a vile person must never be let off the hook!â
âDamn it! If I ever find out who stole Miss Hummerâs belongings, Iâll make sure to rearrange his face!â
The crowd in the hall was all worked up, shouting curses and threats at the thief.
On the one hand, they despised the thief, but on the other hand, they were trying to please Tina.
âEveryone, please calm down. The fact is, I know who did it.â Tina continued.
âWho? Whereâs the thief among us? Everyone looked around, trying to figure out who the culprit was.
Tina smiled mirthlessly and strode over to Dahlia.
âSheâs the one!â Tina pointed a finger at Dahlia.
âWhat?â
The crowd was collectively taken aback by the accusation,
If the culprit had been a creep, they would have gone ahead and taught him a lesson.
But it turns out that the person whom Tina had accused of stealing her belongings was an enchanting beauty.
Everyone was at a loss.
âIsnât that the president of Quine Group? Why would she steal?â
âExactly! Everyone knows Ms. Nicholson. She wouldnât stoop so low, would she?â
âOne may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature. Who knows what vile Intentions this lady is hiding behind her glamorous appearance?â
The men were generally doubtful of Tinaâs accusation, whereas the ladies trusted her fully.
âMiss Hummer, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. I have not stolen anything.â
Dahlia took a moment to regain her composure before denying Tinaâs accusation.
She had never thought that Tina would pin it on her.
âA quick search should easily be able to tell us whether or not you did it.â A faint smile graced Tinaâs features.
âMiss Hummer, would it not be inappropriate to conduct a search on a guest whom youâve invited to your birthday party in front of everyone?â Dahlia knew that she was innocent, but that did not mean that she should
allow others to do as they please.
After all, Tinaâs suggestion to go through her belongings was an obvious act of disrespect.
âWhat do you have to fear if youâre not guilty?â Tina smirked.
âThatâs right! If you truly are innocent, what harm would a search do to you?â
âHmph! I think that someoneâs just feeling guilty!â
The ladies started to back Tina up.
Dahliaâs presence alone was enough to overshadow their radiance, so they were eager to see her get into
trouble.
âFine, since Miss Hummer insists on going through my things, then, by all means, go ahead.â Dahlia could not be bothered to argue with her, so she handed her bag over.
Her conscience was clear, and she did not want to cause a scene, so she might as well let them go through
her bag to prove her innocence.
Tina did not say anything and simply gestured for her bodyguards to search Dahliaâs bag.
Soon, the bodyguards fished out a delicate jewelry box from the bag. The jewelry box even had Tinaâs name
carved on it.
âMiss Hummer, here it is!â The bodyguard handed the jewelry box over to her.
Chapter 130
âLadies and gentlemen, do you see this?â
Tina raised the jewelry box and took out the pair of magnificent ruby earrings in it, displaying them to the crowd. âThis! this is evidence!â
The moment the pair of ruby earrings were produced, it brought about a whoosh of uproar throughout the
entire hall.
Eyes widened as shock came over everyoneâs faces.
âNo way! Would the president of Quine Group do such a thing?â
âHah! And I thought that she would be above that! Who wouldâve guessed that she was so materialistic!â
âI thought that such a beautiful person would know to conduct hersell better than this! Of all things to do, why would she go and steal from others? Thatâs terrible!â
At that moment, the winds of opinion completely shifted.
With irrefutable evidence staring them in the face, everyone chose to believe Tina.
âNo! Thatâs not possible!!
Dahliaâs expression changed as she shook her head vigorously. âWhy is this in my bag? Iâve never even
touched it!â
âYou bitch!â
Infuriated. Tina slapped Dahlia.
Smack! Five red streaks immediately bloomed on Dahliaâs cheek.
âMiss Hummer, I did not steal them! Someone must have set me up!â Dahlia fought to explain.
âHow dare you deny it when we have concrete evidence? Seems like youâre one to give up only at the sight of the gallows!â Without saying any more, Tina gave her
two more slaps. She truly wasnât going easy on her.
Dahliaâs face swelled up and her hair was a mess.
âI did not steal!â She clenched her jaws, an unyielding look in her eyes.
âIf I said you stole it, that means you did!â
Tina scoffed. âGuards! Hold her down! Iâm going to teach her a lesson today!â
âYes, Miss Hummer!â
Two of her bodyguards went up to Dahlia and restrained her. They held her arms behind her back and brought
her down to her knees so that she was kneeling.
âYou slut! How dare you seduce my man? Have you got a death wish?â Tina grabbed hold of Dahliaâs hair, a
wicked look on her face.
âIt was you? You were the one who framed me?â Dahlia was stunned for a moment before it struck her. She had been Tinaâs target from the getâgo!
Chapter 125
âHah! Guess youâre not such a thickhead after all.â Tina let out a low laugh.
âBut so what if you know? No one can help you now. I can deal with you however I want to.â With that, she picked up a bottle of red wine and stuffed the neck of the bottle into Dahliaâs mouth.
The red fluid gushed into Dahliaâs mouth, and Dahlia choked on it, coughing unstoppably. Her face was flushed red.
She felt lightheaded and it was horrible.
âDown it! I said, down it!â Tinaâs expression was nothing short of maniacal.