"You idiot!" Isabella screamed, absolutely unhinged. "You spent millions to rent a fake! How can you be so stupid?!"
Agnes went silent for a few seconds. "Impossible! I am certain I dealt directly with the director of YB Atelier. There is no way it's a fake. Didn't you say Serena dragged a beat-up box back home? Her dress is probably the fake one!"
"Why would a global powerhouse like YB Atelier let a country bumpkin wear their ultimate masterpiece? Wouldn't that destroy their brand?"
"Most importantly, why would YB Atelier pack their greatest creation in a trashy box?"
Agnes simply could not accept that the masterpiece she had paid millions for was a cheap counterfeit.
"Are you telling me I can't tell the difference between real and fake?!" Isabella sobbed hysterically. "Standing next to that bitch in this rag, I look like a total joke!"
"Miss Isabella, pull yourself together!" Agnes took a deep breath, switching to a comforting tone. "Don't panic, and stop crying. Now is not the time for tears. I will investigate this. If YB Atelier dared to scam me with a fake, I will never let them off! I'll destroy their entire brand! I'll make sure everyone knows you didn't knowingly wear a knockoff; you were the victim of fraud! I can even spin the narrative... that Serena orchestrated the whole thing from the shadows out of pure jealousy, deliberately setting you up to be humiliated!"
"When that happens, you'll be the tragic victim. Everyone's heart will bleed for you, and they'll tear her apart for being a manipulative psycho."
"So, all you need to do right now is endure."
Listening to Agnes's plan, imagining the entire elite circle seeing Serena as the vicious, scheming bitch she truly was, Isabella slowly began to calm down.
But the moment she heard that last word, her fury spiked again. "Endure?! I have to endure more?! I've already endured my way into becoming the laughingstock of the entire gala!"
"Miss Isabella!" Agnes's voice hardened. "If you can't swallow a small grievance, you'll ruin the entire war! You've played the long game for days now. What's a little more humiliation? The second my plan goes off, this debutante ball will become the graveyard for that little bitch's reputation! Once she's destroyed, who is going to care about a fake dress?"
"Survive tonight, and you will emerge as the Vinton family's most beloved gem. You will be the sole, undisputed heiress of the Lancaster family!"
Isabella gripped her phone so hard her knuckles turned stark white.
But her erratic breathing finally began to stabilize.
She was right.
As long as Serena was utterly ruined.
All of this humiliation would be wiped clean.
Everyone would only remember Serena's catastrophic downfall. Who would care about the authenticity of a stupid dress?
"Fine. I'll endure it!" Isabella gritted her teeth Agnes, you owe me an explanation for this dress! And you better make damn sure the people you hired for tonight's show are reliable!"
She aggressively hung up the phone.
Looking at the disaster zone she had
created on the floor, she took a deep breath, walked into the dressing. room's wardrobe, and selected conservative champagne gown to change into.
She touched up her makeup and stared critically at her reflection.
The backup gowns the Vinton family provided were all from top-tier luxury brands.
And she had spent an absolute fortune pampering her face over the past few days.
But standing there in that
champagne gown... Sure, she looked
elegant and poised, but next to the
I starlight radat from
Serena.
FindNovel.net
It was like a firefly trying to outshine the brilliant moon.
Her manicured nails bit deeply into her palms.
No matter how perfectly she dressed, no matter how flawless her makeup was.
Tonight, she was doomed to be a background character.
She absolutely could not steal the spotlight from Serena!
And after parading around in that fake Astral Symphony, she was officially a joke among the elites.