Chapter 55
Rachel’s gown was identical to Callie’s: a deep blue velvet strapless dress, adorned with intricate lines of tiny diamonds. The simplicity of it only enhanced its elegance.
Under the light, Rachel’s porcelain skin seemed to glow, almost as if her very complexion was radiating light. It made her look ethereal, and the people around her couldn’t help but stare.
“Isn’t that Rachel?” someone whispered.
“Quick, take a photo!” another urged.
“She’s stunning!”
“Wait, she’s wearing the same gown as George’s fiancée!”
It wasn’t a big deal to wear the same dress–except, of course, if you weren’t the one who looked better in it.
And at that moment, Callie, with her large pregnant belly and awkward stance, felt the sting. Looking at herself in the reflection, her palms clenched so tightly they ached.
She thought, This is infuriating. If I weren’t pregnant, I wouldn’t look so much bigger than Rachel. And now, next to her slender form, I look like a bloated mess.’
George glanced over and saw Rachel walking in, her head held high and her stride confident. Rachel didn’t even acknowledge George and Callie. She walked straight into the venue, as though she hadn’t noticed them at all.
As soon as Rachel entered, the reporters swarmed her like bees to honey.
“Rachel, are you planning to enter the entertainment industry after attending this press conference?”
“How do you feel about suddenly becoming so famous?”
Rachel was momentarily taken aback but couldn’t help laughing at the questions. “I’ve said before, I’m not a professional actress. I’m not going into showbiz. As for suddenly becoming famous–well, I’m happy people like me. Thanks, everyone.” Her response, full of poise and charm, made the journalists around her pause and sigh in admiration. She looked every bit the queen. Confident, graceful, and utterly captivating. No wonder she had so many fans.
Callie watched, her fists tightening as she seethed. Rachel’s poise, her elegance–it was like she owned the room. And Callie? Well, she felt invisible next to that.
Rachel nodded at the reporters and started walking toward the interior, when, to her surprise, she saw George and Callie standing there.
She immediately noticed Callie’s velvet dress. Rachel looked down at her own gown and cursed inwardly. ‘Of all the bad luck…
“Kachel Callie said, her voice trembling with restrained anger.
Before Rachel could respond. Callie continued, her voice quivering. “Why are you still doing this to me?”
Callie looked so fragile in that moment, her posture so vulnerable, that anyone who saw her would have thought Rachel had been tormenting her.
Rachel stopped and turned to face her. “Doing what?”
“You purposely wore the same dress as me.” Callie’s eyes locked on the fabric of Rachel’s gown.
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Chapter 55
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Rachel smirked, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “Ms. Nunez, let me tell you something. I’m just as unhappy about wearing the same dress as you. Honestly, it feels like my taste has been insulted. So don’t act like I’m the one in the wrong here.”
Callie was livid. “You…”
“Rachel, what’s going on?” George cut in, his voice sharp as he noticed the biting tone between the two women.
Rachel didn’t flinch. She raised her chin, unbothered. “George, one day you’re apologizing to me, acting all remorseful. And the next, you’re snapping at me. You really are full of contradictions.”
Callie froze, her mind reeling. He apologized to her? What does that even mean?
George felt his face darken, a heavy silence hanging between them. “Rachel, the apology was from the Fox family, not Callie. You have no reason to take it out on her.”
Rachel wasn’t done. She pulled out her phone, swiped a few times, and then shoved the screen in front of George. “Here, take a look. I ordered this dress online a week ago, when this press conference wasn’t even on the calendar yet. I’m not some psychic who knows everything about you and your precious Callie. So don’t accuse me of copying.”
George glanced at the screen and saw the order details. His mouth went dry. He had no response.
Callie, still in disbelief, wasn’t ready to back down. “That’s impossible. This is the Elysium Media press conference! You’re not part of Elysium, so what’s your excuse for being here?”
Rachel tilted her head slightly, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Ms. Nunez, neither are you part of Elysium, nor the Fox family, nor the Sarrattop Group. What are you doing here?”
“Well, I…”
Rachel shot her a dismissive glance. “I’m the president of Sarrattop Group. Of course I’m attending a press conference for my own company. And, honestly, if George hadn’t insisted on making a spectacle of it, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up at all.”
Callie’s face flushed with fury, but before she could retort, George intervened.
“Enough, Callie.”
Rachel took the opportunity to walk past them, disappearing into the venue.
Callie’s frustration bubbled over as she muttered under her breath, “George, she’s doing it on purpose…”
“Calm down,” George said, his voice firm. “I think it’s just a coincidence.”
He knew, deep down, that it probably was a coincidence. But Callie, usually so gentle and reserved, had become increasingly irrational whenever Rachel was involved. It was unlike her.
Callie’s temper flared. ‘Why is he defending her?’
But before she could argue further, an old man suddenly appeared in front of them, interrupting.
“Are you George?” he asked, his voice smooth and friendly.
George squinted, his mind racing as he tried to place the old man. He looked vaguely familiar.
The man smiled warmly and walked toward them. He was dressed simply, in a plain suit that made him appear just another unremarkable figure in the crowd.
Callie, already upset, was further irritated by the appearance of this random old man. “Who are you? Where’s the security?
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Chapter 55
Why are they letting anyone through? What’s next, criminals wandering in?”
At her words, the security guards rushed over, positioning themselves between George and the man.
The old man froze, his gaze locking with Callie’s. He studied her for a moment, then smirked.
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‘So, this was the woman who had stolen Rachel’s man? She was nothing compared to Rachel–her words were harsh, bitter, and sharp. She looked like an idiot. Bryant paused, then fixed Callie with a sharp, cutting look.
“Anyone? You’re such a rude woman! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you just came from dining in the restroom,” Bryant shot back without missing a beat.
Callie’s
eyes
widened in shock.
“You… you actually dared to speak to me like that, George?”
She was stunned. An old man dared to talk to her like this in front of George. Did he not know who she was to him? George, still processing the encounter, was baffled. ‘Who is this guy?‘
The old man simply chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Kid, you’ve got the looks, but your eyes… a little off.”
With that, the old man turned and walked away, leaving Callie fuming.
“George, did you hear that?” Callie snapped, her voice high with indignation. “Make him come back and apologize!”
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