Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

Alice froze the moment she spotted Sophie. A wave of fury washed over her. Why did this shameless woman keep turning up like a bad penny?

If Sophie hadn’t been around, David never would have caught her with someone else in that lounge. This whole mess could have been avoided.

Alice shrank behind the group of well-dressed women, hoping no one would notice anything strange. Her biggest fear was that these polished girls would find out she had any connection to Sophie—a mere shop associate scraping by. If that secret slipped, her chances of joining their rarefied ranks would vanish for good.

She had bent over backward lately to earn a spot among this influential crowd, dressing to impress and offering flattery with every breath just to hang on by a thread. The Barnes family name might have opened doors in Zhatwell, but compared to these women—whose family fortunes dwarfed hers by hundreds of millions—it meant almost nothing.

For a moment, she had been so close to making it, only for everything to crumble after David uncovered her affair. He hadn’t just demanded she end the pregnancy and sign away their marriage—his parents had threatened to ruin the Barnes family’s reputation and fortune as payback.

Dо𝘸n𝘭оa𝘥a𝗯l𝖾 𝖯𝗗𝗙ѕ 𝗈ո

Her own family had braced for the worst, convinced the Lloyds would destroy them. But before they could even make a move, the Lloyds became the target of a ruthless business attack. Their empire crumbled overnight, stocks tanked, and they were run out of Zhatwell in utter humiliation.

Just when Alice thought she might finally catch a break, her parents dropped another bombshell. They had discovered she was carrying someone else’s child—and insisted she marry the father, no matter who he was.

But the man in question turned out to be a nobody—a drunk who wasted his nights in dingy bars and had nothing to his name.

The thought disgusted her. She would rather play the role of a wealthy man’s hidden lover than wind up like Sophie, trapped in a marriage with an empty bank account and a life of endless, exhausting work.

Now, Alice pinned all her hopes on these wealthy women, desperately hoping to land herself a true noble gentleman. If luck was on her side, maybe she would find some gullible socialite willing to claim her unborn child as his own. Once the wedding rings were exchanged, she could conveniently suffer a “tragic miscarriage,” pocket a hefty settlement from his guilt, and never worry about the truth surfacing.

She couldn’t take her eyes off Sophie, nerves stretched thin with fear that Sophie would expose their connection.

But Sophie just offered her a cool, almost dismissive glance, then turned to the women with practiced ease, her professional smile never wavering as she introduced the latest collection.

That calm, collected attitude made Alice’s blood boil.

Yet a spark of satisfaction flickered in Alice’s mind. She knew firsthand how impossible this crowd could be to please. Learning every single preference and pet peeve of these women had nearly driven her mad over the last few weeks. All it would take was one slip, and the pack would turn on Sophie in an instant—no mercy for a lowly sales clerk.

But as Sophie presented a glittering necklace, one of the ladies—Eileen Jensen—leaned in with narrowed eyes. “Hold on, is that the famous Sunset Flame you’re wearing p>

The rest of the group crowded in, voices buzzing with excitement.

“Is that the legendary twin pink diamond? Didn’t the Princess of Yharta have the matching one p>

“I’ve only ever seen photos from that Bromley Auction House years ago! I can’t believe it’s here. Please, let me see it up close p>

“How could someone on a sales clerk’s salary ever get their hands on a piece like that p>

Sophie slipped her hand over the ring, her expression serene as ever. “It’s not the Sunset Flame,” she replied, her voice calm and poised.

Alice saw the opening and wasted no time piling on, eager to win the women’s approval. “It’s probably a replica,” she said with a smirk.

Then, raising her voice so other shoppers would catch every word, she continued, “You mean to tell me Pinnacle Jewelry lets their staff flaunt knockoffs on the job p>

She shot a pointed glance at the jewelry case, her meaning clear. “Makes you wonder if everything in this shop is as genuine as they claim p>