Hiding Behind Her Superficiality

Chapter 192

“Yes, she’s a big celebrity,” someone from the crowd said. “There’s no way she would be forgotten. Emma is so humble.”

The girls standing around them were avid fans of Emma. All of them thought Emma had a conflicted look on her face because she was embarrassed.

“See? Everyone thinks you’re feeling guilty,” Elspeth said, smiling brightly at Emma. “Oh, wait. They think you’re humble. It is only a phone call, Miss Walker. It’s nothing big.”

Emma gritted her teeth and kept quiet, too scared to speak.

The call went through. Harper was sleeping when Elspeth called, so he answered the call with messy hair and a sleepy look in his eyes. Even so, his attractiveness could not be hidden.

“What is it, Elsie?” he asked.

Emma had been hoping Harper would actually be the seller she had contacted, but her heart sank when she saw his face.

“Is the Heart of Rupert still with you?” Elspeth asked.

Harper took a sip of water to wake himself up. “Yes. Why?”

“A woman here says you sold her the watch. Can you see if it’s her?”

When Harper spotted the awkward smile on Emma’s face, he frowned. “Who is this? Why would I sell off the watch? You know I only buy watches, and I never sell anything.”

“Forget about her. Can you show everyone here the watch?” Elspeth asked.

She was afraid the crowd would think she was lying. If Emma seized the chance to pull the wool over their eyes, her reputation would be smeared again.

However, Harper was confused but still brought out the watch from his collection. The moment the box opened, everyone’s eyes were glued to it. It was gleaming with a faint blue glow surrounding it. A red diamond heart was embedded in the center of the watch. It looked so much more dazzling than the watch Emma gave Mr. Winthrop.

“If that’s all, I’m going back to bed.” He shrugged and hung up right after saying that.

Elspeth looked at Emma’s pale face and doubtfully asked, “Why don’t you explain where you got that watch from, Miss Walker?”

“I-I assigned the task to someone else,” Emma replied, stuttering. “I spent quite a few million on it. I didn’t think—”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter if you bought an imitation product,” Elspeth interrupted. “The most revolting people are those who intentionally buy imitation products.” The smirk on her face was so menacing that Emma nearly fainted.

“You don’t look well, Miss Walker,” she continued. “Do you feel dizzy? If you do, feel free to pass out right now. If you’re unconscious, you don’t care how others see you.”

Emma was prepared to pretend to faint, but when she heard that, she froze, unsure what to do. If she had passed out at that moment, she would have fallen into Elspeth’s trap.

“Of course not. Naturally, I am willing to—” Emma said.

“You’re willing to apologize?” Elspeth interrupted once more. “You’re a public figure, though. It would be bad if the media found out what you did.”

She spoke as if she was merely reminding Emma, but her words were meant for the journalists standing around them that it was also major news. The journalists swiftly understood Elspeth’s words and began taking photos while their pens raced across their notepads.

“Hurry and apologize now, Miss Walker. Otherwise, your reputation will suffer when they break the news,” she continued.

Elspeth beamed a smile at Emma, but her cheeks and lips were left uncharacteristically unsmiling.

“I’m sorry,” Emma declared to the crowd. “I did not mean to buy an imitation product. I only wanted to surprise Mr. Winthrop—”

When they saw tears roll down her cheek, their hearts softened. “Let’s not nitpick about this. After all, she did it with good intentions. She didn’t know it was an imitation watch.”

“Yeah,” said another member of the crowd. “Emma is not that kind of evil person. I believe in her.”

Seeing that the crowd forgave her because of a few drops of tears, Emma immediately began crying harder.

“Stop crying, Miss Walker. If you keep on like that, everyone will start to think I’m bullying you,” said Elspeth.

“Elspeth, I know you don’t like me, but you didn’t need to be so hostile,” Emma replied, sniffling.

Seeing that the crowd was starting to defend Emma, Elspeth chuckled. “Hostile? Miss Walker, don’t you think you should go to an appraiser whenever you buy something? You are a public figure. One single mistake would negatively affect your career.”

Emma shouted in her mind, Stop talking! She was panicking hard inside but still had to act feeble and meek. It was ridiculously hard for her.

“Look at how tactless Elspeth is while Emma is always so kind and gentle,” someone whispered. “So, what if she bought an imitation watch? Who can ensure they would never make a mistake like that in their entire life?”

Hearing that, Elspeth turned to look at the speaker. It was a young girl who seemed pretty well-off. Judging by how she dressed, she looked like someone from new money.

“You mean to say you have bought imitation products before?” Elspeth asked.

“Of course,” the girl replied with a huff. “No one can be certain they would never buy imitation products. This is merely an accident.”

“Wait. Who told you everyone would buy an imitation product at some point?” Elspeth found that statement hilarious as she looked at the girl disdainfully. “Pardon me, but I became a certified appraiser at sixteen. Not once in my life have I bought anything fake. Not everyone is like you; even after buying a fake product, you’re proud of that fact instead of reflecting on your mistake.”

It was a slap in the face for the girl, making her clench her jaw in anger. Still, there was nothing she could retort.

As for Emma, she was feeling increasingly humiliated. Someone stepped up to defend her, only to be disgraced. That meant she was indirectly disgraced as well.

“Elspeth, forgiveness is a virtue,” Emma said. Her eyes had softened as though the incident had taken the wind out of her sails.

Forgiveness is a virtue; that is not a phrase she deserves to use. Elspeth glanced at her before smiling gently, “Well, please remember to be careful in the future. Don’t ever let your plans be leaked.”

Emma glared at her before scurrying away.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

With that, the encounter was over. As Elspeth stretched, Callum returned from the bathroom. The victorious look on her allowed him to guess what had happened.

“She was annoying you again?” he asked. Then, he picked up a tiny cake from the plate nearby to feed it to her.

“Yes,” Elspeth replied. Her eyes slid close in satisfaction. “It’s fine, though. She can’t win in a fight against me.”

“I know, but you should still avoid going toe to toe with her.” Callum already had a plan in the works.

“What? Are you feeling sorry for your poor first love? Are you scared that I might bully her?” she shot back.

“No way,” he replied, shaking his head. “I am worried for your sake. She is a popular and in-demand star in the country. If you anger her, her brainless fans will never forgive you.”

Elspeth was not afraid of that possibility at all. Instead, she was more worried that Emma could continue to stay in Damoria if she kept causing trouble like that.

“Callum, is Arthur coming?”

He pursed his lips as a dark look flashed across his eyes. “Yes, but he is not here yet, so I’m not sure if he will actually come.”

She was shocked to hear that. There were so many journalists here. Would Arthur not be in an awkward position if he came? Speak of the devil; soon after their conversation, there was a commotion at the door. The crowd was whispering louder than when Emma arrived.