章節 28: Stepmother (2)
Camilla didn't waste time. By afternoon, Adrienne was seated inside a limousine with Camilla and Elise. Elise pretended not to see her and only spoke to her mother, occasionally glancing at Adrienne. Initially, she thought that with the three of them boarded inside the car, Adrienne would feel uneasy. However, who knew that once Adrienne boarded the limousine, she pulled out her phone and kept her eyes on it. With Adrienne's imposing aura, Elise could only hold back the words she wanted to say.
The entire ride toward the shopping mall was spent in silence. Camilla brought them to a shop named 'Spotlight.' It was a luxury brand owned by the Jiang family. It offered various products for young women, such as clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, and jewelry, and it was quite popular within the Elite Circle.
Adrienne stopped momentarily and looked at the signage outside the shop. Camilla must have not known that 'Spotlight' was the fruit of her mother's hard work. When the Jiang family faced a financial crisis, 'Spotlight', managed by her mother, saved the company from bankruptcy. She glanced at Camilla and Elise, who excitedly entered the shop arm-in-arm.
Camilla noticed Adrienne hadn't followed them and halted. She wasn't willing to bring Adrienne with them today, but she already promised her in-laws to look after Adrienne's needs.
"Addie? Come with us. You don't have to worry about the expense. Your father agreed to let us take whatever we need from the shop." She said while Elise smiled mockingly at Adrienne.
"Sister Adrienne probably doesn't know that Spotlight is the place to go if you want to be in trend."
Adrienne sneered inwardly. Just because she hadn't stepped in this place for two years, it didn't mean she didn't care about it. Seeing the shop made her want to seize it for herself. This was her mother's shop. When she was younger, her mother frequently took her along for their shop inspections to familiarize her with the whole process.
Who gave her father the right to use it to pamper and spoil his mistress?
She walked towards Camilla and smiled coldly. "Then I'll need to trouble Aunt Camilla to bring me here more often in the future so that I can catch up with the trend. What would others say if they saw the Eldest Miss of our family looking like a church rat?"
Camilla stiffened. She wondered if she was just seeing things or if Adrienne had given her an icy mocking smile. She tried to hide her reaction by forcing a smile while gently taking Adrienne's hand. They were in a public area, and she knew anything said between them could easily reach someone's ears.
"Yes, of course. Since your mother isn't here to care for you, I'll try my best to raise you as my own daughter!"
If it were in the past, Adrienne would easily fall for such a trick. However, now that Adrienne knew how rotten this woman before her was, how could she accept Camilla as her mother? Her mother, Rosemary Zhao, was still alive! How dare this woman speak as if her mother had already died?!
Meanwhile, Elise clenched her teeth tightly and glared at Adrienne. She would never accept Adrienne as her sister! After the recent humiliation she suffered because of Adrienne, she couldn't wait to get even with her.
Before Adrienne could answer Camilla, a shop attendant dressed in a tight-fitting black uniform came and greeted them enthusiastically.
"Welcome, Madam Jiang, Miss Elise. How can I assist you today?"
Because Adrienne had started walking around, the attendant almost missed her presence. The shop assistant turned her attention towards Adrienne and looked at the latter in surprise. Adrienne was wearing a white shirt, a pair of denim pants, and a pair of white shoes. Though her outfit looks simple, it wasn't enough to dull her presence.
"Miss Addie?" The woman called Adrienne as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Adrienne turned her head and said, "Yes?"
The shop attendant's face lit up. "It is really you!"
She looked thrilled and excited at the same time. She excused herself from Camilla and hurriedly went to the staff room without explanation. Another shop attendant stepped in and showed Camilla and Elise around when she noticed that the three were left to their own devices.
"Addie, do you have any idea what kind of dress you would like to wear? Elise and I are here in case you need us."
Camilla wanted to see Adrienne make a fool out of herself. After all, Adrienne hadn't presented herself in public events for a long time. From what she knew, Rosemary Zhao didn't have much time to spend with Adrienne when she was younger, so how could she act as a proper eldest miss? She wanted her daughter, Elise, to shine during this banquet. This was why although she didn't like Adrienne attending the party, Camilla had to make sure everything would go according to her plan.
"Thank you, Aunt Camilla. I'll be fine on my own. You can enjoy your shopping without me." Adrienne said before turning her back to the mother-and-daughter pair, not wanting to sully her eyesight anymore. She wasn't oblivious to their real intentions.
However, Camilla's eyes remained on Adrienne. Looking at the young woman, it reminded Camilla of Rosemary and she felt uneasy. In the beginning, Lewis Jiang had chosen to marry Rosemary Zhao over her. Not only did Rosemary Zhao have a better family background, but she was also prettier and more presentable than Camilla, who came from a middle class family. If it wasn't for the Jiang family facing a financial crisis back then, she would have been the madam of this family a long time ago.
When she finally married Lewis, the media kept comparing her to Rosemary Zhao. From the moment their paths crossed, Camilla was forced to live in Rosemary's shadow. Therefore, the more Adrienne grew into a stunning beauty like her mother, the more Camilla despised her.
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