Chapter 133
Two o'clock in the afternoon. Starlight City International Conference Center.
The car stopped at the entrance. Gaia looked through the window at the glass-curtained building. Her fingers gripped the hem of her skirt on her lap.
Today she wore the new misty blue coat she'd bought. Her hair had been freshly styled. She looked much more put-together than usual, but her palms were slick with sweat.
"Nervous?" Lucinda glanced at her.
"A little." Gaia's voice was tight.
Lucinda didn't say anything. She pushed open the door and got out.
Gaia took a deep breath and followed behind her.
The lobby was already filled with people, clustered in groups of two or three, chatting.
Gaia's gaze swept over the name tags. She recognized a few names she'd only ever seen in academic papers. Her heartbeat quickened.
"I'm going to the restroom." Gaia's voice was a little unsteady.
Lucinda nodded. Gaia turned and headed toward the restroom at the end of the corridor, her steps faster than usual.
Lucinda stood in the lobby and glanced down at her phone.
She was about to head toward the conference hall when the sharp clicking of high heels sounded behind her.
"Well, if it isn't Lucinda."
The voice was shrill, dripping with poorly concealed mockery.
Lucinda turned around.
Allegra stood in front of her, wearing a bright red coat with a flashy diamond necklace around her neck. "What are you doing here?"
Allegra's gaze swept over Lucinda from head to toe. The contempt in her tone practically overflowed. "This is a research conference, not a jewelry design competition. Do you even understand what's going on here? And yet you came."
She took a step forward, her voice rising several notches. "You think it'll be like last time, where you can slip by unnoticed? This is the real deal. Without real substance, stepping onto that stage is just humiliating yourself. You didn't even go to college. Coming to a place like this—aren't you afraid people will see right through you?"
Lucinda looked at her, taking in her gaudy nouveau riche outfit from head to toe. She let out a cold laugh. "If you can come, why can't I?"
Allegra's expression changed instantly.
Her lips trembled. Then she jutted out her chin defiantly. "Talking tough won't help. I know how you got in! Just like last time—latching onto some rich guy, freeloading your way in. You got lucky at that jewelry design competition last time. It won't be so easy this time. Just wait and see. When you get up on that stage, let's see what you'll have to say to those experts!"
Lucinda's gaze turned cold.
She took a step forward. Allegra instinctively stepped back. Her high heel slipped on the floor. She nearly lost her balance.
In the next second, Lucinda's hand shot up and slapped her hard across the face.
The sharp crack echoed through the corridor!
Allegra stumbled to the side from the force of the blow. She braced herself against the wall to keep from falling.
Her left cheek swelled rapidly. Her eyes filled with tears, but more than that, they were filled with disbelief. "You… what gives you the right to hit me!"
Lucinda flexed her wrist and looked down at her, her voice ice-cold. "I've taught you a lesson so many times, and you still dare to spread lies. You really are asking for it."
She took another step forward. Allegra shrank back, her back pressed against the wall. There was nowhere left to retreat.
"Allegra, let me give you one more piece of advice. Stop courting death. The Wipere family is finished. Don't you have any self-awareness?"
Allegra covered her face. Hearing those words, tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks.
She gritted her teeth. Her voice trembled, but she still refused to lower her head. "Don't get so smug! The Wipere family is Seaside City's wealthiest. We won't go down that easily! Even if… even if we do, we're still better than someone like you who got kicked out!"
Lucinda looked at her. She didn't say anything. She just gave her a chilling smile.
Without another word, she turned around and walked toward the conference hall without looking back.
Allegra leaned against the wall, clutching her face. Her gaze locked onto that retreating figure, cold and unrelenting.
Just wait.
She didn't believe that in a setting like this, Lucinda could slip by unnoticed again.
She'd gotten in today as an assistant to Vyratek Tech Group's research team.
Though the core members of that team had been detained by the police over the corporate espionage case, Vyratek Tech Group still had a residual office in Starlight City. She'd gone through great lengths to make that connection and sneak in as an assistant.
She didn't understand research. She didn't need to.
All she needed to know was that the people here today were the nation's top talent.
Heads of key laboratories. Big names who'd secured national-level projects. Executives from major tech companies.
As long as she could connect with one or two of them and secure a partnership, Marshall would definitely think more highly of her.
And when that happened, the Grayson family wouldn't dare look down on her anymore.
She, Allegra, didn't need to rely on anyone!
With that thought, she wiped the tears from her face, pulled out a compact from her bag, and touched up her makeup in the corridor mirror, covering the swollen cheek as best she could.
Then she straightened her back, stepped into her high heels, and walked toward the conference hall step by step.
No matter what, she was going to seize this opportunity today.
She was definitely better than Lucinda, who'd only gotten in by latching onto men!
On the other side, Lucinda entered the conference hall and swept her gaze around the room.
Gaia had gone to the restroom and hadn't come back yet.
She frowned and turned back toward the restroom.
The lighting in the corridor was dimmer than in the lobby. Her heels made almost no sound on the carpet.
When she reached the corner, she heard a sound coming from the direction of the restroom.
Faint, intermittent sobs mixed with the sound of running water. Almost inaudible.
An ominous feeling settled over her. Her footsteps quickened.
The restroom door was half-open. Lucinda pushed it open. The scene before her made her pupils contract slightly.