Chapter 58 Cheap Gift
Cynthia laughed and patted Nicole's angry back. "Oh, so Joanna was just trying to show she cares. But honestly, it doesn't really have any lasting value."
Then she tried to soothe Nicole, "Mrs. Cooper, there are so many guests here. Let's not embarrass Joanna, or Chris will have to comfort her again."
Nicole had only thought Joanna was tasteless and did't know enough to give a more appropriate gift for such an occasion, but after hearing Cynthia's words, she grew even angrier.
Why should her son have to comfort a woman like this? No class at all, and she used shameful tricks to climb into her son's bed!
Three years of marriage and she hasn't even had a child. Completely useless!
"Joanna, do you hate me so much that you won't even let me have a decent birthday!" The more Nicole thought about it, the angrier she got. She stepped forward and slapped Joanna across the face!
The commotion here naturally caught Chris's attention. He came over, glanced at the gift box, and frowned. "Joanna, did you bring the wrong gift? Didn't Cynthia say she prepared one for you?"
Joanna covered her face, looked at him, and asked, "Did any of you tell me in advance that she prepared a gift for me? I spent my own money to prepare a gift for your mother. If she doesn't like it, fine, but does she have to make trouble for me in front of everyone?"
This gift was something Joanna had designed earlier. She never expected Nicole to like anything she gave, so she just picked something reasonably appropriate.
She didn't think this gift was cheap at all. If it were sold through a collaboration between Y and Linda, this piece would easily fetch millions at auction!
Although she kept telling herself she was just here to play along with Chris's act and didn't need to argue with these people, she still felt wronged and resentful. Joanna honestly had no idea what she'd done to deserve being singled out by Nicole over and over again!
"How dare you talk back? Your gift is terrible, and you blame me for calling you out?" Nicole raised her hand to slap her again.
Chris tried to stop her, but he was too far away and couldn't reach in time.
Joanna caught Nicole's hand herself and dodged the slap.
She hadn't done anything wrong and didn't need anyone to punish her.
Her eyes were so determined that Nicole felt a bit guilty. "What are you doing? Am I bullying you or something?"
Joanna let out a cold laugh, looked at the smug Cynthia behind her, and called Linda directly.
However, Linda seemed to be busy with something and didn't answer.
Cynthia's eyes lit up. "You're not trying to call the designer to prove this piece's value, are you? Joanna, stop making a scene. Just apologize to Nicole properly. She won't really stay mad at you."
Not knowing what Linda was busy with, Joanna had to frown and leave a message explaining the situation.
While typing, she said, "This is a collaborative design by Linda Stone and Y. They may not be jewelry design masters, but they're well-known in the design world, right?"
Linda and Y both focused on fashion design. Although it was a different field, they had the basics. That's why Joanna thought that even if this piece couldn't sell for tens of millions at auction, it could easily reach the million-dollar mark.
"What! This is Linda's work?" Nicole's face twitched hard. She immediately picked up the piece to look at it again.
But she couldn't see anything special and immediately became suspicious again. "Are you sure you're not lying? How could you possibly know Linda!"
Joanna was too lazy to explain. The gift had been given anyway, and how Nicole dealt with it was her business. She'd done what she promised Chris.
Although Chris didn't believe Joanna could know someone like Linda either, thinking of the previous draft incident, he pressed his lips together. "Mom, she was able to get Y's design drafts before, so she probably knows her."
Several ladies gathered around to admire the piece. Though not particularly outstanding, the design level was quite good.
Cynthia got a bit nervous and quietly tugged at Chris's sleeve. "Chris, is she really not lying? There's no one to prove this is Linda's work. Can we just believe whatever she says?"
Her expression seemed to say she didn't want Joanna to be embarrassed, but her words made people think.
Chris fell silent, too. There really was no way to prove this piece was a collaboration between Y and Linda.
Nicole stopped her excitement and calmed down. "Joanna, how do you prove this is Linda's work?"
Joanna checked her phone messages. Linda hadn't replied yet.
She sighed. Forget it, bothering Linda over such a small matter was making too big a deal of it.
Joanna asked sincerely, "Do you need me to have Y release the entire design process of the draft?"
At the mention of drafts, Cynthia's expression became unnatural. She felt Joanna must be mocking her, so she gave someone in the crowd a look.
"I've bought Linda's work before. She always leaves a mark on her pieces. Let me check." The speaker was Cynthia's aunt, Jena.
The Derns family had all immigrated to Europe and rarely came back. Only Jena stayed in the country doing the clothing business.
Nicole knew her too and handed the gift to Jena.
Jena looked for a while, kept shaking her head, and pointed to the inside of the gemstone. "Linda usually leaves a mark here, but this piece doesn't have one. It doesn't look like her work."
Immediately, the others' disdainful looks shifted over again.
Joanna looked at her phone and was already logged in to her account.
Fortunately, she had saved a draft of this piece in her email, along with correspondence records with Linda. These screenshots could all prove that this work was designed by her under the teacher's guidance. However, if she said it herself, these people obviously wouldn't believe her, so...
After finishing with her phone, Joanna didn't look at it anymore.
She glanced at the people who had just scorned her and said, "I didn't say this was designed by Linda. She only provided guidance. This piece is Y's. If you don't believe me, check her social media—she'll be posting the design details for this piece soon."
Cynthia still didn't quite believe it. "Joanna, don't force yourself. Actually, admitting you just threw together a random gift isn't a big deal. Don't make it too awkward for yourself. What if Y doesn't post anything?"
Joanna smiled at her. "If she doesn't, I'll crawl out of here on my hands and knees. Would you do the same?"
That shut Cynthia up right away.
But Jena wasn't satisfied. "Why are you making things difficult for Cynthia? Your work just isn't good. What kind of person gives what kind of gift—cheap from head to toe!" She spat harshly.
Joanna didn't mind.
And at that moment, someone following Y's updates cried out in delight, "She posted! Y posted an update!"