Chapter 151 Plain Dress
ISABEL'S POV
“This dress should be nice enough,” I said, holding it up in front of the mirror as I studied my reflection carefully.
The dress was plain. Too plain for my taste. A soft, dull-colored fabric that screamed average and forgettable. I hated it already. I had walked past rows of chiffon dresses at the boutique earlier, ones that hugged the body perfectly and sparkled just enough to command attention. Dresses that would have made every head turn the moment I stepped into that event center.
But that wasn’t the goal today.
I used some of the ten thousand dollars Mom gave me the last time to buy this standard poor-woman dress on purpose. Looking too polished, too wealthy, too confident would ruin everything. If I wanted Dad’s pity, even temporarily, I had to look like life had humbled me. Like I’d been struggling. Like I’d learned my lesson.
The irony of it almost made me laugh.
I adjusted the dress against my body, turning slightly from side to side. It fit well enough, even if it wasn’t what I truly wanted. My fingers twitched with the urge to toss it aside and pull out something better, something worthy of me, but I forced myself to stay focused.
I didn’t really want to act nice and naïve in front of all of them today. I didn’t want to play the reformed daughter or the misunderstood girl trying to find her way back into the family. All I wanted was simple — to walk in, upload the tape, watch Anna’s world shatter, and leave.
Clean. Quick. Brutal.
But things were never that simple, were they?
My phone buzzed on the bed behind me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I dropped the dress onto the chair and walked over to check the screen. The message was from Jack.
Running late. Traffic. I’ll be there soon.
My jaw tightened instantly.
“Of course,” I muttered under my breath.
Jack was supposed to arrive earlier. That was part of the plan. He was meant to get there before the ceremony got too busy, before security tightened, before everything became chaos. Now he was telling me he’d be late, like this was some casual hangout and not a carefully orchestrated plan that could collapse with one mistake.
I exhaled sharply and locked my phone.
I couldn’t wait any longer. The ceremony would start soon, and Melissa and I needed to get there early enough to scope out the backstage area. If we didn’t secure a clear path now, sneaking Jack in later would be almost impossible.
Even now, I still didn’t know exactly how I was going to sneak a grown man into a ceremony crawling with staff, security, and high-profile guests. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
I just hoped there was some kind of back entrance, some delivery door, some staff access point — anything. If not, then we were in trouble. And even if we managed to get him inside, he still needed to blend in as part of the IT team.
If anyone questioned him, if anyone asked for credentials, we were screwed.
“You know,” Melissa’s voice cut in from behind me, sharp and irritated, “you still haven’t told me how I’m getting into that party. Because last I checked, they invited you, not me.”
I turned slowly to face her.
She stood near the door with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her posture stiff, her expression already defensive. I could tell she’d been holding that question in for a while, and now it was finally bubbling over.
“You got it all wrong, Mel,” I said calmly. “I’m not sneaking you in.”
Her brows knitted together instantly. “What?”
“Because you,” I continued smoothly, “are our distraction.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I’d hit a nerve.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked, straightening up, her voice rising slightly.
I let out a slow sigh and turned fully toward her, bracing myself. This was the part I knew she wouldn’t like. The part I’d deliberately avoided explaining until now.
There was a reason I waited until the very last day.
If I had told her earlier, I was a hundred percent sure she would have refused. And if she refused, the entire plan would fall apart.
“Jack doesn’t have an invitation either,” I said evenly. “So how do you think he’s going to get in?”
“That’s your problem to solve, Isabel,” Melissa snapped. “You’re the one who came up with this whole plan.”
“And I did,” I replied. “I’ve thought of a way for him to enter.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then why am I just hearing about this now?”
“Because your role is different,” I said. “You’re going to cause a small distraction at the entrance. While all eyes are on you, I’ll sneak Jack in through the back.”
“Through the back?” she repeated slowly, disbelief written all over her face. “Hold on, you never told me that.”
“It slipped my mind,” I said casually, hoping the lie sounded convincing enough.
It didn’t.
“Bullshit,” Melissa shot back instantly. “We talked about this plan countless times. I even heard you say we’d walk into the ceremony together, glowing. Now suddenly you’re telling me I’m not even going inside?”
Her voice rose another notch, frustration spilling over.
I clenched my jaw. She was seeing through me faster than I’d hoped.
“Calm down,” I said sharply. “There’s no need for all this drama. This is exactly why I didn’t tell you everything from the start.”
“And you thought lying to my face was better?” she asked.
“I didn’t lie,” I corrected. “I just didn’t tell you that part.”
“That part where I become the scapegoat?” she shot back.
“No one said anything about being a scapegoat,” I replied quickly. “You’re just drawing attention away from Jack so he can slip in. That’s all.”
“And how exactly do you think distractions work?” Melissa asked bitterly. “Do you think I’ll just stand there and magically get everyone’s attention?”
She scoffed. “I’ve seen enough movies to know when someone is being used. You’re not sneaking me in because you don’t want me inside. You’re using me as bait.”