Chapter 20
Chloe felt a bit envious of the Langley family's daughter who had been brought back home.
What incredible luck it must be to become the treasured daughter of such a top-tier wealthy family?
She'd heard that Thomas Langley only had one daughter.
This granddaughter who'd been brought back was his daughter's own flesh and blood.
Ms. Langley must be deeply loved by her grandfather and mother, right?
Why didn't she have this kind of good fortune...
Chloe clenched her fists, secretly making up her mind to definitely stand out at the Langley family.
She returned to her room and immediately opened her phone, sending a message in the socialite group chat.
After what happened last time, almost everyone had been giving her the cold shoulder.
Charlotte had stolen all the spotlight with the designer incident, and everyone's opinion of Charlotte was slowly improving.
Meanwhile, she had become the one being distanced.
Chloe had been holding her breath for several days, and now she could finally show her face again.
She directly posted a photo of the Langley family's reply invitation in the group.
[This weekend I'm going to attend the Langley family's welcome and recognition banquet. I heard all of Imperial City's top elites will be there. I'm so excited! Does anyone have recommendations for gowns and jewelry?]
As soon as the message went out, the group exploded.
[Is that THE Langley family? The one that's ranked alongside the Harris family and the White family as one of the three great families?]
Chloe replied smugly, [Yes, that Langley family. My dad has some connections with the Langley family, and they specially invited us.]
[So jealous! A Langley family banquet - we wouldn't even dare dream of getting in!]
[Only the most powerful and influential people in Imperial City can go there.]
Seeing everyone's envy, Chloe regained her sense of presence and curved her lips in satisfaction.
She sent a voice message modestly: "It's really nothing special, I'm just going to broaden my horizons."
Chloe's tone was humble, but everyone else felt she was truly breaking into the highest social circles this time.
Maybe they'd need to rely on Chloe in the future, so everyone's attitude toward her became warm again.
Meanwhile.
In the car heading to the hospital, Charlotte's phone kept vibrating.
Looking at the messages coming into the group, she scrolled through them one by one, finding it ridiculous.
Everyone in the group was flattering Chloe, and some people even specifically tagged her, saying she wouldn't even be able to see the front door of a Langley family level banquet.
Charlotte casually put down her phone.
The Langley family's recognition banquet - indeed, many people couldn't even touch the threshold.
But Henry and Chloe would probably never know that she was the person everyone would be welcoming, the absolute star of the Langley family's recognition banquet.
Charlotte put away her phone, and when she looked up, they'd already arrived at the hospital.
In the VIP ward, Edward was half-reclined on the hospital bed, eating his nutritious meal with a healthy complexion and chatting cheerfully with several people.
There were two men and one woman in the room.
The two men looked older, already in their forties.
Standing beside them was a young woman in a pearl-white dress, not much older than Charlotte.
When she saw Charlotte enter, the woman's expression instantly changed slightly as she looked her up and down.
Charlotte keenly sensed that this woman's feelings toward her weren't purely friendly.
She didn't mind and nodded in greeting to Edward.
Edward smiled brightly and waved at her.
"You're here! I've been waiting for you."
Charlotte walked over: "Mr. Edward Harris, you wanted to see me?"
"I haven't properly thanked you for saving my life yet."
Edward's tone suddenly became serious, with a hint of relief.
"If it weren't for you, I probably would have lost my life. I must repay you and give you a thank-you gift."
As he spoke, he picked up a velvet box from the table beside him and handed it over.
Charlotte raised her eyebrows slightly, truly not expecting Edward to suddenly give her something.
"It was just a small favor, you're too kind."
She pushed the item back.
But Edward got anxious and directly stuffed the box into her hands.
"If it weren't for you that day, I would have died already! This is a token of my appreciation, you must accept it, otherwise you're looking down on me."
Before Charlotte could say anything else, Edward had already opened the box.
"See if you like it."
The moment the box opened, the entire ward brightened considerably.
Inside lay a pearl the size of a palm, not an ordinary white or pink pearl, but a rare top-quality purple luminous pearl.
This quality of purple luminous pearl couldn't be bought on the market at all. Not only could it be used medicinally to treat difficult conditions, but it also had top-tier collectible value - it was the emperor among night-luminous pearls.
Everyone present involuntarily held their breath.
One of the men spoke up.
"Edward, is this the purple pearl you got when you went to sea for business years ago?"
"Yes." Edward smiled. "I've kept it in my collection for decades. Taking out this treasure today shows my sincerity in thanking Ms. Johnson."
The other man sighed: "This purple luminous pearl is your most prized possession. It seems you really value this lady."
He glanced at Charlotte with a smile. Though envious, there was also a trace of unclear jealousy in his eyes.
Charlotte didn't care about these people's reactions, but she was genuinely interested in this purple luminous pearl.
She'd seen one at an auction before - it truly was a priceless treasure.
She'd once been very interested in purple luminous pearls for medical research, but never expected to obtain such a priceless item here.
Thinking of her unfinished pharmaceutical experiments, Charlotte was actually somewhat tempted.
Seeing her thoughts, Edward found it even more amusing and pushed the purple luminous pearl directly into Charlotte's hands.
"Alright, alright, don't be polite with me. If you don't accept it, I definitely won't rest in peace. Today, no matter what, you must take it!"
Charlotte didn't refuse again and accepted it.
"Then thank you."
"That's more like it."
Edward was finally satisfied. "But this still can't repay your life-saving grace. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."
Charlotte nodded. She'd just closed the box when she heard a soft voice from behind.
"Dad, how can you just give away such a precious thing? This is the purple luminous pearl that even my mother loved so much. Why don't you exchange it for something else?"
Charlotte looked up. The speaker was the woman who'd been sizing her up when she entered the room.
Dad? She hadn't heard that the Harris family had a daughter.
Edward quickly introduced: "This is my goddaughter, Mandy Miller. She's my good friend's child. After her father passed away, I brought her to the Harris family. She's been studying abroad all these years and just recently came back."
"Oh right, she's also a piano prodigy. You two can exchange notes on piano skills when you have time."
Charlotte heard this and looked at the woman, not missing the flash of disdain in Mandy's eyes.