Chapter 104 Public Declaration
Saturday evening's High Society Salon was held at Emerald City's most exclusive private club, where crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light across the room, and elegant conversations flowed among the beautifully dressed attendees.
Clara wore a dazzling red haute couture gown, which was paired with a diamond necklace selected from the Lustre collection, and deliberately slowed her pace to savor the attention she was receiving.
But when her gaze swept across the center of the venue, her expression immediately darkened. Emily stood there wearing a simple yet expertly tailored black velvet gown, the ruby necklace Charles had given her adorning her throat, chatting effortlessly with the wives of several prominent business leaders. Her every gesture radiated confidence and poise, making her seem more like the evening's star than Clara.
"How unlucky—wherever I go, I have to see her," Lucy muttered under her breath first.
Clara frowned and pulled her hand away. "Watch your manners. Everyone here is someone important."
She knew perfectly well that with Charles backing her, Emily was no longer the person the Johnson family could manipulate at will. Offending Emily at an event like this would bring no benefit to the Johnson family whatsoever.
Swallowing her rage, Clara gritted her teeth and was looking for another influential person to approach when she saw Carol from Glamour Gem Group walking up to Emily with a smile, taking her hand affectionately. "Emily, I know this wonderful young entrepreneur—handsome, talented, and with excellent character. I should introduce you two sometime!"
The surrounding ladies immediately chimed in with agreement, "Yes, Ms. Johnson, anyone Mrs. Rose recommends must be reliable!"
"Ms. Johnson, you're so accomplished—you deserve someone equally exceptional!"
Emily was about to politely decline when a deep, magnetic voice suddenly carried from beyond the crowd, "No need to trouble you, Mrs. Rose. Emily's boyfriend is right here."
Everyone turned toward the voice to see Charles approaching in an elegant black suit, his posture commanding.
He walked directly to Emily's side and naturally placed his arm around her waist. "Mrs. Rose, thank you for your thoughtfulness, but Emily already has me. We can't have you introducing her to anyone else."
The entire room fell silent, followed by a collective intake of breath.
No one had expected Emily to be involved with Charles!
Who was Charles? The apex of Emerald City's business world, the head of the Windsor Group, the man countless socialites would do anything to marry—and he was publicly acknowledging Emily as his girlfriend!
Emily was somewhat surprised herself—she wasn't ready for this! This Charles, always making decisions without consulting her!
The hint of reproach in Emily's glance only made Charles's heart race faster.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I want everyone to know you're mine. That way, you can't run away."
Carol was momentarily stunned, then clapped her hands with delight. "Wonderful! Charles, you've been keeping quite the secret!"
She'd only made the suggestion casually, never expecting to stumble upon such major news. Her approval of Emily only increased—any woman who could capture Charles's heart so completely was clearly extraordinary.
Meanwhile, Clara's face turned ashen at Charles's words.
Standing behind Clara, Lucy stared at Charles with eyes full of greed and envy.
She'd heard Charles was wealthy, but had never imagined he was not only rich but also so handsome and commanding!
If Emily could be his girlfriend, and Clara had once caught his attention, why not her?
She was younger than Clara, better at pleasing men than Emily. If she could win Charles over, she could escape her dependent existence and become true high society!
With this thought, Lucy subtly adjusted her gown, fixing her gaze on Charles as she began plotting how to capture his attention.
She deliberately moved closer, hoping Charles would notice her, but his attention remained entirely focused on Emily—he didn't spare her even a glance.
Emily observed it all with a cold smile. Charles's public declaration had actually done her a favor—it had planted inappropriate ideas in Lucy's mind.
The internal conflicts within the Johnson family were about to intensify.
Charles seemed to sense her thoughts and leaned down to whisper, "What are you thinking about?"
Emily looked up into his deep eyes and replied softly, "Nothing. I just think tonight's High Society Salon is quite... interesting."
Charles gazed at Emily's features, feeling momentarily distracted, then whispered in her ear, "I brought a surprise tonight. Ms. Johnson, would you care to see it?"
"I suppose I could take a look."
Charles and Emily excused themselves from the group and headed to the private lounge area.
Clara watched their retreating figures with burning intensity. She couldn't believe Charles would publicly acknowledge Emily as his girlfriend in front of so many people, showing such intimacy with her!
When she'd been around Charles, she'd never received such treatment—at best, he'd simply never publicly denied their relationship.
But now, he'd chosen Emily so decisively!
The surrounding guests quickly noticed Clara's distress. Those who had previously approached her because of her supposed connection to Charles suddenly changed their tune.
"Isn't this Ms. Johnson? I heard you and Mr. Windsor were an item. What happened there?" A woman in purple asked, her voice dripping with mockery.
"I think those were just rumors! Mr. Windsor never publicly acknowledged anything."
"But Mr. Windsor did give her gifts."
"Just fooling around—who would take that seriously? I have to say, Mr. Windsor is quite generous, giving jewelry worth hundreds of thousands to women like that. Almost makes me jealous."
These words pierced Clara's heart like needles, but she didn't dare directly contradict their mockery.
If she objected, it would certainly reach Charles's ears. If she dared show even a hint of dissatisfaction with his decision, not only would the Johnson family suffer, but she'd never be able to maintain her position in Emerald City.
But she couldn't swallow the humiliation of being treated as Charles's discarded plaything while Emily was elevated to the skies.
Suddenly, Clara had an intriguing idea—she might not be able to challenge Charles, but couldn't she cause some trouble for Emily?
Clara deliberately lowered her voice, speaking with wounded resignation, "Yes, who wouldn't be envious? But what's the use of envy? Emily has the skills to know how to please Mr. Windsor. Unlike me—I'm too straightforward, only focused on my designs, not skilled in those... more subtle arts."
She emphasized "please" and "subtle arts," the implication crystal clear—Emily had won Charles's favor through her abilities to please men.