Chapter 166 Public Recognition
Clara bowed respectfully and backed out of the office. The moment she stepped outside, she immediately called Celeste, her voice brimming with excitement, "Mom! The Campbell family is throwing me a recognition ceremony! Tomorrow night at the Golden Ember Hotel, I'll officially be part of the Campbell family!"
Celeste's delighted laughter came through the phone, "Wonderful! Perfect! You must perform beautifully tomorrow and show all those people who look down on us!"
Meanwhile, Charles was driving to pick up Emily from the hospital. Emily leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the cityscape blur past the window, her fingers absently tracing patterns on her phone case.
Suddenly, Charles's phone rang—it was Nathan calling.
"Mr. Windsor, Daphne is hosting a recognition ceremony tomorrow night at the Golden Ember Hotel to publicly acknowledge Clara as her niece."
Charles's grip tightened on the steering wheel. He caught Emily's curious glance and smiled coldly, "Got it, I'll bring Emily to tomorrow night's reception."
After hanging up, Emily raised an eyebrow, "Bring me? Want me to expose Clara on the spot?"
"We can't let her parade around with your identity to con the Campbell family, can we? It's a perfect opportunity to let Emerald City's elite see who really belongs with the Campbell family."
Emily smiled, amusement flickering in her eyes, "Fine, I'll go. It should be entertaining to watch Clara put on her little performance."
She genuinely didn't care about the Campbell family, but seeing Clara so gleeful about stealing her identity made her decidedly unhappy.
The next evening, the Golden Ember Hotel blazed with lights, its ballroom packed with Emerald City's social elite.
Daphne stood at the center of the ballroom in an impeccably tailored black evening gown, with Clara beside her in a pink dress.
Clara had hired a stylist for her hair and wore carefully applied makeup, carrying a limited-edition designer bag, desperately trying to project the image of a high society socialite. But the nervous uncertainty in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Thank you all for attending our family's recognition ceremony tonight." Daphne took the microphone, her voice carrying clearly through the sound system. "This is Clara, my sister's daughter. From today forward, she officially returns to the Campbell family fold."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Many people had heard that the Campbell family had found their long-lost child and were curious about what she would be like. However, upon seeing Clara, a hint of disappointment flashed in the eyes of many.
She was pretty, but her beauty was rather flashy. The calculating look in her eyes was hard to hide. Standing next to Daphne, she seemed like an ordinary person who had never seen the world, completely mismatched with the Campbell family's aristocratic bearing.
"So this is the child who was lost all those years? Not exactly impressive."
"Right? Nothing compared to Ms. Campbell. No trace of refined breeding whatsoever."
"Shh, don't say that. She's officially recognized by the Campbell family now, show some respect."
The whispered comments weren't loud, but Clara heard every word. Her knuckles went white, gripping her designer bag, nails nearly drawing blood from her palms, yet she had to maintain her smile while internally cursing every gossiper in the room.
Daphne also noticed the crowd's lukewarm reaction, her expression darkening. She quickly tried to smooth things over, "Clara is still adjusting to these social occasions, so she might be a bit nervous. Please be patient, she'll improve with time."
She shot Clara a meaningful look, signaling her to greet the distinguished guests.
Clara hurried forward, mimicking others as she bowed and offered polite greetings, but her obvious eagerness to please only made things more awkward. Several elderly society figures merely nodded perfunctorily, not bothering with conversation.
Just then, the ballroom doors opened, and Charles entered with Emily on his arm.
Charles wore an elegant black tuxedo, his posture commanding; Emily wore a simple white long dress, her long hair casually tied up. Without heavy makeup on her face, she instantly captured everyone's attention with her natural grace.
Compared to Clara's deliberate flamboyance, Emily's beauty was natural and confident. Standing beside Charles, they were the picture of a perfect couple.
"Mr. Windsor is here!"
Someone gasped softly, and heads turned toward them with surprise.
Why had Charles come?
He didn't have any close ties to the Campbell family, did he?
Clara's face went pale the moment she spotted Emily.
What was she doing here?
Charles had actually brought her to the recognition ceremony! Clara quickly ducked behind Daphne, panic flooding her eyes.
Daphne was equally stunned, striding over with barely concealed displeasure, "Mr. Windsor, what brings you here? I don't recall sending you an invitation."
Charles smiled, his gaze sweeping over Clara hiding behind Daphne, his tone lightly mocking, "Ms. Campbell, such an elaborate recognition ceremony, it would be a shame not to join the festivities. Besides, Emily here has some history with Ms. Johnson and wanted to offer her congratulations."
Before Daphne could respond to Charles's words, another small commotion arose at the ballroom entrance.
Elodie was being half-dragged into the venue by her father, wearing a mint green cocktail dress and looking thoroughly reluctant, muttering under her breath, "Dad, what's the point of coming to this kind of event? I have surgeries scheduled at the hospital."
She had no idea what tonight's reception was about; her father had forcibly brought her along.
"The hospital has plenty of doctors—they can spare you for one night!"
"But if I'm not there, they'll have to work overtime."
"Then let them work overtime! I'll pay the overtime wages! Stop using work as an excuse! Look at yourself, how old are you and still single? If you had a boyfriend, I wouldn't care if you worked around the clock!"
"Dad, where exactly am I supposed to find you a boyfriend?"
Elodie was fed up with her father's constant matchmaking pressure. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape route.
Suddenly, she spotted Emily in the crowd. Her eyes lit up immediately, and she shook off her father's grip, hurrying over to grab Emily's arm, "Emily! What are you doing here? Didn't you just get out of the hospital? Charles, what were you thinking, bringing Emily to such a crowded place!"
Charles smiled helplessly; when Emily's best friend spoke, he didn't dare argue.
Emily patted Elodie's hand reassuringly: "I'm fine, just here to watch the show."
Only then did Elodie notice Clara standing beside Daphne. Her expression immediately darkened, contempt filling her eyes as she deliberately raised her voice, "Well, well, Clara, what are you doing here?"