Chapter 98 A Lifetime of Doubts

Kelly shook her head. As a bodyguard, she should've been right by Quinn's side, but Carl had told her to keep Quinn's identity under wraps, so she had to stay put.

Quinn felt a bit bummed out as she walked into the villa, guided by a waiter.

The moment she stepped in, she spotted Ciara, looking smug, and Celeste Noir chatting with a female waiter.

From about 30 feet away, the three of them locked eyes.

Ciara's gaze zeroed in on Quinn's dress—the same one she saw at noon, Sienna's design, Midnight Sparkle. Jealousy and anger bubbled up inside her.

"Who is Colorful Red? I mean, for an event like this, it's a big deal for your average Joe to score just one invite," he asked, more out of curiosity than mockery.

Quinn smiled and said, "I came here for the same reason you did. He's my friend and wanted me to come to broaden my horizons and improve my design skills."

Celeste Noir thought about it seriously, seeing the sincerity in Quinn's eyes.

He got it, but Ciara was different. She walked closer and started mocking her directly. "An invitation, big deal! If you won't say it, I will. Colorful Red is Carlster, right? Tell me, how did you seduce Carlster, you scheming woman?"

Quinn's smile faded, and she turned to look at her.

Ciara kept going, "At this event, only the organizers can hand out invites like that. Such a precious invitation, and you think you deserve it?"

Sensing the brewing conflict, Celeste Noir smartly made his exit, not wanting to be drawn into Ciara's irrational antics.

Just then, Carl showed up, narrowing his eyes, puzzled by how Quinn and Ciara, who seemed to have nothing in common, were together.

Suddenly, he saw Ciara pour wine on herself, letting the glass fall as she shouted at Quinn, "Quinn, what are you doing?"

Quinn was startled by her sudden move and didn't have time to react.

Ciara kept shouting, "Apologize! You better say sorry and make it up to me. Do you have any idea how much this dress cost?"

Quinn rolled her eyes at the obvious ploy and decided to leave.

Ciara grabbed her arm, shouting and drawing the attention of the surrounding guests.

Carl, having seen Ciara's self-directed drama, grew cold and was about to step forward.

Rex got there first, running to the two women.

Quinn didn't want to reveal her identity publicly, and Carl didn't want to pressure her, so he stopped and didn't approach.

Rex reached them, pulled Ciara's hand away, and shielded Quinn behind him.

Rex sternly warned, "Ciara, if you want to cause trouble, at least pick the right time. Do you think everyone here is a fool? Mr. Ward and I saw you pour the wine on yourself. What are you making a scene for?"

Ciara was momentarily stunned, turned to look at the door, and met Carl's cold gaze. She realized he had seen through her act.

Pale with guilt, she left grimly, seething and holding a grudge against Quinn. In her failed attempt to frame Quinn, she had only dirtied her own dress.

With the drama over, Rex let go of Quinn's shoulder and started explaining to the surrounding guests.

Quinn caught Carl's cold glare, a knot forming in her chest. When Rex wrapped up his explanation, he shifted his gaze to Quinn, his eyes radiating warmth.

Rex asked, "Ms. Sullivan, are you alright?"

Quinn shook her head. "Thanks, Mr. Vaughan, I'm good."

Rex smiled. "You look amazing tonight!"

Relieved that Quinn was okay, Rex's tone softened, a stark contrast to his earlier warning to Ciara.

Quinn replied, "Thank you!"

As Quinn felt a tad uneasy under Rex's affectionate yet composed stare, she was on the verge of speaking further when Christian's arrival stole the spotlight. Reporters swarmed, cameras flashing. In his early forties, Christian had that unique charm of Lumarian men.

Gentlemanly yet captivating, with impeccable taste and unparalleled talent, he was the object of many women's admiration.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Christian smiled and waved to everyone.

Carl stepped forward to greet him personally, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, with the media capturing the moment. The different auras of the two men made their handshake the first highlight of the evening.

While all eyes were on Carl and Christian, Rex's gaze stayed fixed on Quinn. To him, she was the most beautiful woman there, a swan in the night, deeply captivating him.

Noticing someone looking at her, Quinn turned to meet Rex's gaze, felt a tightness in her chest, nodded to him, and then turned to leave.

As Quinn walked away, Rex couldn't help but keep his gaze fixed on her. Regrettably, she was already married, and he had missed his chance by just a hair.

This might become a lifelong regret.

Ciara hadn't seen Christian's entrance. After leaving, she found a waiter to deal with the wine stain on her dress.

At such large events, to avoid special situations like stained dresses, the organizers usually prepared special cleaning agents to quickly handle such incidents.

After getting her dress cleaned, she returned to the banquet hall and overheard two women whispering.

"I heard two people at tonight's event got in despite their mediocre work, clearly through some serious string-pulling."

"Really? Aren't the invites all fancy and personal? They even ID you at the entrance. But hey, it's common for people to pull strings and rub elbows with the big shots. That's just how it goes."

Ciara stopped beside them, and the two women quickly fell silent. If their gossip got out, especially at an event like this, it wouldn't be good for them.

Ciara acted as if she hadn't seen them, chuckling. "That's nothing. I know something even more outrageous!"

The two women looked at each other, sensing gossip, and turned to Ciara.

Ciara scanned the crowd, spotted Quinn, and pointed at her. "See her? The woman in the black dress."

The two women followed her finger.

Ciara said, "Her name is Quinn. She doesn't even have any work. She got in by relying on a man."

"Oh my! A complete newbie? Can she even design?"

"Really? This is a design event. Who would let someone who knows nothing about design in? How did she get in? Even if she sneaked in, she wouldn't be able to talk with us."

"It's true. She's from our company, in the same department. She just joined recently. Before this, she was unemployed, relying entirely on a man."

Ciara's face was full of disdain, her tone very certain. 

"Who would let an outsider join an event like this?" The two women eagerly asked.

"That I don't know. But I do know that without relying on a man, she wouldn't even qualify to be a waiter here, let alone get an invitation. It's just shameless." Ciara continued to slander, still unable to quell her inner anger.