Chapter 117

She paused, then continued in German: "Also, the business model Ms. Stone just mentioned was already outdated in Europe three years ago. The mainstream now is a light-asset operation model. Heavy-asset investments carry too much risk. Ms. Stone's spending five hundred million dollars on this project seems rather unwise, doesn't it?"

Ophelia's German was fluent and standard, her pronunciation perfect. Her analysis was thorough and logical, hitting every fatal flaw in Ember's project right on the mark. Ember's face instantly turned deathly pale. The champagne glass in her hand trembled, spilling some of the wine so that it dripped onto her white dress, which was particularly noticeable.

She never expected that Ophelia could understand her project presentation and offer such a professional analysis. Ophelia had even spotted the problems in her project at a glance. She felt shocked, angry, and somewhat embarrassed.

People around them heard their conversation and looked over, their eyes full of mockery as they looked at Ember. Ember's face showed her discomfort—she wished she could disappear right then and there.

William put his arm around Ophelia's waist, his eyes full of affection and pride. Looking at Ember, his tone was cold and firm: "Ms. Stone, my wife is a hundred times better than you. Don't use your ignorance to question her abilities. Also, I'm married. Please keep your distance from me."

Ember was left speechless by William's words, standing there awkwardly. Watching Ophelia and William leave side by side, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. Her nails dug deep into her palms, the pain sharp, yet it did nothing to ease the anger in her heart.

A few days later, Ophelia received an invitation from the Stone family. They were hosting a welcome party for Ember and had invited the Brown family, the Smith family, and several other prominent families.

Since the Brown family and the Stone family were old friends, William couldn't refuse and had to agree to attend, naturally bringing Ophelia along.

The welcome party was held at the Stone family's private estate. It was quite a grand affair with many guests. Ember wore a pink evening gown, flitting through the crowd like a butterfly. When she saw William and Ophelia enter, she immediately came over with a smile, her face showing a sweet expression with no trace of the awkwardness from the previous reception.

"William, Ophelia, you're here," Ember said with a smile, though her eyes only rested on William. "Please come in. My brother has been waiting to chat with you."

As she spoke, she grabbed William's arm and started walking inside, completely ignoring Ophelia beside her. Ophelia sneered inwardly—this woman really knew how to put on an act.

William calmly pulled his arm back and put it around Ophelia's waist: "No need. Ophelia and I will walk together."

Ember's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and said with a smile: "That's fine too. Let's go together."

Entering the living room, Ember's brother Lawrence Stone immediately came over. Lawrence was the president of the Stone Group and William's business partner. He and William had a decent relationship.

"William, long time no see," Lawrence said, shaking hands with William. "Have a seat. Try some of my vintage wine."

Lawrence pulled William aside to the lounge area to chat, whether intentionally or not, drawing his attention away. Ember took the opportunity to approach Ophelia, followed by several socialites who were friends with her. These socialites looked down their noses at everyone, their eyes showing some contempt as they looked at Ophelia.

They walked to a corner. Ember held a glass of juice and offered it to Ophelia, her tone falsely friendly: "Ophelia, have some juice. The fresh-squeezed juice here tastes pretty good."

Ophelia didn't take it and smiled faintly: "No thanks. I have my own."

Ember withdrew her hand, her smile fading a bit. She looked to the socialites behind her. One of them, named Lyric Vaughn, spoke first, her tone slightly dismissive: "Ms. Blake, I heard you used to be the Smith family's illegitimate daughter. Not long after being found, you married Mr. Brown. What good luck."

Clio Webb chimed in: "Yes, I heard you were previously married to Jeffrey from Jeffrey Technologies and even raised his illegitimate daughter for him. You really had it rough. But fortunately, you latched onto Mr. Brown and made it to the top in one step."

Their words carried mockery and contempt, deliberately bringing up Ophelia's past to embarrass her. Ember stood to the side with a faint smile, looking like she was enjoying the show, but secretly feeling pleased. She had already found out about Ophelia's past and was waiting for this opportunity to make her lose face in front of everyone.

Ophelia looked at them, her face expressionless, but her heart was cold. These people were just like those relatives in the Brown family—they loved to gossip about others' pasts. Did they think this could hurt her?

She held her wine glass and took a light sip, looking at Lyric and Clio, her tone calm but powerful: "I'm the biological daughter the Smith family found, not an illegitimate daughter. Please get that straight."

"My marriage to Jeffrey was a scam. He and Freya conspired to deceive me. In the end, I exposed their true colors and took back what belonged to me. That's not being pitiful—that's my capability."

"Also, I married William not to climb the social ladder, but because we like each other and support each other. He loves me, and I love him. It has nothing to do with luck."

Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, countering every point. Lyric and Clio's faces instantly turned ugly. They opened their mouths but couldn't say a word.

Ember didn't expect Ophelia to be so quick-witted and unfazed. Feeling somewhat annoyed, she stepped forward and looked at Ophelia, her tone mocking: "Ms. Blake, don't speak too confidently. You should know what kind of person William is. He's the president of the Brown Group, the heir to the Brown family, with a noble status. You two aren't from the same world at all. Do you think he really loves you? He's just drawn to you because you're new for now."

"Someone like William should have a woman by his side who's his equal, like me. We're well-matched in status, and we grew up together. I can help him in his career and am worthy of him. But you—you're just a waste who climbed up by relying on a man. You don't deserve to stand beside him at all."

Ember's words were like a sharp knife aimed at Ophelia. She thought Ophelia would get angry or embarrassed, but Ophelia just smiled faintly and looked at her: "Ms. Stone, you're right. William has a noble status and is outstanding. But so what? He loves me, married me, and the person who will spend his life with is me. These are things you'll never have."

"You say you can help him in his career, but you can't even manage your own project well. How can you talk about helping him? You say you're well-matched with him in status, but he only sees you as a schoolmate, nothing romantic. You know this better than anyone."

"Also, whether I'm a waste or not isn't determined by what you say—it's proven by my abilities. I can establish myself at the Smith Group, help William solve overseas project troubles, and plan development strategies for the Brown Group. These are all things you can't do."