Chapter 28
She deliberately raised her voice so the guests around could hear, "And Ophelia isn't really working for the Smith Group with good intentions. She just wants to take credit in front of you. Who knows, she might have even pocketed some money on the side!"
Freya immediately chimed in, adding with fake concern, "Mrs. Smith, Ainsley has a point. Ophelia used to work at Jeffrey Technologies. She only quit because she ran that company into the ground. Mr. Adams is still looking for her to settle the score."
"You'd better be careful not to let her mess up the Smith Group's anniversary celebration, too. That would be a huge loss."
As she spoke, she secretly watched the guests' reactions, trying to turn everyone against Ophelia.
Mireille's face darkened. Her eyes swept over Ainsley and Freya, her tone carrying undeniable authority: "The Smith Group isn't so fragile that a few words can bring it down."
"Whether the anniversary celebration is done well or not, the guests can see for themselves. It's not about what people say."
She paused, her gaze falling on Freya, her tone growing colder: "As for what happened at Jeffrey Technologies, I know a thing or two. It seems Mr. Adams himself ran the business poorly and even teamed up with outsiders to scheme against Ophelia, only to face the consequences himself."
"Ms. Stewart, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Spreading rumors comes with consequences."
Freya's face went pale. She hadn't expected Mireille to know the truth and didn't dare say another word.
Mireille turned to Ainsley, her tone stern: "Ainsley, as a member of the Smith family, instead of improving yourself, all you do is listen to gossip and target your own people. What kind of behavior is that?"
"Ophelia is more capable and more sensible than you. You should learn from her instead of making things difficult for her."
"I'm telling you, stop hanging around with people who have bad intentions, or you'll end up corrupted too."
Ainsley froze. She'd been pampered by Mireille since childhood—when had she ever been scolded like this?
She pulled her arm away from Mireille and shouted, "Grandma! How can you take an outsider's side? I'm your real granddaughter!"
"She's just a helpless orphan. Why should I learn from her? Because she uses tricks to steal projects? Because she fools people with cheap stuff?"
Her words were too harsh. The guests around showed embarrassed expressions, lowering their heads, not daring to get involved in this family dispute.
Ophelia stood to the side, her face calm, with no intention of defending herself.
She knew that since Mireille had spoken up, she would definitely give her justice.
Mireille was so angry her chest heaved. She pointed at Ainsley, her voice rising: "Because she is the Smith family's legitimate daughter! Because even after being lost for twenty-four years, she relied on her own abilities to establish herself at the Smith Group!"
"Because she's more upright and more responsible than you!"
"You think being part of the Smith family makes you special? Without the Smith family's halo, you wouldn't even be worthy of carrying her shoes!"
These words exploded like thunder among the crowd. Everyone looked at Ophelia in shock, their eyes full of disbelief.
The Smith family's daughter?
Was Ophelia actually the Smith family's long-lost biological daughter?
Ainsley was even more thunderstruck. She staggered back a step, pointing at Ophelia, her voice trembling: "Impossible! How could she be the Smith family's daughter? Grandma, you must be mistaken!"
"I'm the Smith family's daughter! I'm the one you've loved since childhood!"
She couldn't believe that the person she'd always looked down on and targeted was actually the real Smith family daughter, while she was just a fake.
Freya stood nearby, trembling all over, her mind blank.
She finally understood why Ophelia always had such confidence, why William would help her, and why Mireille treated her differently.
She was the real daughter of a wealthy family!
All her previous targeting of Ophelia was basically digging her own grave!
Mireille looked at Ainsley's breakdown, her heaving chest gradually calming. Her tone softened slightly but still carried undeniable authority: "I'm not mistaken."
Mireille patted Ophelia's hand and, without another word, turned and walked toward the stairs.
Luca followed closely. As he passed Ophelia, he quietly gave her a look that couldn't be more obvious.
Mireille didn't stop walking. Only when she reached the corner of the stairs did she look back at Ophelia.
Ophelia knew what Mireille meant. Her gaze turned slightly cold.
On the other side, Ainsley couldn't accept this truth at all and nearly lost her balance. It was Freya who reminded her.
"Ainsley, everyone's watching."
Ainsley looked up at everyone, bit her lip, and finally returned to her original appearance, saying proudly to everyone.
"So what if she's the real Smith family daughter? Without proper training and education, she's nothing special."
"Didn't you see Grandma already left? Ophelia, even if you're the real Smith family daughter, you still can't compare to me!"
Leaving those words, Ainsley turned and left, though her retreating figure looked somewhat pathetic.
Ophelia was speechless. She hadn't come here to compete with Ainsley for the position of Smith family daughter. Her purpose...
Ophelia gave a cold laugh, then quickly smoothed over the situation.
"Everyone, this is an internal Smith family matter. Please don't spread it around. The banquet will continue—please enjoy yourselves."
With that, Ophelia raised a glass of red wine to toast everyone. Everyone understood, except for Freya, whose eyes were red with jealousy.
Ophelia acted as if she didn't see it and continued hosting the anniversary celebration.
Ophelia moved through the guests with her wine glass, maintaining a proper smile as if the earlier incident had never happened.
Della followed behind her, muttering quietly: "Ophelia, what Ainsley said just now was so infuriating. She still thinks she's the Smith family daughter."
Ophelia smiled faintly: "What's the point of getting angry? Instead of arguing with her, it's better to make the banquet a success. That's what matters."
She knew clearly that Ainsley was now just acting recklessly. Arguing with her would only lower her. Better to prove herself through actions.
Privately, the guests didn't stop talking. They gathered in small groups, their eyes occasionally glancing toward Ophelia.
"Who would have thought Ms. Blake is actually the Smith family's biological daughter? What a dramatic twist."
"No wonder she's so capable—organizing such an outstanding anniversary celebration with just a hundred thousand dollars. Turns out it's hereditary."
"What Ainsley said just now reeked of jealousy. She's the one who took someone else's place all these years, yet she has the nerve to say Ms. Blake didn't receive a good education."