Chapter 109 Meeting the Designer
Chapter 109 Meeting the Designer
The next Morning, the Emerald Lake Estates dining room was laid out with an elaborate breakfast spread, even more lavish than usual.
When Ophelia sat down and looked up, she froze at the sight of the composed, upright figure sitting across from her.
The man was wearing simple loungewear. Without the sharp, formal edge he'd carried during yesterday's visit to Serenity University, he seemed warmer and more relaxed, yet his natural air of authority was still impossible to ignore.
Ophelia's eyes narrowed slightly. "Eric, what are you doing here?"
Before she could sort out her thoughts, Cynthia beside her quickly jumped in with a smile. "Ophelia, don't be nervous — this is Brandon."
She gently took Ophelia's hand. "Your five brothers have been overseas managing the family business for years, so they never got the chance to meet you. Brandon is the eldest, and the most outstanding of all the Jones children. He looks intimidating, but he's actually very easy to get along with."
There was a lot to take in, and Ophelia couldn't process it all at once.
So the legendary figure who commanded a trillion-dollar business empire and was known for his ruthless decisiveness in international finance circles — was actually her brother, whom she'd never met. It seemed yesterday's high-pressure evaluation had been Brandon's first look at her.
Ophelia's gaze grew quiet and measured as she studied Brandon, wondering whether this mysterious man was friend or foe.
Noticing her subtle scrutiny, Brandon's eyes deepened with warmth. "Mom, Ophelia and I already met yesterday at Serenity University."
He then slid a black jewelry box across the table toward her. "Ophelia, this is a little gift from me. Go ahead and open it — see if you like it."
Emily couldn't help herself. "Brandon, Ophelia just came back from some small town. What would she know about things like this? Giving her something this nice is just a waste."
She then leaned into her usual charm. "I've been absolutely obsessed with Dawn's haute couture collection lately. In the upper social circles right now, owning even one Dawn piece makes you the center of attention. I've been on the waitlist for over half a year and still can't get an appointment. Next time, could you have something custom-made for me too, Brandon?"
Dawn was an ultra-exclusive, niche haute couture brand — never mass-produced, never open to ordinary orders. It was a symbol of elite status and refined taste.
Cynthia finally got a clear look at the logo on the box and her eyes went wide. "It's actually a Dawn custom piece. I pulled every connection I had to get on their list, and I'm still waiting six months out. Brandon, this gift for Ophelia is incredibly thoughtful."
Seeing that familiar logo, Ophelia's opinion of Brandon shifted. If he'd given her an ordinary luxury-brand gift, it might have just been a polite gesture. But with Dawn, from selecting the style to the design, final approval, and finished piece — the process was long and painstaking.
Brandon held a position of enormous power, yet he'd been willing to invest that much time and effort into having a piece custom-made for her. That alone showed how much he valued this little sister he'd been separated from for so many years. And more importantly, she had one and Emily didn't — which said everything about the kind of man Brandon was.
Ophelia turned to Cynthia. "Mom, I actually know Aurora, Dawn's head designer. I'll reach out to her and ask if she can move your order up."
Emily let out a sharp laugh the moment the words left Ophelia's mouth. "Ophelia, stop making things up. Aurora is the most mysterious designer in the world — nobody even knows who she really is. Rumor has it she's the daughter of a hereditary earl from Novaria. You've spent your whole life in some small town, and you're seriously claiming you know someone like that?"
"And if you really knew Aurora, how come you've never been seen wearing a single piece of Dawn jewelry? You don't have to lie to get on my good side. I'm embarrassed for you."
Ophelia couldn't help but laugh quietly to herself. She had no idea where that rumor had started — the one casting her as the daughter of a Novarian earl. She certainly hadn't heard anything about that.
Worried Ophelia might feel humiliated, Cynthia quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "It's fine, it's fine — six months isn't that long. I can wait. Ophelia, don't bother Aurora on my account. She's a busy person."
Faced with the loaded looks from everyone around the table, Ophelia stayed perfectly calm. There was no point arguing. Once Cynthia received the jewelry, every doubt would answer itself.
She picked up the box and smiled. "Thank you, Brandon. I didn't know you were coming back, so I didn't prepare anything for you. I'll make it up to you tonight."
Brandon watched her unruffled composure, and the warmth in his eyes grew even softer. "No rush at all. I'll be staying in the country for a while — a few days from now is just fine."
"Staying for a while?" Cynthia lit up at the news.
Liam gave a slow nod. "Vanguard Capital Group is mostly stable now. I can leave things with Paxton for the stretch before Christmas. In a few days I'll call the other boys back too. It's rare for our whole family to be together — and it'll give them a chance to spend some time with Ophelia."
Nobody was happier to hear this than Emily.
Brandon was fair-minded, unlike her other four brothers who had always indulged her. Once they were all back in the country, all she'd have to do was play the victim a little, and she could get them to push Ophelia down. With that, Ophelia — who had been stealing her spotlight — would have no place in the Jones family at all.
After breakfast, Ophelia immediately got in touch with Abigail, Dawn's director. When Abigail heard it was Ophelia's mother who needed to be moved up the queue, she didn't hesitate for a second and promised to have the full custom jewelry set delivered to Emerald Lake Estates by the following week.
At the same time, the latest episode of the year's most anticipated romance reality show dropped right on schedule, instantly blowing up across every major platform and leaving every other show airing at the same time in the dust.
The production team had cranked up the hype long before filming even began. The eight cast members included two A-list young screen idols, two massive digital creators, the heir and elusive heiress of the Smiths — one of Harmony City's most powerful elite families — plus two regular civilian contestants. The show had already taken over every social platform well before it even premiered.
Once it aired, the buzz only kept climbing.
Among the cast, Claire had been packaged by the production team as a heiress from Silverpeak City, riding on her fresh, gentle looks. She never bothered to correct the public speculation about her background, quietly soaking up the attention from fans everywhere.
Her manager Linda watched the follower count spike with a mix of excitement and worry, drilling the same warnings into her over and over: "Hold onto your innocent image! Watch yourself around the male cast members. You can flirt a little with the Smith heir for some buzz, but don't let your ambition show. The second your image cracks, your career is finished."
Linda found Claire flighty and too obvious about her hunger for fame, but she'd already signed her — so naturally she wanted her to blow up.
Claire, however, was too fixated on making it big to take any of it to heart. She'd already talked it through with Sophia before the show: becoming a celebrity wasn't nearly enough. Getting close to the Smith family was the only way to save the Blakes.
Linda kept a tight watch during filming, so the moment it wrapped, Claire seized her chance and went straight to Steven. "Steven, are you free tonight? Now that filming's done, who knows when we'll see each other again. Would you want to grab dinner?"
Steven had never been one to turn away a woman who came to him — he put on his usual cool, detached expression and said, "Sure."