Chapter 135 Publicly Put in Their Place
The woman walking toward them had a sleek, cropped haircut, her makeup understated yet flawless, her expression calm and composed. She carried herself with the kind of unhurried confidence that made people instinctively step aside.
She looked to be in her mid-thirties, her skin impeccably maintained, her presence radiating quiet authority. The tailored light-gray suit she wore was of such fine quality that even from a distance, it spoke of wealth and taste. She was the kind of woman who could walk into a boardroom and silence it without raising her voice.
Sophie Russell.
The founder of one of the largest corporations in Celestria… here, at Prestige High School's anniversary celebration?
The realization rippled through the crowd. Fans and reporters alike were caught off guard, their surprise tangible. No one had expected Sophie to make an appearance, and the sudden shift in atmosphere was almost physical.
Cameras immediately swung toward her, shutters clicking in rapid bursts.
Her reputation preceded her. In terms of influence, Sophie's presence dwarfed that of Anna Williams. Anna might have her admirers online, but her fame was built on family wealth, industry connections, and the flattery of social circles. She was a socialite who happened to run a company, not a titan of industry.
Sophie was different. Sophie was the real thing.
Anna had been born into privilege, her career beginning with inheriting The Williams Group. Her competence was measured by the fact that the company had not collapsed under her watch.
Sophie, on the other hand, had started with nothing. Seven years ago, she had received a five-million-dollar investment from a mysterious backer. Within three years, she had launched the nation's first B2B e-commerce platform, revolutionizing the way people in Celestria shopped. Over the next seven years, she had expanded her company into a global force, now ranked among the world's top one hundred corporations. Its market value was in the hundreds of billions and still climbing.
Unlike Anna, who loudly proclaimed her mission to break societal biases against women, Sophie rarely gave interviews, rarely made speeches. She did not need to. Her success spoke for itself. Her very existence was proof that a woman could rise to the top of a male-dominated industry without ever asking for permission.
Anna's eyes flickered when she saw Sophie approach. For a moment, her composure slipped.
"Ms. Russell," Anna called out, her tone shifting instantly into something warm and deferential. "You are here for Prestige High's celebration as well?"
Gone was the sharp-edged sarcasm she had aimed at Amelia moments earlier. Now, she stepped forward with a practiced smile, the kind designed to please.
The Williams Group was currently negotiating a thirty-million-dollar contract with Sophie's company. Anna knew better than to play the superior here. She smoothed her expression, lowered her posture, and approached with the faint air of a supplicant.
Sophie's gaze brushed over her once, cool and unreadable, before moving past her entirely. Her steps carried her straight toward Amelia, who had been standing quietly this whole time.
The change in Sophie's expression was immediate. The cool detachment melted into something unmistakably warm.
"Amelia," she said, her voice carrying a note of familiarity that made heads turn. "Is your shop ready? If it is, I can have my people bring the items in now."
Amelia nodded. "My friends are already inside waiting for me. I will go in with you."
The casual way they addressed each other, the ease in Sophie's tone, sent a shockwave through the crowd.
What was this?
The girl everyone had been calling a backwater illegitimate daughter… knew Sophie Russell? Not just knew her—was on friendly terms with her?
Anna's expression froze. Rachel's eyes darted between them, confusion written all over her face.
Sophie turned her head then, her gaze landing on Anna once more. This time, her eyes were cool, her voice edged with a faint, unmistakable disapproval.
"I heard what you said earlier."
Anna blinked, her mind going blank for a fraction of a second. Had she said something that might offend Sophie?
Sophie did not make her wait for the answer.
"You seem to hold Amelia in very low regard," she said evenly. "You implied she is from the countryside, not on the same level as Rachel, and that she probably does not even know how to write a sponsorship proposal—making it impossible for her to secure one."
Her tone sharpened. "Unfortunately for you, I am one of the sponsors for this event. And I agreed to sponsor it after reading a proposal written by Amelia herself. It was good enough to catch my attention at the board meeting."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"And before I offered my support," Sophie continued, "Mr. Michael Johnson had already sponsored her team's shop with ten million dollars."
The air seemed to thin.
"When I made my offer, Amelia turned me down. She said they already had more than enough funding. That was when I converted my sponsorship into goods rather than cash."
A collective gasp swept the spectators. Amelia had written a proposal that impressed Sophie Russell enough to make her a sponsor? And she had refused Sophie's money?
And Michael Johnson—Michael Johnson—had given her ten million?
Faces shifted from curiosity to outright astonishment. Michael might never appear in public, but his reputation was legend. A man worth hundreds of billions, running an empire before thirty, his influence was undeniable.
Anna had mocked Amelia for her supposed lack of connections, for her years in the countryside, for never having met a serious business owner. Now it turned out Amelia was personally acquainted with two of the most powerful figures in Celestria.
Michael Johnson. Sophie Russell. There were few in the country—perhaps in the world—who outranked them in wealth and status.
The way people looked at Amelia changed in an instant. Shock gave way to something else—envy, admiration, a grudging respect.
Yes, the Johnson Group was a multinational powerhouse. But ten million dollars… for a high school anniversary event? That was extravagance on another level.
And Amelia, standing there while Anna's barbs flew, had not said a word in her own defense. She had not needed to. Her silence now looked less like passivity and more like the composure of someone who simply did not care to engage with petty insults.
Because why would she?
Only minutes ago, the crowd had thought Anna's one-million-dollar sponsorship for Rachel's team was impressive. Now, placed beside Michael's ten million, it looked almost pitiful.
And Rachel's earlier comments—asking if Amelia had failed to secure sponsorship, offering to buy her a set of clothes—were suddenly laughable. Amelia had not failed to get sponsors. She had more than she could use. She had turned Sophie down.
If she was not wearing an expensive outfit right now, it was clearly because she had not changed yet—not because she could not afford one.
So what exactly had Rachel and Anna been feeling superior about?
The murmur of voices swelled again, this time tinged with a different energy. People were looking at Rachel and Anna with expressions that carried a trace of secondhand embarrassment.
Anna's throat tightened, the words she might have spoken lodged there. Rachel's face flushed red, then white, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her skirt as if she could hold herself together by force. It felt, unmistakably, like being slapped in front of an audience.