Chapter 87 Embarrassment (2)
Rachel was floored by what she just heard.
Crystal's main gig was makeup and styling, but they also did daily beauty treatments, manicures, and eyelash extensions.
Because of its high-end status and top-notch quality, Crystal was a big deal in River City's elite circles. It was even one of the main hangouts for the upper class.
Rachel had rubbed elbows with other nobles a few times while getting her nails done at Crystal's other locations. Jenny, on the other hand, was a regular, often going there with other nobles for beauty treatments and injections.
And now, Ellison wanted to blacklist them?
Jenny was fuming.
Ellison had already embarrassed her in front of so many people, and now he was saying Crystal would cut them off. Was she giving Ellison too much credit?
A high-end makeup artist was still just a service worker at the end of the day. Did he really think he was important enough to talk to her like that?
"Blacklist us from Crystal? Do you even know how much we spend at Crystal each year?" Jenny snapped at Ellison.
Ellison sneered, replying coldly, "What, you spend tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars at Crystal each year?"
"A few million dollars, and you think Crystal cares about losing you two as customers or that amount of money?"
That amount of money?
To Ellison, a few million dollars was chump change?
Jenny wanted to keep yelling, but she realized that no matter what Ellison's background was, he clearly wasn't hurting for cash. If he cared about a few million dollars, he wouldn't have turned down offers from actresses willing to pay him millions, nor would he have dropped eight million dollars on a dress designed by Rosie.
The guy in front of her clearly didn't care about money and didn't take them seriously at all.
Jenny was livid but didn't know where to direct her anger. She couldn't even threaten him because Ellison wasn't scared of her. Plus, the Martinez family's influence made it impossible for them to make Crystal go bankrupt or suffer any consequences.
Seeing Jenny fall silent, Ellison gave her a cold look and said, "Zola, show them out."
With that, he turned and walked back to his office.
As soon as he stepped inside, his phone rang. Ellison pulled it out and saw it was Amelia calling, causing him to pause.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and answered the call.
The coldness he showed Jenny vanished, replaced by a soft and gentle tone. "Hey."
"Mr. Bennett," Amelia's apologetic voice came through the phone. "Sorry, I just saw your message."
So she wasn't ignoring him; she just hadn't seen the message yet.
For some reason, Ellison felt a sense of relief.
Aside from Rosie, Ellison had never cared about anyone else's opinion of him. But Amelia gave him a different feeling.
Even though Amelia and Rosie were completely different in age, status, and appearance, he felt there was a connection between them. Amelia and Rosie gave him a similar feeling, making him care about her.
"It's okay. Are you coming to Crystal? I'm at the store now," Ellison said.
"No need," Amelia surprised him by declining the offer. "Thanks for the invite, Mr. Bennett, but I'm planning to wear my school uniform to the competition tonight, so I don't need to dress up or put on makeup."
Wearing her school uniform, huh? That made sense. After all, a piano competition wasn't about looks but skill.
Ellison imagined Amelia in her school uniform and thought even a simple uniform would look good on her.
"Alright," he replied. "But could you send me a picture of you in your uniform? I'd like to see it."
Amelia wasn't sure why Ellison wanted to see her uniform but obliged. She was in the restroom at the time and took a quick photo in the mirror, sending it to him.
As she left Prestige High School, Amelia saw Michael's car parked nearby. He had said he would take her to dinner first and then accompany her to the convention center.
Eric got out to open the door for her, and Amelia naturally climbed in, sitting on Michael's lap. Michael was dressed more formally than usual today.
He wore a black suit jacket over an imperial collar shirt, a double-breasted vest, and a dark red tie, which perfectly highlighted his broad shoulders, full chest, and slim waist, giving him a composed and restrained look.
Amelia admired Michael's taste in clothing and his physique. She was tempted by his restrained and meticulous appearance and couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you dressed so formally today?"
Eric started the car.
He was about to explain that Michael took Amelia's performance seriously, which is why he dressed up. But then he saw Amelia pull Michael's tie closer. "Is it because you're trying to seduce me with your tightly buttoned shirt and tie?"
Eric gasped.
Amelia was bold as ever, saying whatever came to her mind.
In the next moment, Eric saw Michael calmly respond and start loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.
Wait, Michael, aren't you being a bit too proactive?
Isn't this happening a bit too quickly?
Amelia's eyes sparkled with amusement, and a smile curved her lips. Michael tossed his tie aside and unbuttoned three buttons on his shirt, revealing his firm chest. He then opened his arms to her again.
His deep eyes were filled with undisguised affection, and Amelia felt satisfied as she nestled into his embrace, enjoying the sense of security that was uniquely hers.
The car stopped in front of the convention center.
As Amelia and Michael walked through the entrance, she heard a familiar voice call her name. "Amelia?"
She turned to see the slender, handsome Ellison approaching. He glanced at her before looking at Michael beside her.
Ellison took a deep breath.
On the other side, Rachel entered the venue, surrounded by her classmates from Prestige High School's A class. Next to her were the proud Jenny and Saul.
Saul had arranged front-row seats for the entire class, giving Rachel plenty of face. As Rachel settled her classmates, Fallon widened her eyes, looking in the direction behind Rachel.
"Oh my god, is that Mr. Stevens?" Fallon pointed in shock. "Look, is he coming towards us?"