Chapter 40 The Handbag Incident
Evelyn had carried the stigma of being a mistress for years. Through her cunning and manipulation, she'd finally won over the Foster family. Now, aside from the Fosters themselves, no one remembered David's first wife, and the sordid details of how Evelyn had climbed her way to the top as a homewrecker had been conveniently forgotten.
David, hearing this and fearing a scene, whispered to Evelyn, "Get her out of here quickly, before she embarrasses the Foster family name."
Just then, Mia made her grand entrance on Jayden's arm.
Jayden's parents had arrived as well.
They were all formally dressed, though it was obvious the Brown family wasn't entirely thrilled with Mia.
"Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster!" Jayden called out politely, presenting his gift with both hands.
Jayden's father, Mike Brown, joined in cheerfully, "David, Evelyn!"
Evelyn beamed, quickly ushering them to their seats.
Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air, "That's my bag!"
Everyone jumped, turning toward the voice. A woman dressed in expensive finery was marching straight toward Mia, staring fixedly at the handbag in Mia's hands. Through gritted teeth, she declared, "That's my Himalayan! The store manager said they'd allocated one for me. I hadn't had time to pick it up yet, but a few days ago, they called to say someone had already collected it. So it was you!"
Who was this woman?
The guests began murmuring among themselves.
She clearly wasn't one of the Foster family's invited guests, and her imperious manner suggested she was someone of considerable importance.
Alexander recognized her—Amelia Martinez, wife of a Windsor Academy board member. She was known for her high-profile, aggressive style.
Mia didn't recognize her and frowned. "Who are you? What nonsense are you spouting? This is my bag—my fiancé bought it for me!"
Amelia shot back, "That's my bag. I paid for it. Either your bag is a fake, or you stole mine!"
Mia's face went pale. "How could this bag be fake? My fiancé paid 5.6 million dollars for it! We have the receipt, the authentication—he bought it directly from the boutique!"
She was supposed to be the first person to own the new Himalayan, yet this stranger was claiming it belonged to her. How dare she!
Amelia retorted, "Five point six million? Do you have any idea how much money I spent at Hermès to get on the waiting list for this bag? What I spent was far more than 5.6 million!"
Grace felt her heart skip a beat.
Since the auction site kept client information confidential, Grace had no idea until now that Jayden had been the winning bidder. Mia certainly didn't know that Grace had been the seller.
No wonder the store manager had looked so uncomfortable when giving her the bag.
It had been Amelia's.
Amelia must have spent a fortune trying to get this bag, only to have someone else walk away with it. Of course she was furious.
Though Hermès was Hermès—Amelia wouldn't dare make too much trouble for them directly. But seeing Mia flaunting the bag around was fuel to her rage!
David stepped forward. "Who are you?"
Naturally protective of Mia, he was displeased by Amelia's arrogant attitude.
Amelia snapped back, "None of your business who I am!"
She wasn't actually a guest in this banquet hall—she'd wandered into the wrong room by mistake and spotted Mia with the bag.
Mia protested pitifully, "Today is my father's birthday celebration—a special day. Are you here just to cause trouble?"
Amelia glared. "Cause trouble? You people aren't worth my time to cause trouble!"
Evelyn sneered, "How ridiculous. Who are you to come here and disrupt our dinner party?"
Amelia shot back, "And what gutter did you crawl out of, you tacky little mouse? Don't think wearing a few designer pieces makes you old money elite!"
Alexander watched coldly.
He suddenly felt that Grace selling the bag for 5.6 million had been a stroke of genius.
Amelia was notorious in elite circles for her aggressive behavior. Her family had serious connections, and her husband sat on the boards of multiple prestigious private schools. She was upper-tier high society—someone who threw money around and was used to getting her way.
Though Amelia wouldn't dare cross him directly, he certainly didn't want any entanglements with the social scene's most notorious shrew.
Amelia continued, "This season, Hermès only released five of these bags worldwide. This one was allocated to me. I don't care how you got it—give it back!"
Mia protested, "I paid for it! Why should I give it to you?"
"How much?" Amelia demanded. "Name your price—I'll pay it!"
Mia's eyes widened.
She'd run into a real powerhouse.
She'd thought marrying into the Brown family would elevate her to high society, but she was learning there were always bigger fish. She'd thought carrying a Himalayan bag would get her one foot into elite circles, only to discover there were women far more ruthless than herself above her.
Grace was getting quite an education too.
Her poverty had truly limited her imagination.
She'd had no idea just how wealthy the upper echelons could be—willing to pay any price for a single handbag.
She'd been pleased about netting a four million dollar profit, but to these people, that wasn't even enough for one bag!
Mia demanded, "Who exactly are you?"
"Six million dollars!" Amelia seemed tired of the conversation. "I'd advise you to be smart about this."
Mia grabbed Jayden's arm. "Jayden! Say something!"
But Jayden's face had turned ashen, "Stop talking."
Jayden's parents were also clearly agitated.
The truth was, the 5.6 million had been money Jayden had embezzled from company accounts. The Brown family kept tight control over Jayden's finances. How could his mother possibly allow him to spend 5.6 million on a handbag?
"Jayden, you bought this bag for Mia?" she asked in disbelief.
Jayden kept his head down, saying nothing.
Mia realized something was very wrong and quickly guessed where Jayden had gotten the money. She fell silent.
Jayden's mother, Susan Brown, gasped in shock. "You actually embezzled company funds to buy her a bag?"
Mike quickly pulled her aside. "Keep your voice down! Can't we discuss this at home?"
Amelia heard this and let out a contemptuous laugh. "So it was bought with stolen company money! How unbelievable—embezzling from your own family's business to make your girlfriend happy! If you actually get married, you'll probably bankrupt the company for this woman!"
Jayden's parents looked even more mortified.
Jayden turned to Mia. "Mia, maybe we should return the bag?"
Mia's eyes filled with tears of rage and humiliation. "Jayden! What are you saying?"
Jayden went silent again.
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
Mia looked around the room, her gaze especially landing on Grace sitting in the corner watching the show, which made her even angrier.
Once again, Jayden had humiliated her in front of Grace.
She'd come here specifically to show Grace how much better her life was, only to end up making a complete fool of herself!