Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Clara’s POV
I stood there and watched every step Iris took toward me.
By the time she stopped in front of me, the expression on her face was something hard to describe—not simple anger, but anger mixed with humiliation, forcibly suppressed beneath her skin yet still leaking through.
She took a deep breath, then spoke.
“Clara, you’ve gone too far. Who do you think you are, demanding an apology from me?”
Her voice wasn’t lowered. Those words carried across the banquet hall, and everyone heard them. I didn’t respond immediately. I simply remained standing.
“You’re nothing more than Dr. Gloria Nguyen’s assistant, using her reputation to elevate yourself. Pathetic.” She let out a cold laugh. “A nobody, yet so arrogant at such a high-profile event? Next time you want to put on airs, maybe change out of that shabby dress first.”
As soon as she finished, she reached out and tugged at my gown.
“Iris, watch your words,” I said evenly. “Putting your hands on me crosses the line.”
She didn’t stop. Instead, she stepped half a pace closer. “Did I hit you? I only tugged at your dress. Clara, calling you a fraud isn’t unfair at all. You work for Dr. Gloria Nguyen’s medical team—your salary can’t be that high, can it? You dare attend a banquet like this wearing a dress that’s practically worthless?”
She went on, the sharpness in her tone becoming more obvious. “And you shamelessly promised everyone a fifty percent discount? Ridiculous. Someone who can’t even afford a decent evening gown is making grand claims like that? If you really have the ability, why don’t you start by buying yourself a proper dress before you open your mouth?”
I lowered my gaze and looked at the gown I was wearing.
Black, expertly tailored, with several diamonds at the neckline. It wasn’t flashy, but anyone who really knew what they were looking at would know at a glance that it was no ordinary piece. I had been in the operating room for nearly six hours. Jasper’s side had prepared the evening gown for the banquet, and I hadn’t thought much when I received it. Looking down at it now, I felt a faint sense of irony—Iris was calling this gown cheap.
I lifted my head and turned my eyes to Jasper.
“Jasper, this lady believes the evening gown you prepared isn’t up to standard,” I said calmly. “What do you think?”
Jasper’s expression had already changed.
He stepped forward and came to stand beside me. He leaned slightly to look at the gown I was wearing, then turned his gaze to Iris, his expression cold with restrained anger at being challenged in public.
“Iris, I’m afraid your eye for quality hasn’t reached that level yet.”
He paused, then made his meaning clear. “The evening gown Ms. Bennett is wearing was custom-made by a renowned designer at the request of Pinnacle Pharma. The craftsmanship alone cost a great deal. More importantly, the diamonds at the neckline were personally won by my grandfather ten years ago at an international diamond auction.”
His tone did not rise or fall, but every word landed heavily.
“In terms of value alone, this one gown is worth roughly one hundred of the dress you’re wearing.”
“So are you saying this gown is unworthy of Ms. Bennett? Or are you implying that Pinnacle Pharma is already on the verge of bankruptcy and can no longer afford proper attire for its distinguished guests?”
The banquet hall went silent for a moment.
Then the guests who had been observing all this began to speak, following the host’s lead.
“Jasper has excellent taste! That gown is clearly top-tier. Those diamonds are breathtaking.”
“That dress suits Ms. Bennett perfectly. True understated luxury.”
“What an honor to see the diamonds Jasper’s grandfather won back then. Some people just don’t know quality when they see it.”
I stood there, listening to all of it, without showing much expression.
With each sentence, Iris’s face grew darker, until in the end, her humiliation was impossible to hide.
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Iris’s POV
I hadn’t known that gown had been prepared by Jasper.
I had already said those things. I had already tugged at the dress. Everyone present had seen it. There was no taking any of it back.
Jasper stood beside Clara and finished speaking in that tone. The guests followed one after another as if they had rehearsed it, each sentence like a needle. I stood there feeling wave after wave of heat rising in my face. It wasn’t all anger. It was shame—the kind of shame that felt like being stripped bare in public.
I glanced at Kael.
His face looked awful. Not with worry, but with the expression of someone watching me make a fool of myself and assessing every single thing I had done tonight.
I panicked and moved half a step toward him, lowering my voice. “Kael, I really didn’t mean to offend Jasper. I had no idea Clara’s gown was arranged by him. I just… I just…”
He didn’t look at me.
That feeling of not even being looked at hurt more than being scolded.
Then Kael spoke, his voice not loud, but perfectly clear. “Apologize.”
I froze for a moment, thinking he meant apologize to Jasper. That I could do—he was the host, the one holding this banquet. I had said something inappropriate. An apology was only right.
But what he said next was like a bucket of cold water dumped over me.
“Not just to Jasper. I want you to apologize to Ms. Bennett and to the entire Gloria Nguyen Collective.”
I stared at him and said nothing for a moment.
Again, he wanted me to apologize to Clara.
“Kael, I’m willing to apologize to Jasper, but why should I apologize to Clara?” I said it under my breath, but the tremor in my voice wouldn’t stay hidden.
He gave a cold snort.
“Fine. If you refuse to apologize to Ms. Bennett, then you can leave. From now on, Zoe’s matters will have nothing to do with you.”
The moment those words fell, it felt like something squeezed my heart.
Nothing to do with Zoe, Kael, the position of Mrs. Voss—those things spun through my mind quickly, then stopped at a single point.
I had no choice.
I turned back toward Clara, angry and resentful.
“I’m sorry, Clara,” I said. The words came out of my mouth as if they had been pried out by force. “I apologize to you. Please forgive me, and please accept my daughter’s case. Parents do everything for their children—I hope you can understand how I feel. I just don’t want my child to face any risk.”
Clara didn’t look at me. Instead, she lifted her gaze toward Kael.
“Mr. Voss, our team has repeatedly reviewed your daughter’s case. After discussion, we’ve decided to take this highly difficult surgery.”
She paused, then continued. “However, considering your girlfriend’s disrespect toward our team, we will not be offering the fifty percent discount. The Voss Group can afford the full fee. Once the payment is received and the relevant examinations are completed, we can schedule the surgery.”
I stood there to the side, taking in every word, my face now empty of expression.
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