Chapter 141
In front of the newly decorated exhibition hall, Sabrina stepped out in a flowing white dress with carefully crafted makeup that appeared natural but was actually quite calculated. Her side ponytail looked casual but was meticulously designed. At first glance, she appeared as pure and delicate as a white lily.
Standing beside her was Alexander, the president of the Forbes Group.
Among the guests were big names from the design world, young heirs representing their families to support the Forbes Family, and society ladies accompanying their husbands.
They looked at Alexander and Sabrina, who seemed like a match made in heaven. They openly praised them in their presence but secretly gathered in small groups to gossip.
"Look at Sabrina, so young yet already so highly regarded! Anyne who don't know better might think she's the next Nova."
"She's Mrs. Forbes's sister, so naturally she's a bit arrogant."
"She's just a stepdaughter of the Spencer Family."
"A stepdaughter? Then Mr. Forbes really treats her well."
As soon as those words were spoken, someone sighed.
"I heard Mr. Forbes treats her even better than Mrs. Forbes."
"Well, there's nothing you can do about it. Who told Sabrina to be so outstanding? An honor student from Aurora College, already making a name for herself at such a young age."
"True, she can only blame Mrs. Forbes for not being ambitious enough. Aside from her pretty face, she has nothing to show for herself."
Someone disagreed: "Isn't being pretty enough? If you ask me, men like pretty women."
"Exactly. Mrs. Forbes is beautiful and well-behaved. Unlike Sabrina who shows off everywhere - you can tell she's trouble."
A parent who had attended the kindergarten parent-child competition also spoke up: "Actually, Mrs. Forbes isn't completely useless—"
Before they could finish, there was suddenly a commotion outside the door.
"Who's that? The outfit looks amazing."
"I think it's Mrs. Forbes!"
The moment they heard 'Mrs. Forbes,' the interested parties immediately rushed out.
At that moment, Sabrina stood at the entrance, her eyes filled with jealousy as she watched the purple figure approaching.
Finally, Charlotte stopped.
Sabrina had already hidden the jealousy in her eyes and put on a delighted expression, smiling as she greeted her. "Charlotte, you finally made it."
"I was just worried you wouldn't come."
Charlotte looked at her and smiled too: "If I didn't come, wouldn't you be very disappointed?"
The two exchanged a few words, tension brewing beneath the surface.
The people nearby were also watching the show.
Sabrina had an innocent face and a petite, delicate figure. In her conservative, flowing white dress, she looked as pure and refined as a little white flower.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had delicate and striking features with a more dramatic look. Combined with her tall figure and a smoke-purple dress with strong design elements, she appeared even more curvaceous, both charming and noble.
Standing together, the difference was obvious.
Sabrina looked like a delicate, gentle girl-next-door, while Charlotte was more like a glamorous and noble socialite.
At this moment, watching Sabrina appear even more conservative and plain next to Charlotte, those who had just been criticizing Charlotte for having only beauty silently took back their earlier words.
Sabrina also sensed something was off. She secretly gritted her teeth but still smiled sweetly: "Charlotte, how about I show you around?"
Charlotte waved her hand: "You're busy, I'll just look around myself."
Watching Charlotte enter the exhibition hall, a flash of malice crossed Sabrina's eyes.
There were quite a few people coming and going in the exhibition hall.
But Charlotte could tell that not everyone was genuinely there to see the exhibition.
Some people just treated the exhibition as a social gathering - to talk business, seek benefits, and make connections.
She, on the other hand, was actually one of the very few who were paying attention to the exhibition.
At this moment, she had gained a clear understanding of Sabrina's overall design abilities.
Capable, but nowhere near her level.
Understanding Sabrina's true abilities was one of the main reasons she came to this exhibition.
With that goal achieved, Charlotte planned to use the restroom and then leave.
But just as she stepped out of the restroom, someone ran straight into her.
Both their small handbags were knocked to the ground.
Perhaps the other person's bag wasn't zipped properly - various women's items instantly scattered all over the floor.
Charlotte rubbed her sore shoulder and was about to question the other person when they had already quickly bent down to pick up Charlotte's handbag.
While picking things up, they apologized: "I'm sorry."
Charlotte took a closer look: "Angela?"
The girl wore plain business attire and had unremarkable features.
But Charlotte recognized her at a glance.
Because two years ago, Charlotte had helped Alexander deliver some documents he'd left at home.
When leaving, she happened to see a new intern at the Forbes Group being bullied, and she couldn't stand by, so she spoke up for the intern.
Later she learned that the girl was a new intern in the design department, Angela Peterson.
Now Angela looked up, and when she realized she'd bumped into Charlotte, a flash of panic crossed her eyes: "Mrs. Forbes, it's all my fault—"
Seeing how nervous Angela looked, Charlotte smiled and took back her handbag. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
After saying this, she even patted Angela's shoulder before turning to leave.
However, as soon as Charlotte walked back to the main hall, she noticed something seemed off about the atmosphere.
People were whispering and glancing around like something had happened.
"What's going on? Something was stolen in broad daylight with everyone watching - whoever did it must be really bold."
"Exactly! So scary, they need to catch that damn thief quickly."
"That thief has good taste though, actually stole Lynn's posthumous work."
Lynn's posthumous work?
Charlotte stopped and slowly narrowed her eyes.
The people nearby continued discussing.
"I heard Ms. Spencer called in a huge favor to borrow that brooch for the exhibition, and now it's gone."
"No wonder she was so anxious just now. If it were me, I would have called the police already."
"Call the police? Everyone here today has a prestigious status, something like this has to be handled privately."
"Strange, if everyone has such prestigious status, who would steal?"
"Who knows?"
Following everyone's gaze, Charlotte slowly began to remember.
No wonder when she first came in, she found the brooch piece nearby somewhat familiar - it turned out Sabrina had borrowed Lynn's posthumous work.
At the time, she had planned to take a closer look, but someone suddenly pushed her hard from behind, and she got pushed along with the crowd.
But who was this thief? How dare they sneak into the venue to steal?
Charlotte was lost in thought when a familiar voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"Where's the brooch?"
The voice carried a hint of accusation, as if already convinced that she was the one who had stolen it.