Free Web NovelChapter 107: Chapter 107: I Must Win Him Over Tonight!
The weather was grim, looking as if a storm was about to break.
Zeke Walton personally drove them to the magnificent banquet hall. The party hadn’t started yet, so few guests had arrived.
Damien Vaughn was coming from the office, which was a fair distance away, so he hadn’t arrived yet. Zeke planned to use this spare time to help Cecelia Archer with some alterations to her gown.
An attendant led them to a private lounge.
"Wait here. I’m going to grab my things—I’ll be right back. Simone, you stay here with your sister-in-law."
The moment Zeke Walton left, Simone Vaughn received a message from Annabelle Young.
She was surprisingly quick—she had already arrived.
"Sister-in-law, wait here. I’m going to go meet someone. I have a surprise for you."
Cecelia Archer had no idea what kind of surprise Simone could have for her. She had a faint feeling that Simone’s expression was a little odd, but before she could say anything, Simone had already dashed off.
She ran into Annabelle Young right at the door. Simone Vaughn approached her, a look of playful complaint on her face.
"Annabelle, you really got me into trouble yesterday. I called you here today specifically to apologize to my brother and sister-in-law. Do me a favor and be on your best behavior, or my life is going to be hell from now on."
Annabelle Young never in a million years expected Simone Vaughn to summon her just to apologize. Her expression twisted in an instant.
"What? You want me to apologize? What did I do wrong that requires a special trip to say sorry?"
Simone Vaughn said, "Well, what can I say? Cecelia Archer is just that capable. She’s got her hooks in my brother, and now he spoils her rotten. I had no idea you two knew each other. Yesterday, I messed up and let you meet, and some... unpleasant things were said. After she got home, she whispered poison in my brother’s ear, and he called me first thing this morning to chew me out."
"My brother even said he’s going to settle the score with you next time he sees you. *Sigh*. I figured it was all just a misunderstanding and it’s better to make peace than to make enemies, which is why I called you. Just listen to me. Let’s not provoke them. Apologize, humble yourself a bit, and this whole thing can blow over."
Annabelle Young was about to explode with rage.
Damien Vaughn was the one who went on a date with *her*. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Why on earth should *she* be the one to apologize?
Her family might not be as wealthy as the Vaughn Family, but that didn’t mean she had to bow and scrape like this, did it?
"If you’d told me you were dragging me here to apologize, I never would have come! Why should I apologize to *that woman*? I’m leaving. I refuse to be humiliated like this!"
"Hey, you can’t leave."
Simone Vaughn grabbed both of her hands and pleaded pitifully.
"If you leave, my life will be a living hell. Please, I’m begging you. Just do it for me. It’s just a few nice words, that’s all."
Annabelle Young couldn’t believe it. The great Miss Vaughn of the prestigious Vaughn Family, acting so pathetic.
"Simone, I don’t mean to overstep, but how can you... Are you really okay with living such a miserable life forever?"
Simone Vaughn sighed. "What choice do I have? It’s not like I can do anything to stop her."
’Annabelle Young still remembered how Cecelia Archer had been bowing and scraping before her just a couple of days ago. What’s so great about her?’
’With Damien Vaughn, she’s somebody. Without him, she’s just a dog!’
The more Annabelle Young thought about it, the more resentful she felt. "The more you let people push you around, the more they’ll take advantage of you. How can you be so naive? She and your brother aren’t officially married, are they? You’re the true lady of the Vaughn family right now. Haven’t you ever thought..."
Simone Vaughn’s eyes lit up. "What do you mean? You don’t mean..."
"And why not? Honestly, do you think she’s good enough for your brother? Is she really fit to be the Young Madam of the Vaughn Family?"
Simone Vaughn played along with Annabelle Young, feigning righteous indignation.
"Of course she isn’t! I think you’re so much better than her. No, a million times better! You and my brother are the ones who are a perfect match! That’s right! Why didn’t I think of this? She and my brother aren’t officially married yet. If we could just get rid of her and get you married into the family..."
Having hatched their plan, the two of them headed back to the lounge.
Seeing the guests enter, a waiter followed them in with a tray of drinks.
"Ladies, would you like something to drink?"
Annabelle Young picked up a glass of orange juice with feigned gentleness and walked over to Cecelia Archer.
"Cecelia, I am so sorry. Things escalated so quickly yesterday, and I lost my temper with you before I understood the whole situation. I felt terrible about it afterward. When I heard you were coming tonight, I made a special trip to apologize. You’re not still angry with me, are you?"
Cecelia Archer hadn’t expected Simone’s "surprise" to be Annabelle Young. And she certainly hadn’t expected Annabelle to be so gracious. Just yesterday, Annabelle had sworn to hate her forever, but today she’d apparently had a change of heart.
As the saying goes, "another friend, another path." Of course, she hoped they could all be friends.
Cecelia Archer stood up. "Of course not. I didn’t handle the situation well, either. It’s only natural that you were upset."
"I’m so glad you’re not angry. I was worried you’d never want to speak to me again. Since we’re good, let’s toast with juice instead of wine. Allow me to offer you a toast. I hope you and Damien will be happy together for a long, long time. Here, take this,"
As she spoke, Annabelle Young handed the glass of juice to Cecelia Archer, then pretended to reach for another one for herself.
Cecelia Archer quickly reached out to take it. Just as their hands were about to touch, Annabelle Young suddenly let go.
"CRASH!" freewebnovel.cσ๓
The glass hit the floor and shattered, splashing juice all over Cecelia Archer.
"Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I lost my grip. Are you okay?"
She was wearing a pure white gown with a long skirt. The orange juice stain on the fabric couldn’t have been more conspicuous.
But since it was an accident, Cecelia couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
"It’s all right. You got some on your dress, too. Are you hurt?"
"I’m fine."
Annabelle Young was wearing a red gown. Although it was also spattered with juice, the spots weren’t nearly as obvious as they were on Cecelia’s dress.
Looking very apologetic, Annabelle Young turned to the waiter.
"There’s a restroom here, isn’t there? Could you let her go in and clean up? I feel just terrible about this."
As she said this, she actually knelt down and started to wipe at the stain on Cecelia’s dress with her hand.
Her posture was so subservient that Cecelia was mortified.
"No, no, please don’t! I can just go wash it off, it should be fine. You have some on your dress, too. You should go get it cleaned up."
"Okay, I’ll go do that. Waiter, please take her to the restroom right away. Don’t worry about your purse, just leave it here. I’ll watch it for you."
Seeing that a guest’s gown had been soiled, the waiter quickly set down his tray and led Cecelia Archer to the restroom inside the lounge.
The moment Cecelia and the waiter stepped into the restroom, Annabelle Young’s expression changed. With a SLAM, she shut the door behind them.
The key was in the lock. She quickly turned it twice, making sure the door was securely locked. Only then did she brandish the key in her hand triumphantly.
’You stupid bitch, trying to fight me? Just watch how I’m going to humiliate you tonight.’
"Simone, let’s go. We’ll lock the main lounge door, too. Don’t even think about getting out of this one tonight. Even if she does get out, it will be with her clothes a mess after fooling around with this waiter. In front of everyone, let’s see what Damien Vaughn thinks of her then."
Her series of moves was so slick that even Simone Vaughn was stunned.
"Annabelle, if you told me you didn’t plan this all in advance, I wouldn’t believe you for a second. That was incredible! It’s a total waste for someone as amazing as you not to be my sister-in-law. Tonight’s all on you. You have to win my brother over!"
