"Dahlia, you can head up first. I'm waiting for a friend
here." Julie made up an excuse to send Dahlia away once they entered the
hotel lobby. She was well aware that with Dahlia around, she would never
get the attention she yearned for. How would she make acquaintances with
the rich and famous then? How would she get to know rich, eligible men?
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you at the banquet hall." Without giving it
much thought, Dahlia took the elevator up to the banquet hall. With
Dahlia gone, Julie quickly became the center of attention. She
deliberately walked around the lobby and flaunted coquettishly,
attracting much attention. Some men approached her in an attempt to
strike up a conversation, but she rejected them all, playing hard to get.
"Hey, you've got such lovely earrings! May I know where you bought them
from?" "Yes, that's true! I've never seen such exquisite carrings
before!" "These rubies are huge! They must have cost you a lot!" Soon,
not only the men came up to her, but even the ladies flocked over to ask
her about the earrings. As usual women could not resist jewelry. "These
ruby earrings are from Pandarum. My boyfriend gave them to me. These are
uniquely custom–made, and they are the only pair out there. As for the
price, they were not too expensive. Just a million or two." Julie
pretended to be unconcerned about their price and smiled. Though her
words sounded humble, arrogance was evident on her face. "A million or
two, and you say it's not expensive? Seems like you're not the average
Tom, Dick, and Harry!" "How fortunate you are to have a boyfriend who
gives you such precious earrings!" "From how I see it, it's not the price
that matters, but the sincerity behind it! It's custom–made and unique!
That's so sweet! How I envy you!" The group of women chattered away
praising Julie. That fueled Julie's vanity, pleasing her to no end. She
really enjoyed being the center of attention and being. praised by
others. Right then, a Rolls–Royce Phantom pulled up at the door. The car
door opened and out stepped an alluring woman with delicate leatures and
long, flowing hair. She came walking in like a celebrity among a group of
adoring fans. "Miss Hummer?!" The lady's appearance garnered a lot of
attention and a commotion started both inside and outside the lobby. 7/3
Chapter 129 The crowd that had surrounded Julie immediately dispersed and
flocked over to Tina, ready to flatter her. She was, after all, the star
of the day. Edwin Hummer's daughter, Tina Hummer! Julie had intended to
go over and welcome her too, but as there were too many people
surrounding Tina, she did not do so. She knew that going along with what
everyone was doing would not make her stand out, and she needed to stand
out to make Miss Hummer notice her. At the thought of that, she
intentionally stood at the entrance and tried her best to show off the
biggest asset she had on her at the moment, which happened to be the pair
of ruby earrings. That was the first step to forming a connection with
Miss Hummer. She refused to believe that there was any woman on earth who
could resist the temptation of such irresistible jewelry. As Julie
predicted, Tina stopped in front of her when she reached the entrance,
with the crowd still around her. Her gaze was fixed on Julie. Julie
suppressed her excitement and walked up to Tina to introduce herself when
she saw that the timing was right. "Hello, Miss Hummer. I am Julie
Amberson. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She stretched her hand out
for a handshake. But Tina ignored her outstretched hand and stared
unwaveringly at her earrings. "Those ruby earrings, where did you get
them from?" she asked icily. "My boyfriend gave them to me. These are
custom–made Pandarums, you won't be able to find a similar pair out
there. But of course, Miss Hummer, if you fancy them, I can give them to
you." Julie was secretly delighted. "Even the daughter of the wealthiest
man can't resist these earrings," she thought to herself. "Boyfriend?"
Tina's expression clouded over. "Is it Matt Laney?" The reason why she
asked was that she had received the exact same pair of ruby earrings from
Matt as her birthday gift not too long ago. "Oh! Do you know Matt too,
Miss Hummer? In that case, we're friends too!" Julie's eyes lit up. Who
knew that a pair of earrings would be the key to her success? "Who's your
friend? Bitch!" Tina glared at Julie and struck her across the face.
Smack! A loud, crisp sound was heard. Julie was at a loss as she held her
cheek in her hand. "Miss Hummer, wh–why did you hit me?" "What is your
relationship with Matt Laney? You better come clean. If you hide anything
from me, I'll make sure you won't live to see the next sunrise!" Tina's
expression made it clear that she meant every word she said. Chapter
120 She would not let other women mess with what was hers. "Miss Hummer,
I think you're mistaken. Matt and I are just regular friends, nothing
more than that!" Julie started to fluster. She did not know what had
happened, but it was obvious that she had angered Tina. "Would regular
friends give you ruby earrings worth a million dollars? Do you think I'm
a dim–wit?" Furious was an understatement to describe what Tina was
feeling at that moment. "It has nothing to do with me, Miss Hummer! These
ruby earrings aren't mine, they're my cousin Dahlia's! I only borrowed
them for a few days!" Seeing that the situation wasn't favorable to her
anymore, Julie stopped pretending and came clean with the truth. "Dahlia
Nicholson?" Tina's eyes narrowed into slits. She remembered that that was
a name that Matt had mentioned when he asked for her help concerning the
interrogation room. She hadn't put much thought into it then, but it
turns out that there was something fishy going on with the two of them.
"That bitch! She seduced my man, and she has the audacity to show up at
my birthday party?! Is she trying to provoke me?" Tina gritted her teeth
as a murderous glint flashed in her eyes. "This is all Dahlia Nicholson's
fault, Miss Hummer. I've got nothing to do with it. Will you please let
me off?" Julie was so scared that she broke out in cold sweat. She
finally got an idea of what had happened. Tina and Matt were obviously a
couple. The main problem was that Tina recognized the pair of earrings.
That was no different from her catching Matt and Dahlia together. "Shut
up! If you do not have a death wish, then do what I tell you to do!" Tina
roared. "You name it, Miss Hummer. Whatever you need me to do, I'll try
my best to accomplish it!" Julie promised wholeheartedly. "Put this into
Dahlia's bag." Tina took a delicate jewelry box and handed it to Julie.
"What do you mean, Miss Hummer?" Julie could not wrap her head around
Tina's request. "Don't ask questions! Just do as you've been told!" Tina
scolded. "Yes, yes." Julie nodded vigorously. She was in no place to
refuse.