Chapter 148 - 148: Lounge
Chapter 148 - 148: Lounge
Jalen was still muttering, "Has your husband arrived? If he has, let\'s show ourselves together later and dispel those rumors..."
Mrs. Olsen also nodded. "That\'s what Keira means."
Keira ignored their words and pushed open the door of the lounge...
Then she realized it wouldn\'t budge.
The door to the lounge was locked from the inside.
This lounge was specially prepared for old Mrs. Horton, but the old lady was in the front hall, so who could be in there? Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn
Just as she was thinking, she heard a "click" as the door opened, and Isla, dressed in a pink gown, walked out.
Upon seeing Keira and Mrs. Olsen, she raised her brows. "Mom, Keira, what are you doing here?"
Keira raised her brows, and Mrs. Olsen explained, "Keira\'s bag is inside, so we came to get it..."
"Then you might have to wait a moment."
Isla\'s smile was especially brilliant as she looked at Keira and slowly said, "Mrs. Horton is inside changing her dress!"
Keira was slightly stunned, "Who?"
Isla\'s smile grew even more brilliant, "Mr. Horton\'s wife, Mrs. Horton, of course! To personally brought her here and even asked me to prepare a gown for her. Didn\'t I tell you already? Tonight, Mr. Horton will reveal who his wife is..."
Tom personally brought her here...
Keira frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Mrs. Olsen frowned. "Then let Keira go in and take her bag."
Isla deliberately put on an apologetic look. "Mom, this room is the exclusive lounge for great-grandmother; I only just found out. Only Horton family members can enter this lounge to rest. Besides, my aunt isn\'t well and can\'t withstand draughts, and she\'s still not done changing her clothes, so we shouldn\'t disturb the hostess, right?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "hostess," and then looked at Keira, her lips curling into a smug smile. "So everyone will have to wait a bit. I\'m sure you wouldn\'t mind, would you, Keira?"
Then she walked over and took Mrs. Olsen\'s arm, "Mom, in this house Mr. Horton is the one in charge, so strictly speaking, my aunt is the real hostess of this house. I can\'t even go against her orders. If we wait a little, Keira surely won\'t mind, right?"
"..."
Keira looked at her arrogant demeanor and could only find it ridiculous. "Are you sure the one inside is the real Mrs. Horton?"
"Of course."
Isla said confidently. "How could I possibly be uncertain about this? Mr. Horton has been married for two years, and the person he\'s always talked about to the outside world is my aunt; the entire Horton family knows this! It\'s only one person who refuses to believe it, right? She\'s still dreaming about soaring up from the branches to become a phoenix!"
"Isla!"
Mrs. Olsen scolded her. "Mind your language!"
Isla just sneered, "Mom, Keira is still an Olsen after all; I\'m just worried she\'s going to cause another embarrassing scene today, dragging down the reputation of the Olsen family. Besides, haven\'t you always taught us since we were young, to take what we can but not to covet what isn\'t ours?"
Mrs. Olsen immediately frowned and said sadly, "So you do remember what I\'ve said."
But how had Isla turned into this utterly unrecognizable person she was today?
Yet Isla didn\'t understand the meaning behind her words.
As the group talked, there was some movement from within the room, and soon after, the door swung open, revealing a slender girl dressed in a blue gown.
Keira looked at her.
She saw a girl with delicate features, the epitome of understated charm. Her complexion was an abnormal shade of pale, and she was thin and frail. At that moment, she stood in a state of panic. She glanced about, her expression one of bewilderment.
She wanted to say something to the gathering of people before her, but she seemed too afraid to speak, especially with everyone\'s gaze fixed upon her, causing her to stand there sheepishly, afraid to move.
There was something about her that made one can\'t help but feel pity.
Jalen immediately leaned over to Keira and whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, "That\'s Madeleine Davis!"
Isla then called out, "Auntie, have you changed into your dress?"
Madeleine seemed unsure of how to respond to these words, so she just nodded dumbly before timidly tugging at her dress as if trying to cover the exposed skin.
Her voice was soft and timid. "This dress, is it really okay?"
As soon as she said this, their gaze fell on the gown she was wearing.
The light blue dress only made her sickly pale skin appear even whiter, yet her overly thin and scrawny figure failed to fill out the gown, creating a comical sense as if a child was wearing an adult\'s clothes.
And looking at the dress...
Mrs. Olsen suddenly frowned and turned to look at Keira.
Not only were their dresses of a similar color, but the styles were almost identical!
Isla immediately tried to reassure her. "It looks very nice!"
Madeleine timidly pointed to Keira. "Actually, she looks better in it... Should I change into another one?"
Upon hearing this, Isla laughed, casting a defiant look at Keira. "Keira, what a coincidence, you and my aunt are dressed alike. But she\'s the hostess of today\'s event. Don\'t you think it would be respectful to change your dress?"
It\'s a basic etiquette for attending a banquet.
Normally, everyone would enquire in advance about what the hostess would wear to avoid such an embarrassing situation.
This was precisely what Mrs. Olsen had intended to say just now...
But she didn\'t know how to voice it without hurting Keira\'s pride.
Keira showed no sign of feeling humiliated. Instead, she scoffed, "Two days ago, when Grandma was picking out this dress for me, you were there. So, did you do this on purpose?"
Isla wasn\'t afraid of being exposed and said flatly, "I just thought the dress is more fitting for the hostess of the Horton family."
She stared straight at Keira. "Keira, are you trying to outshine the Horton family\'s hostess?"
Keira\'s expression darkened.
Mrs. Olsen took a deep breath and then said decisively, "Keira, I\'m not feeling well. Weren\'t you here to pick up a bag? Grab it and let\'s leave; you can take me home first."
For the first time, she commanded Keira in a forceful tone.
Keira was slightly taken aback and looked at her in surprise, "Mrs. Olsen..."
"Keira, if you still acknowledge me as your elder, then listen to me and leave with me," Mrs. Olsen grabbed her hand. "Keira, I can\'t stand by and watch you being humiliated here."
Keira clenched her jaw and sighed. "Mrs. Olsen, how about we take a look at the marriage certificate before deciding anything?"
Mrs. Olsen didn\'t understand why she kept asking her to look at the marriage certificate, but she could only say, "...Alright."