Chapter 5

The atmosphere in the room turned strange.

Even Victor looked taken aback. "Brielle, you…"

"Victor, I don't know why this woman is saying my dress is fake. When I bought it at the store, it was the real thing." Tears streamed down Brielle's face one after another. She looked genuinely innocent.

Some of the onlookers were already buying her pitiful act.

A flicker of mockery passed through Sophia's eyes. She looked at Vivian with sincere concern. "Vivian, could you have made a mistake? Brielle was only just brought back to the Russell family. How could she have such bad intentions?"

"I didn't make a mistake. There's only one of these dresses in the world, and I know exactly who bought it. Are you suggesting that I, Vivian, would lie?" Vivian felt her authority as a top designer being challenged. Her expression turned stern, as if she might explode at any second.

Sophia pretended to be frightened and lowered her head.

She whispered to Brielle, "Brielle, explain things to Vivian properly. She's a leading figure in the fashion world—you can't afford to offend her. I'm going to change out of this dress."

"Wait—"

But Sophia had already let go of Brielle and strode away, ignoring her protests.

Brielle tried to follow, but Vivian blocked her path. "Ms. Russell, I need a reasonable explanation. Why would you buy a knockoff dress? And why would you give it to your sister?"

"I…" Brielle was completely stunned.

These people were supposed to praise her kindness and criticize Sophia for wearing a fake. Why had the tables turned on her?

Brielle looked helplessly at Victor. "Victor, I didn't…"

Victor avoided her gaze guiltily, even taking a step back.

Clearly, he didn't dare offend Vivian either.

Only then did Brielle realize she'd run into someone she couldn't mess with.

This Vivian—her status was no joke.

"Victor." Brielle tugged at his sleeve.

Thinking of the hardships she'd endured growing up in the countryside, and seeing her eyes—so similar to his own—Victor finally softened.

He stepped in front of Brielle protectively and bowed slightly toward Vivian. "I'm sorry. Brielle just came back. She doesn't understand a lot of things yet. She must have been tricked by someone. I'll make sure she learns better."

Vivian's gaze swept lightly over Brielle. Her words dripped with implication. "It's not good intentions gone wrong that I'm worried about. It's bad intentions done on purpose."

Brielle's body stiffened instantly.

Fortunately, Vivian didn't press the matter further. She turned and walked away.

The wealthy young man who'd been about to invite Brielle to dance also left.

The other guests now looked at Brielle like she was a joke.

They all moved in the same circles. They understood exactly what Brielle's little stunt meant.

Soon, the siblings were left standing alone.

"Victor." Brielle looked at him pitifully.

Victor tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. Once I secure a connection with the Douglas family, no one will dare bully you again."

"Okay. Do your best and win over your future sister-in-law!" Brielle cheered him on.

She glanced in the direction Sophia had gone, a flash of viciousness crossing her eyes.

Once the Douglas heiress became her sister-in-law, even if she killed Sophia, no one would dare touch her.

Just as she was thinking this, a server lost their balance. The tray in their hands tilted directly toward her.

The next second, Brielle let out a sharp, piercing scream.

She stumbled backward several steps before steadying herself, then glared furiously at the server. "Are you blind?"

The server's face went pale with fear. They bowed repeatedly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"You—" Just as Brielle was about to explode, a middle-aged man in a butler's uniform approached. "My apologies. Our hospitality was lacking. Please, Ms. Russell, come with me. My young miss has prepared backup dresses for the ladies."

Hearing this, Brielle's expression softened slightly.

She straightened her chest, cast a contemptuous glance at the server, then said to the butler, "I'd suggest you stop using such careless staff. Should I mention this to Ms. Douglas?"

The butler simply smiled faintly and didn't respond.

He led her to the door of a dressing room and stopped. "The dresses are inside, Ms. Russell. Please."

Brielle huffed at him, lifted her chin proudly, and walked in.

The butler closed the door behind her and headed to the adjacent room.

Next door, Sophia sat in front of a monitor, watching Brielle inside.

More precisely, she was watching the necklace sitting on the vanity.

It was a ruby necklace—dazzling and impossibly beautiful.

And Brielle had clearly noticed it too. Taking advantage of being alone, she'd already put it on and was admiring herself in the mirror.

The butler didn't say much. He simply reported respectfully, "Miss, she's inside."

Sophia nodded lightly, then glanced at the woman sitting beside her—the same woman who'd been watching from the corner earlier.

"Cousin, I'll leave the rest to you."

Niamh Douglas flashed an "OK" sign. "Don't worry. Anyone who dares bully my cousin is going to learn a lesson!"

With that, Niamh stood up, striking a battle-ready pose.

She winked at Sophia. "Wait for my good news!"

"Okay." Sophia smiled at her.

After Niamh left, Sophia turned her attention back to the screen.

The tricks Brielle had used on her in her past life—she'd be doing herself a disservice if she didn't return the favor.

At that moment, Brielle had already changed into the backup dress.

A silver-white tasseled gown. It actually matched the necklace quite well.

Downstairs, Brielle had just descended the stairs when she noticed several servers crouched on the floor, searching for something.

She turned to the butler. "What are they looking for?"

The butler replied, "Apparently, one of the guests lost a necklace. They're searching for it."

A necklace?

Brielle instinctively clutched her neck.

Seeing this, the butler looked at her curiously.

Before he could ask, Brielle blurted out in a panic, "This necklace was a gift from my mother!"

Her voice wasn't quiet. A few young ladies watching the commotion noticed her.

And naturally, they noticed the necklace around her neck.

One of them walked over curiously. "Oh my God! That's the Rose's Kiss! Your mother must love you so much!"

"It really is! I saw it at an auction before. It was over thirty million dollars."

Thirty million dollars?

Brielle nearly choked.

It was just a rock. How could it be that expensive?

But now that so many people had seen it, and she'd finally become the center of attention again, she wasn't about to give that up.

Brielle forced a stiff smile and nodded. "Yes. My mother loves me very much."

She slowly lowered her hand, accepting the envious gazes from the crowd.

Victor, who'd initially been about to stop his sister's clumsy lie, saw how popular she'd become and ultimately stayed back, watching from the sidelines.

Brielle was basking in the attention when a haughty female voice suddenly cut through the flattery.

"That necklace is mine!"

Niamh pushed through the crowd and pointed at Brielle. "The necklace around her neck is mine."

"Brielle!" Victor, who'd been watching from the edge, panicked. He strode over and stepped in front of her.

Niamh looked at Victor coldly, her tone dripping with scorn. "What, you're protecting a thief now?"