Chapter 10

This man’s gaze was like a knife—everything it touched was completely destroyed.

But thinking about how expensive that dress was, she simply couldn’t afford to pay for it. With a sudden surge of courage, she shouted, “If she ruined the dress, she must pay its full value as compensation!”

Will Jody looked down at her and asked, word by word, “Do you have any evidence?”

The clerk immediately became panicked and spoke in a confused manner, “I, I saw it with my own eyes!”

“I suppose this store is equipped with surveillance cameras everywhere. Just play the footage, and everything will become clear,” said Marina Lane calmly.

The salesperson’s expression immediately darkened. She knew full well that she had torn the dress herself, and the surveillance cameras must have captured the incident. There was no way for her to argue against that now.

“If you don’t want to get fired, apologize right now,” Will Jody said coldly.

The clerk knew exactly what his situation was, so he quickly lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry…”

The sound was very faint, as if it didn’t want to be heard at all.

After all that happened, Marina Lane had no desire to pick out a dress anymore. She simply left the store.

Will Jody grabbed Marina Lane’s arm and said softly, “I’ll have someone make you a dress. Right now, the most important thing is to pick out a gift for Grandma.”

Marina Lane had almost forgotten about it. It was only after he reminded her that she remembered.

“There’s a jewelry shop right next door. Let’s go in and take a look,” suggested Will Jody.

Marina Lane nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

As soon as the two entered, a man in a suit approached them warmly. “What would you like to choose?” he asked.

This man is the manager of Zangjin Pavilion. Will Jodi had called him earlier.

Before Marina Lane could say anything, the manager began to recommend the item to her. “You’re really lucky today. Our store is having a promotion right now. This high-quality jade bracelet is on sale at a great price. Would you like to take a look?”

After saying that, she took out the jade bracelet from behind the counter.

Upon hearing the words “special offer,” Marina Lane’s eyes lit up immediately. She quickly asked, “How much is it after the special offer?”

The manager instinctively glanced at Will Jody and quickly said, “Three thousand yuan.”

“What did you say?” Marina Rain’s pupils dilated suddenly as she asked, clearly in disbelief.

The manager thought he had quoted too high a price, so he quickly corrected himself, “One thousand…”

After saying that, seeing that Marina Lane was still completely shocked, the manager also became a little flustered. He said helplessly, “Our store just opened today. You’re our first customer. Otherwise, we would have given you this jade bracelet for free.”

Marina Lane: “......”

Will Jody gently rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could no longer bear to look at this scene.

I thought Marina Lane would be suspicious, but to my surprise, she became excited. “No need for a free one. I have three thousand yuan. Please wrap it up for me.”

The manager was momentarily stunned, but then he recovered. He placed the jade bracelet in the exquisite gift box and swiped Marina Lane’s card.

After leaving the jewelry shop, Marina Lane kept staring at the jade bracelet in her hands, muttering to herself, “I know this bracelet might not be of the highest quality, but Grandma will surely understand how much I care.”

It turns out that Marina Lane thought the jade bracelet on sale was of low quality, which is why she paid for it so readily.

Hearing this, Will Jody felt relieved and quickly agreed, “Grandma will definitely like it.”

　　……

The next day, Marina Lane wore the dress Wil Jody had given her, carrying the gift as she went to the place where her grandmother was holding her birthday party.

The birthday party was held at a fancy restaurant. There were many bodyguards at the entrance, checking all the guests. Without an invitation, it was impossible to get in.

But since they knew Marina Lane’s identity, they reluctantly let her in.

She didn’t want to have anything to do with the Ryan family. So, after giving the gift to her grandmother, she planned to leave. But unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she ran into Susanna Ryan, who was dressed up for the occasion.

Susanna Lane wore a champagne-colored dress, with her hair neatly tied back, looking elegant and luxurious.

It’s just that there’s a hint of cruelty in her expression. Otherwise, she’d truly be an enviable lady from a prominent family.

“Sis, come in quickly. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Susanna Lane broke from her usual demeanor, affectionately putting her arm around Marina Lane’s arm and leading her inside with a smile on her face.

Marina Lane trembled all over. She wanted to push her away, but with countless eyes watching, she decided to endure it instead.

The guests have all taken their seats, and all the gifts have been delivered.

Grandma was sitting in the center at this moment, with everyone warmly wishing her a happy birthday.

Susanna Lane led Marina Lane to their grandmother and said softly, “Grandma, your sister is here.”

Although Grandma’s hair is gray, she’s still full of energy, with sharp, intelligent eyes.

When he saw Marina Lane, tears welled up in his eyes. He grabbed her hand and said, “It’s good that you’ve come. Please, have a seat.”

Those who were able to sit at the same table as Grandma were all respected elders of the Ryan family. Upon seeing Marina Ryan, they began to whisper among themselves.

“I never thought this girl would grow up to be such a beautiful woman.”

“I heard that she left the Raine family two years ago and rented her own apartment. I wonder if she was actually kicked out.”

“This child has lost his mother; he’s really pitiable.”

“…”

Hearing that everyone’s words seemed to favor Marina Ryan, Susanna Ryan felt annoyed, but she didn’t show it.

She stepped forward and raised her voice on purpose. “Today is Grandma’s birthday party. You can’t come empty-handed, can you? Show us your gifts.”

It was then that Marina Lane understood why Susanna Lane’s attitude toward her had changed so drastically. It seemed like Susanna had already planned how to deal with her all along.

The guests who came to celebrate her birthday were all important people. Naturally, the gifts they brought were also luxurious. She would definitely be the subject of mockery at that time.

She had thought this through before coming here. All she wanted to do was express her feelings. As for the gift, she had done her best…

“Grandma, this is a gift for you. Do you like it?”

After saying that, Marina Lane handed the gift box to her grandmother.

“I like it. As long as it’s something you give me, Grandma will like it.” Grandma laughed heartily, her joy evident on her face.

She took the gift box, but had no intention of opening it. She also didn’t want Marina Rain to be criticized.

Seeing how much Grandma favored Marina Lane, Susanna Lane felt jealous. She continued, “Grandma, my sister always has great ideas. The gifts she gives are definitely special. Let’s open them and see what they are.”

Grandma’s expression immediately darkened. She really thought Susanna Lane was a bit too pushy.

She knew how Marina Lane was doing right now. It seemed unlikely that Marina Lane would prepare any expensive gifts either.

Opening it will surely invite ridicule from everyone. But since I’ve said it this far, not opening it would only arouse even more speculation.

“The most important thing about a gift is the thought behind it. No matter what you give, Grandma will appreciate it.”