Chapter 129

"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.