Chapter 35: The gift for you

"Open it and see!" Diana held the box in front of John, looking at him eagerly.

John's eyes narrowed slightly, and under her intense gaze, he reached out his well-proportioned hand and opened the box. Seeing what was inside, his eyes widened in shock, and his heart started pounding in his chest. It was an exquisitely carved blue rose that looked incredibly lifelike. Under the flower, a young man and woman were standing back to back, with their hands lightly clasped together. The facial features and expressions of the figures were so realistic that it was clearly him! And the girl... was Diana!

The entire carving was so realistic, with dewdrops rolling down the petals, and even the details of the clothing were intricately and vividly portrayed. Not just John, but everyone present was stunned. Especially James, who had a trace of shocked light in his eyes as he saw the scene of Diana carving when she was a child. In the blink of an eye, she had grown up so much...

"This, this was carved by Diana?!" Serena couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. It couldn't be true! Even if she learned it now, she would have to study for a long time! Diana must have bought it!

Hearing the doubt in her tone, James was a little displeased. "When Diana was in her teens, her carvings were auctioned off for tens of thousands of dollars. What's so strange about that!"

These words awakened the memories of some people present. Yes, it was true that they had heard about this before. Diana was highly regarded in Cloud City's social circles at that time and was considered a teenage genius. James praised his precious daughter to everyone he met and treated her as his greatest pride. They say she had wasted these years, but today, it seemed that Miss Thompson was not the so-called "useless person" after all!

"I, I am happy for her, I didn't expect Diana to be so outstanding," Serena was very cunning, she quickly adjusted her expression and made up for her words, even showing a hint of admiration in her eyes. Diana couldn't help but admire this woman. She should have become an actress, a guaranteed leading lady! Maddie, on the other hand, couldn't conceal her shock. How could this be happening? Didn't Diana hate John all along? Wasn't she refusing to leave her room just today? Why would she prepare a gift for him?!

"I just finished polishing it before leaving today, so I was a little delayed. Ms. Stewart and Maddie should have explained it to you, right?" Diana smiled and suddenly looked over at Serena and Maddie.

Maddie was startled. She stuttered, "Yes, I, I thought you..."

"Miss Maddie Stewart, didn't you just say that Miss Thompson was staying in her room and refusing to leave? You didn't make it clear and it's too easy for people to misunderstand," Ethan said in a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, Diana showed a surprised expression. "Maddie, why did you go around telling people that I never leave my house? Isn't this making me seem impulsive and unreasonable?"

"It's not like that, I wanted to dispel any doubts others might have about you, Diana. I was trying to defend you, but I didn't expect it to be misunderstood. I didn't mean it..." Maddie hurriedly explained.

"I'm to blame for carving too slowly and wasting time. If I had finished earlier, there wouldn't have been any misunderstandings," Diana leaned on John's shoulder with a sad expression. "Maddie, I believe you didn't mean to slander me..."

"What the hell, I think she did it on purpose," Ben muttered beside them, and his voice clearly reached everyone's ears. Originally, everyone felt a bit uncomfortable about the situation, but with his words, the atmosphere became even more awkward. Maddie's face immediately turned red. Diana almost laughed out loud. Well done, Ben!

James frowned, "You did wrong in this matter. I didn't ask you to come over and say that Diana was delayed by something important, but instead you said something unfounded. How do you think everyone will perceive Diana?"

"I understand, and I will be more careful next time," Maddie lowered her head, feeling angry and embarrassed. She originally wanted to tarnish Diana's image in front of everyone, but she ended up ruining her own reputation?!

John didn't even look at the Stewart mother and daughter next to him. He took Diana's hand and checked the time. They still had some time before the auspicious hour. He turned slightly and instructed Jackson beside him, "Go and invite my grandfather over." Although Mr. Harrison said he couldn't come, John wanted him to see that the woman he was marrying was not a joke but a true aristocrat!

John took Diana and walked around the guests before letting her rest on her own. As soon as Diana sat down, she quietly picked up the dessert beside her and stuffed it into her mouth. She had been too busy with the carving today and didn't have much to eat. She was starving.

"Diana..." Diana was eating heartily when suddenly a soft voice sounded beside her, almost choking her. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and turn her head. Sure enough, Maddie walked over with a slightly pitiful expression on her face. With her innocent-looking face, she looked even more helpless.

"Diana, it's great that you're here. I was so worried earlier that I said the wrong things. You're not mad, are you?" Maddie said with a forced smile.

"It's all in the past now. Anyway, John and I are engaged, and I'll soon be marrying into the Matthews family!" Diana replied, intentionally putting on a happy expression.

Maddie's face stiffened slightly, but she quickly adjusted her expression. "Diana, you're engaged. I can't help but feel a little sad. Hey..." Maddie pulled her close and spoke in a hushed voice, testing the waters. "Do you know, Luke was a bit disappointed when he found out you were engaged?"

"Oh? Really?" Diana glanced at Maddie with a hint of suspicion. What kind of trick was this woman trying to pull?

Sensing Diana's hesitation, Maddie quickly added, "Yes, if he came here, would you meet him?"

Diana's heart raced with excitement. Luke must be here if Maddie was bringing him up like this. She suppressed her feelings and spoke firmly, "Maddie, what are you talking about? I'm engaged to John now and I'm going to marry him. Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Maddie was taken aback, but quickly tried to make amends. "I'm just surprised that you suddenly fell for John..."

"He's so handsome. I've always had a thing for good-looking men. It's only natural," Diana said matter-of-factly.

Maddie lowered her gaze, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes. This fool really thought she could become the mistress of the Matthews family? How naive! Today, she was determined to ruin everything! Stepping aside, Maddie brought out two glasses of juice, secretly adding something to one of them. She approached Diana and offered her the glass, saying, "Diana, you don't handle alcohol well, why don't you have some juice instead?"

Diana took the glass from Maddie without a word, placing it in front of her and giving it a shake, but she didn't drink it. Anything that passed through Maddie's hands made her extremely cautious now.

"Congratulations on your engagement, Diana," Maddie smiled and raised her glass, ready to toast with her. Suddenly, she noticed Diana staring at her skirt. "Maddie, what's on your skirt? Is it stained?"

"Where?" Maddie put down her glass and immediately bent down to check her skirt. Her image couldn't be compromised! In that moment, Diana quickly switched her own glass of juice with Maddie's. Then, she pretended nothing had happened. Maddie searched for a while and finally found a small stain, as if it had been splashed on somewhere. After wiping it off, she slowly stood up.

"It's nothing... Here, Diana, cheers to your engagement."

Maddie picked up the juice again. This time, Diana cooperated by holding the cup to her lips. Diana was certain that Maddie had tampered with her juice earlier, so she had secretly swapped their cups. As a precaution, she only pretended to take a sip, but in reality, she didn't drink anything. Maddie, on the other hand, finished her juice in one go but noticed that Diana had only taken a small sip. She frowned and asked, "Diana, why aren't you drinking?"

"I don't like it. It's a bit sour," Diana replied.

Maddie paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll get you some milk instead."

"It's fine if I don't drink too much. Even a sip is enough!" Maddie thought to herself.

As Maddie was about to get some milk for Diana, Diana suddenly frowned and said, "Maddie, I feel a little dizzy. I don't know if I drank too much just now."

"So it takes effect this fast?!" Maddie's eyes gleamed with joy. She pretended to be concerned and said, "Diana, you just had a little alcohol. You're probably feeling the buzz. How about I take you to your room to rest for a while?"

"Okay," Diana nodded obediently and followed Maddie towards the direction of her room.

Behind them, John had noticed everything. He called out to Ethan beside him, "Ethan."

"Boss?"

"Follow her."