Chapter 623
Loves Stealing Other People’s Things
Ava Bennett's face flushed red from being cursed at, and in a fury she stepped forward and raised her hand to hit her.
"If you dare lay a hand on me here, I guarantee your store in Prosper Center will be shut down in minutes. If you don't believe me, try it."
"You? That's a joke. Do you think Prosper Center belongs to your family?"
"Oh right, you still have Julian Sterling. But he's not the Sterling family's heir anymore, so I'm afraid he can't back you up now."
"You're not taking this gown today, and you're not qualified to attend the cocktail party either!"
Claire Bennett looked at her like she was looking at a lunatic. She just couldn't be bothered to get physical with Ava Bennett and had casually thrown out a threat to scare her a little, but Ava really took a mile when given an inch.
The gown Ava Bennett was wearing had indeed been specially designed by her so that Maison Verne Jewelry's advantages would stand out better at the cocktail party, but that didn't mean she couldn't attend without that gown.
There were so many dresses in the boutique. She could just pick any one and wear it out.
What mattered was that she and the jewelry showed up. The gown was just icing on the cake. It was nice to have, sure, but without it, it wouldn't really affect anything.
"You really think you're something."
Just then, Molly Lee brought over the boutique manager. The manager assumed Claire Bennett had called him over to hold him accountable.
After all, giving a custom-made dress that one customer had ordered to another customer to wear really was their fault.
They couldn't afford to offend Miss Song, and as for the one in front of them...
Claire Bennett could already tell what he meant from the look in his eyes. She had no intention of making things hard for him. They were both working people; making his life miserable wouldn't do any good.
"Manager Wang, no matter what, the gown I custom ordered ended up on someone else. Your store should take responsibility for that, right?"
Manager Wang nodded repeatedly. Miss Song had thrown down several times the price to force the purchase of that gown, and they were more than willing to compensate Claire Bennett for her loss.
"Of course. Our store can refund your deposit at the original amount—no, double it."
The cocktail party was about to start soon. What did Claire Bennett need money for?
"Since you admit this was your store's responsibility, then this is easy. I don't want double compensation. I just want to pick another gown and wear it out."
Manager Wang froze for a moment. Just compensating her with a dress and the matter was over? That simple?
Once he processed it, he immediately nodded.
"Yes, yes, yes. Miss, feel free to choose any gown in the store."
The deposit for a custom gown was about the same as the price of the ready-made gowns in the store. Claire Bennett couldn't be bothered to take advantage over something this small, so she casually picked a dress that looked relatively understated and held it in her hand.
"Molly, I'm going in to change. Call a car right now."
Claire Bennett had no time to bicker with Ava Bennett here, but the more she ignored Ava Bennett, the angrier Ava got.
While changing, she efficiently twisted her hair into a neat low ponytail. The simpler the hairstyle, the better it set off the jewelry. She finished getting ready quickly and walked out of the dressing room.
When she went in, Claire Bennett had been wearing ordinary casual clothes, looking no different from any office worker on the street.
After she came out of the dressing room, nearly everyone's eyes in the store were drawn to her, filled with amazement.
Ava Bennett was biting her lip so hard it was nearly torn open. Why?
She had clearly stolen everything from Claire Bennett. Now she was the Bennett family's rightful eldest daughter, while Claire was just the one their father had abandoned. So why could she still shine so brilliantly and draw everyone's attention?
Ever since childhood, anywhere Claire Bennett was, no one ever noticed her existence.
Being reduced to trash in comparison once again, Ava Bennett was so furious she was practically going insane.
As Claire Bennett walked past her, Ava suddenly reached out at her like she was possessed, wanting to rip the gown off her body.
But Molly Lee, who had already noticed, blocked her.
"Miss Song, stealing one dress from our boss wasn't enough for you? What, now you want to steal the one she's wearing too?"
"If you keep making a scene like this, I'm calling the police!"
Claire Bennett was not the type to swallow abuse. She simply raised a hand and shoved Ava Bennett aside. There was no reasoning with her.
"Get lost. Don't think what I said earlier was really just a joke."
Wearing high heels, Ava Bennett lost her balance and landed hard on her butt, and in the process knocked over the round table beside her, toppling the decorative vase on it.
In an instant, she was splashed all over with cold water.
She shrieked angrily. Claire Bennett tossed out a "Serves you right," then got in a cab with Molly Lee and rushed to the cocktail party.
...
At the entrance to the cocktail party, Julian Sterling kept glancing outside. Even though he was no longer the Sterling family's heir, Julian Sterling's influence still remained; he just gave off an air that kept strangers away.
The women who used to avoid approaching him because of his status still didn't dare come over. They only stood off at a distance, admiring Julian Sterling's devastatingly handsome looks.
One fearless rich girl came over holding a wineglass, and as she passed those women, she mocked them disdainfully.
"What's there to be afraid of? Julian Sterling isn't the president of the Sterling family company anymore."
"Isn't he here at today's cocktail party just to find projects?"
"Our Hengyang Real Estate is a well-known company in the capital too. For the current Julian Sterling, even a single fly's leg would probably be enough to feed his little company."
The Hengyang Real Estate heiress walked up to Julian Sterling with confident steps.
"President Lu."
She picked up a glass of wine and held it out to Julian Sterling, smiling intimately. "How about a drink?"
Julian Sterling kept a straight face, his entire body radiating distance and coldness. He clearly had no liking for the Hengyang Real Estate heiress.
He said coldly, "Sorry, I'm waiting for someone."