Chapter 6 The Wine Stain

"Did you see her with Mr. Raymond? I bet she's trying to seduce him," a woman whispered.

"Ms. Brooks should dump a glass of red wine on her. Teach her a lesson," another added.

"Why is Ms. Brooks being so nice? She shouldn't have apologized to her at all."

Ella heard the venomous comments directed at her.

Every cruel word landed like a slap.

The irony was suffocating—Judith had deliberately spilled wine on her dress, yet somehow Ella had become the villain in everyone's eyes.

She looked down at the gold-toned evening gown now stained with an ugly splash of red wine.

Before she could speak, Judith rushed to Austin's side.

"Austin," Judith said with a trembling voice, the perfect picture of distress. "Please explain to Ella that I didn't mean it! She seems so angry with me!"

Judith clung to Austin's arm, looking fragile and vulnerable as she pressed against him.

Her eyes, wide with manufactured fear, darted nervously toward Ella.

Austin's jaw tightened. "Judith didn't do it intentionally. Stop targeting her."

Ella felt her breath catch.

When had she ever targeted Judith?

How had she become the aggressor when she hadn't uttered a single word?

The unfairness of it all ignited something inside her. "If I'm not mistaken, you were standing several feet away when your wine somehow splashed onto my dress."

"Are you suggesting I did it on purpose?" Judith's eyes immediately welled with tears. "How could you think I'm so malicious? "

She covered her face, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs, playing the victim so convincingly that anyone watching would think she was the one whose evening had been ruined.

Austin's expression darkened. "Ella, that's enough. Are you done making a scene?"

Seeing Austin standing united with Judith against her, Ella felt utterly betrayed.

A wave of hurt washed over her, but she refused to let her tears fall.

Instead, she stared at them both, disappointment evident in her eyes.

"At least pay for the dress," Ella demanded, her voice tight with restrained emotion. "Intentional or not, you ruined it."

The crowd around them began to murmur.

"The nerve of her, trying to extort money over a cheap dress!"

"It's probably some knockoff. Probably costs less than that bottle of wine."

"Ms. Brooks is too kind-hearted. Look how that woman is taking advantage of her."

"So demanding! Ms. Brooks already apologized. What more does she want?"

The uninformed spectators, noticing the dress's somewhat dated style, assumed it was a cheap imitation.

In reality, it was a custom-made piece from a legendary runway show that had taken the fashion world by storm two years ago.

Austin had spent a small fortune to gift it to Ella for her birthday.

It had been the first birthday he'd celebrated with her, and Ella treasured the dress as proof that, at one point, Austin had cared for her.

Now his harsh words cut through her last hope.

"Ella, don't push this too far," Austin warned, his eyes cold and unforgiving.

He'd apparently forgotten the significance of the dress he'd given her.

Ella's heart sank. Any remaining light of hope in her eyes dimmed to nothing.

"Ella! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here!"

Ella had been about to leave when a familiar voice called out to her.

She turned to see her grandfather's old friend approaching.

Ella was the true daughter of the Brooks family.

At three years old, she had been lost and taken in by a retired gentleman who lived in a rural area.

Her mother, Janice Clark, had searched desperately for her until she fell ill from grief and eventually passed away.

Her father, John Brooks, had then seized her mother's family fortune and moved in with his mistress and Judith, who was two years older than Ella.

The shock had given Ella's maternal grandmother a stroke, leaving her bedridden.

When Ella was ten, her grandfather, Gerald Clark, finally found her and brought her home.

Who could have predicted that Judith would gradually become a celebrated designer, transforming into the publicly recognized Brooks heiress while Ella remained unknown?

Now, Austin and Judith had become what everyone called the perfect couple.

Ella had never made her true background public knowledge.

Perhaps that was why everyone felt entitled to criticize her.

Ella merely nodded in acknowledgment to Mr. Bales and Mr. Dobbins without saying anything further.

"Mr. Bales, Mr. Dobbins! What a coincidence to run into you here," Judith immediately stepped forward with a bright smile, attempting to ingratiate herself. "I've heard my grandfather mention you occasionally."

The two men exchanged puzzled glances before offering polite but distant nods.

Daron Bales was the founder and CEO of Summit Technologies Group.

Valentin Dobbins was both a researcher and investor in the Prometheus Project.

Both were heavyweights in the scientific research and investment community.

Judith had met Daron once when John had taken her to a business function years ago, creating just enough familiarity to claim acquaintance.

As for Valentin, she'd only heard rumors about him but was eager to establish a connection.

It was a two-pronged approach—networking with powerful individuals while simultaneously humiliating Ella.

A perfect strategy in her mind.

Ella was accustomed to Judith's pattern of trying to overshadow her.

On the surface, Judith would act graciously toward her, but behind closed doors, she delighted in sabotaging Ella and basking in the resulting attention.

To Judith, Ella was merely a prop to highlight her own superiority.

"That's Mr. Bales, the CEO of Summit Technologies Group," someone in the crowd whispered.

"I heard he and Mr. Dobbins are collaborating on the Prometheus Project with Mr. Clark's investment. No wonder Ms. Brooks seems so close to them."

"How enviable that Ms. Brooks has such a doting grandfather."

Judith's smile widened with satisfaction as she glanced triumphantly at Ella.

Ella inwardly scoffed.

Judith's mother was nothing more than a mistress, and Judith had absolutely no blood relation to her grandfather, Gerald.

Yet here she was, brazenly pretending to be Gerald's beloved granddaughter.

Seeing through Judith's facade, Ella spoke up, "Mr. Bales, Mr. Dobbins, are you looking for me to discuss the Prometheus Project?"

Daron looked Judith over briefly before turning to Ella with genuine respect. "Your grandfather's health hasn't been ideal, so he's been unable to discuss the project with us. He's been concerned about finding someone reliable to take over the coordination."

Ella saw an opportunity and took it. "I've been following the Prometheus Project closely and have compiled significant research materials. If you trust me, I'd be willing to try handling it."

"The Prometheus Project involves cutting-edge AI development. Please don't create problems for Mr. Bales," Judith interjected anxiously.

Someone in the crowd seized the moment to add, "Does she have no self-awareness? The Brooks heiress is right here!"

"Just because her last name is Brooks doesn't mean she's related to the family."

"She doesn't know her limits. Does she seriously think Mr. Bales's politeness means she can associate herself with the Brooks family?"

Ella let out a derisive laugh and glanced at Judith.

Judith quickly jumped in again, her voice laced with condescension. "Ella, you hardly know Mr. Bales. I should be the one to..."

"Excuse me, miss," Daron interrupted, not bothering to hide his dismissal, "I only recall the Brooks family having one heiress named Ella Brooks. I don't remember anyone named Judith?"

His gaze then fell on Ella's wine-stained dress.

"That's a limited edition gown, isn't it? What a shame to see it damaged."

Judith's expression instantly darkened.

What? Limited edition?