They Called Me a Gold Digger, So I Dethroned Them All Chapter 02

After leaving the crowd behind, I headed to a private fitting suite to change and touch up my makeup.

“Ms. Wetherell, Mr. Redgrave had this gown custom-made for you last month. Would you like to try it on and see how it fits?”

The sales associate carefully presented a pale ivory silk gown with delicate embroidery.

I studied my reflection in the mirror, running my fingertips over the smooth silk.

I’d sacrificed more than most people could imagine over the past few years just to earn my place beside Hollis Redgrave.

Back in college, while my roommates ordered pizza and gossiped, I survived on two packets of instant ramen a day, saving every penny for a classic designer handbag.

When I got my first paycheck after graduation, everyone else was saving up for rent. I put a pair of Christian Louboutin heels on a twelve-month payment plan so I could wear them to a cocktail party.

Everyone in Vellmont’s elite circles thought I was calculating, a shameless show-off who cared about nothing but appearances.

But I came from an ordinary family. Without the polished image I’d worked so hard to build, how could someone like me ever have stood beside Hollis?

He was Vellmont’s perfect gentleman, always charming and impeccably mannered. He never raised his voice or said anything openly cruel.

I’d once believed he understood my ambition and was willing to support it.

Then Maisie Orlin came along and shattered the illusion I’d spent years carefully maintaining.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Hollis walked into the private lounge with Maisie beside him.

She was holding an iced latte, her eyes fixed on my gown with undisguised admiration.

“Wow, Blythe! You look so beautiful in that dress. Just like a movie star!”

Hollis walked up behind me with a smile and gently adjusted my shawl, every movement thoughtful and attentive.

“Blythe looks beautiful in anything. But tonight’s charity auction is supposed to raise money for underprivileged students.”

My heart gave a nervous little jump. I turned to face him.

“What are you getting at?”

Hollis looked at me kindly, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.

“That gown is a little too glamorous. The press will be all over you, and it’ll distract everyone from the real purpose of the fundraiser.”

“Maisie’s giving a speech tonight as one of the scholarship recipients, and she doesn’t have anything suitable to wear. Why don’t you let her have this one?”

The sales associate drew in a sharp breath and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, but I forced myself to keep smiling.

“Hollis, this gown was tailored to my exact measurements. It won’t fit her.”

Maisie immediately lowered her head and began to sob softly.

“Hollis, forget it. I can give my speech in my old clothes. I don’t want to take something Blythe loves.”

A look of helplessness crossed Hollis’s face. He rubbed his forehead, his voice growing even gentler.

“Maisie, don’t cry. Blythe, it’s just a dress. They can alter it in half an hour.”

“You’ve got hundreds of couture gowns in your closet. Why make such a fuss over one dress when she’s only just moved to the city?”

That was how Hollis always did it. He used the most civilized words to justify the cruelest things.

He trampled all over the dignity I’d worked so hard to build, then expected me to smile and thank him for it.

“Make a fuss? Hollis, have you forgotten that you promised me this gown for my birthday?”

I looked at him, my eyes stinging, but I refused to let the tears fall.

Hollis gently took my hand. His voice was soft, yet it left no room for argument.

“It’s only a dress, Blythe. Don’t put material things above being a decent person.”

“Be reasonable and change out of it. I’ll make it up to you at next week’s jewelry showcase.”

I pulled my hand away and stared at the gown in the mirror, struck by the bitter irony of it all.

I’d spent six years turning myself into a flawless work of art, only for him to fall for something that looked like it had come straight off a clearance rack.

Without a word, I took off the gown, changed back into my own clothes, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.

Maisie stood timidly beside Hollis in the loose, ill-fitting ivory gown, looking like a little girl playing dress-up in an adult’s clothes.

Yet Hollis looked thoroughly pleased as he adjusted the neckline of her gown.

As he passed me, he reminded me gently, “Make sure you’re at the auction on time tonight, Blythe. Don’t be late.”