Chapter 19

In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday again, and Bing's new fashion show was on. Despite being a formal occasion, fashion shows were always moments for celebrities to vie for attention. Stella didn't want to steal the spotlight, so she wore a subtly elegant little dress and applied light makeup. The venue for the fashion show was at the Seattle Convention Center. Her car, which had been rear-ended last time, was already repaired. Seeing Ethan was also going out, she didn't let the driver take her but drove herself to pick up Layla. Although the car had been fixed, she had still been commuting with Ethan's Bentley during this time. Both of them felt the need to show affection publicly, and Stella enjoyed this service. However, Ethan wasn't just giving away favors. Now, whenever Stella cooked, she never made just enough for herself. He seemed quite satisfied with her cooking skills, and he gradually developed a habit of coming home for dinner. What comforted Stella was that Ethan was quite conscious about washing the dishes; it had always been his job. Though he still had that unrestrained personality, sometimes he showed a bit of elegance. Their interaction seemed to become more natural over time. Perhaps they could really reach a consensus and renew their contract after the one-year agreement expired. The car parked in the center of the venue's parking lot. Stella and Layla got out of the car, walked towards the venue where the fashion show was being held. Years ago, Stella had been abducted by human traffickers and had wandered with them for nearly half a year, then stayed in a county town in the south for another half month. At that time, the orphanage director and Natalie discovered Stella, who had been drugged by human traffickers. Sensing something amiss, she discreetly alerted the director after seeing the traffickers taking Stella into the guesthouse. Stella was successfully rescued as a result. However, the two traffickers who were caught were not the ones she had initially been with, so her origins remained unknown. She had been abducted at less than four years old, and apart from her own name, there were no traces of her past. Consequently, she had to be sent to an orphanage by the police. However, life in the orphanage was much better than the days of hiding and wandering with the traffickers. Later, when the Carlson family came to take her, Thomas learned that it was Natalie who had saved Stella all those years ago. In gratitude, he sponsored Natalie to study. Natalie, two years older than Stella, was extremely talented in design and later gained entry into the world's top art institutions. After graduating, she worked as a designer for a top luxury brand for two years before establishing her own brand, Bing. In the past two years, Bing had gained widespread fame, and many celebrities in the entertainment industry favored Bing's haute couture series, including the actress Lavinia. For today's show, Lavinia unsurprisingly made time to attend, wearing Bing's latest haute couture gown. What surprised Stella, however, was that Avery also showed up. Dressed to the nines in a long teal evening gown adorned with sparkling sequins on sheer fabric, her makeup was exquisite as she confidently took her seat beside Lavinia. Lavinia was cast as the female lead in Director Sheffield's new movie, and she was also the unfortunate victim who lost a role to Avery. Seeing this tense scene, the photographers in the venue instantly aimed their cameras. Avery knew that Natalie was Stella's good friend, and she had never attended Bing's new product fashion show before. At this moment, it wasn't just Stella who was surprised, but also Natalie herself, though her surprise was mixed with anger. "Damn, I gave Juan two invitations, and he actually brought Avery here. It's infuriating," Nataliee exclaimed. She had a strong temper, especially in front of close friends. Even before Stella could speak, her crystal-clear eyes were already filled with anger. Juan was Natalie's husband, but he was also friends with both Aaron and Avery. However, knowing that his wife didn't like Avery, he shouldn't have given her the ticket in theory. Stella felt that Avery must have used some method to obtain the invitation again. Avery and Lavinia were both similar types of actresses, with conflicting resources and difficult personalities. They had just finished fighting over the female lead role in "Transformers 7". Now that both of them were in the same frame, it was foreseeable that she would hit the hot search again. However, Natalie couldn't just kick her out; otherwise, today's show would be completely overshadowed by the media. Avery and Lavinia were not the only female stars who didn't get along inside the venue. Brands often took advantage of this media attention to increase their exposure. If Natalie had kicked Avery out at that moment, it would have truly sent Avery alone to the top of the hot search list. Layla's personality was simple, and she was almost shocked by Avery's cunning actions. "She's really something. Didn't Aaron's statement have any effect on her?" After the kidnapping case, although Avery gained the title of the third party, the industry didn't dare to trouble her due to her relationship with Aaron. What made her awkward was the statement from the Malone family's official X account. At the time, Layla had posted that statement in the group, and Stella also glanced at it briefly. The statement bluntly stated that Aaron and Avery were just friends who had known each other for many years, denying any relationship beyond friendship between the two. Furthermore, the official account hinted that Aaron had another love interest, but it wasn't Avery. Avery used to trend with Aaron all the time, and anyone could see that there was an intentional element of hype. But Stella felt that Aaron's actions were enough to cause misunderstanding. Even if it was hype, Avery was hyping with Aaron's support. Wasn't Aaron trying to help Avery? Then he should just go all out. Now, he was even more disgusting. Thinking about this, Stella reassured Natalie, "Didn't you say Avery lost several endorsements? Maybe she wants to prove that she hasn't fallen by trending. Since she's here, let her be. Don't let it affect your show." Avery relied on hyping her persona. Now that Aaron had issued a statement denying the rumors, she couldn't continue hyping her relationship with Aaron. The brands gradually stopped buying into her, and using such methods was essentially a dead end. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let Stella and others see her sitting there with so many flaws, disregarding the ensuing ridicule. "Avery is used to being praised. She thinks no one will trouble her?" Natalie chuckled lightly. "Stella, I know your concerns now, but I have none. If she wants to use me, she'll reap what she sows." Stella met Natalie's subtly mocking gaze and knew that Avery had really gotten herself into trouble this time. Although Natalie wouldn't kick Avery out before the end of the show, ruining the focus of the event and letting her benefit for nothing, she wouldn't let her off the hook afterwards. A simple statement that Avery was not invited to the show would be enough to draw attention away from her. Avery's appearance was just a temporary disturbance, and Natalie soon returned backstage. Shortly after, the lights in the audience dimmed slightly, and the dazzling lights shone on the runway as the show officially began. Stella and Layla fell silent and started watching the show. ... Despite being a bit annoyed by Avery before the show started, overall, it was impressive. The new designs were eye-catching, and the music and lighting complemented the outfits well. The show took an unconventional approach, engaging the audience rather than being dull and monotonous. As the brand's principal, Natalie had social engagements and a team dinner after the show. Stella and Layla didn't want to disturb her, so they stood up to leave when most people had already dispersed. However, just as they were about to leave, a voice from behind called out to Stella. "Excuse me, Miss Carlson. Can I have you for a minute, please?" Stella turned around and saw an elegant middle-aged woman walking towards her. Thinking back to Natalie's earlier reminder, she had a vague idea of the woman's identity. The next moment, the woman put on a dignified smile and introduced herself, "Nice to meet you. I am Ethan's stepmother." Stella looked at her expression, which showed no sign of insincerity, and chuckled softly. "Mrs. White, I've heard of your esteemed reputation." Jessica's current husband's surname was Fang. Stella's address to her as "Mrs. White" was not wrong. It was also a subtle reminder to Jessica not to forget her true identity. Meeting Stella's cold gaze, Jessica frowned slightly, seemingly displeased. "It's said that Miss Carlson's manners are the most outstanding among Seattle's elite, but I don't see it. When meeting elders, you should know the basic etiquette, shouldn't you?" "Elders should be respected, but Mrs. White, what kind of elder are you to me?" Stella smirked and continued, "I did indeed marry Ethan, but he probably wouldn't consider you as an elder, would he?" Jessica had once turned away when her own husband, Dylan, fell into trouble, and the means by which she married Dylan were also not honorable—this was what Stella had heard from Kate. When she first returned to the Carlson family, Kate was worried that she didn't know about these twists and turns, so she always told her some gossip about wealthy families. Initially just a waitress at a club, Jessica's rise began when Dylan got drunk one night. Shortly after marrying Dylan, Jessica became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage at two months. It took another ten years before she became pregnant again, only for Dylan to be accused and imprisoned shortly afterward. "You're still young and don't know your place," Jessica said, surprised to be rebuked by a younger person. Stella glanced at Jessica, shook her head lightly, and said, "Mrs. White, if you want to educate someone, you've picked the wrong person. I don't have time for your lectures. Goodbye." With that, she tugged Layla beside her and headed towards the exit of the venue. "Wait," Jessica called out again. She took a deep breath and walked a few steps closer to Stella. "My relationship with Ethan may not be good, but Alex is his real brother, and I am always Alex's mother. You can ignore me, but you can spend more time with Alex. Trust me, it will be beneficial for you too." Stella found Jessica's words absurd. Ethan had a half-brother who was 18 years younger than him, just a young child in elementary school. Even if they were related by blood, there was no rule that siblings must get along, right? Besides, Alex's mother was Jessica. When Jessica saw Stella's expression, she smiled and continued, "Don't rush to refuse. I can probably guess what's going on between you and Ethan. He may let you be his 'Mrs. Powers' for now, but if you don't have children, Alex is likely to be his eventual heir." Not have children? Jessica seemed confident, as if she had strong conviction in her words, not just speaking randomly. Stella's eyes flickered slightly, involuntarily pondering the meaning behind her words. Did Jessica say this because she knew Stella and Ethan had a loveless fake marriage, or was there another reason? "You are excelled at planning things," Stella said calmly, meeting Jessica's gaze. "But regardless of whether Ethan has children or not, Alex may not necessarily become the heir of Horizon Group, right?" Her cold attitude remained unchanged. As soon as she finished speaking, Jessica's expression darkened again. Seeing this, Stella advised, "Mrs. White, you should calm down. You betrayed trust in the past, and now you're scheming to reap the benefits. Do you think you deserve it?" Jessica became angry and then looked at Stella with a mocking expression. "Fine. If you think you can get what you want, then let's wait and see." She spat out those words angrily and then turned away. Stella watched her leave and raised an eyebrow as she remembered Jessica's words just now. Ten minutes later, in the private room of the club, Ethan had just taken the wine glass handed to him by Jason when he received a call from his assistant, Isaac. "Boss, Jessica just called, seems like she met with Mrs. Powers," Isaac said over the phone, sighing inwardly. Jessica didn't have Ethan's contact information, yet somehow she knew his phone number and called him from time to time. Over the past few years, Ethan had never given up investigating his father's case. However, given Jessica's unique role, he hadn't dealt with her to avoid arousing suspicion. But Jessica, she was not very bright. Seeing Ethan rise again over the past two years and not retaliating against her, she actually thought there was something to gain and kept throwing herself into his path. Did she really think that Ethan had become nicer? However, Isaac didn't dare to tell Ethan any of Jessica's impolite words just now. Fortunately, Ethan had never paid much attention to Jessica, so he just reported the incident as usual. But as he thought this, he heard a faint voice coming from the receiver.