Chapter 25: Taking off Clothes
Jaden was shocked, “She… she’s… ” He glanced at Enrico, who showed no surprise whatsoever.
“How could this be? Wasn’t she supposed to be at Rose Estate?” Jaden scrutinized the scene carefully. Under the bright lights, Paige stood with her hands casually in her pockets, looking calm and composed with a faint smirk on her face. There was no hint of dullness in her eyes.
“She… she’s not mentally ill!” Jaden stammered in disbelief. This woman dared to deceive boss?
Jaden’s voice trembled as he continued, “Boss, you knew about this all along?”
“It’s too late for you to figure anything out now,” Enrico snorted coldly.
Jaden felt deeply ashamed; he hadn’t noticed that this woman was pretending all along. How dare she deceive boss? Her fate would surely be grim.
Not hearing any order from Enrico to apprehend her, Jaden found it strange. Could it be that boss wasn’t angry about being deceived by this woman?
As Jaden stood there, observing from above, he realized something was amiss downstairs.
A woman was arrogantly holding Paige’s hand, her voice sharp enough for everyone upstairs to hear clearly, “You can’t leave. I’m sure you’ve stolen something. I’m going to search you!”
Paige stood at the doorway, her hand squeezed tightly by Nancy, causing her some pain.
“Let go,” Paige said with annoyance.
“Why are you wearing such a big coat? You must be trying to steal something. Take off your clothes!” Nancy demanded fiercely, glancing at the people around her. “Everyone, check if you’re missing anything. This person sneaked into the banquet; who knows if she’s here to steal.”
Paige looked at Nancy with disdain, seeing her as Molly’s lackey.
“Why are you wearing such a big coat? You must be here to steal something. Take it off,” Nancy demanded fiercely, still gripping Paige’s hand tightly.
“What if I don’t take it off?” Paige calmly retorted.
“If you don’t take it off, you won’t leave here today. Thief! Scoundrel!” Nancy glared at her. “Take it off.”
“And what if I take it off and there’s nothing? Will you kneel down and apologize to me?”
“I…” Nancy hesitated.
Seeing Nancy’s hesitation, Molly grew impatient. Today, she was determined to expose Paige’s origins. Once the electronic bracelet on Paige’s wrist was revealed, everyone would know she came from the slums.
Thinking quickly, Molly reached for her ear and subtly removed a pearl earring, then exclaimed, “Oh no! My earring is missing! It was a gift from my mother. Could everyone please help me find it?”
The crowd, previously focused on Paige and Nancy, turned their attention to Molly as they noticed her missing earring.
Nancy became even more convinced that Paige was the thief, forcefully demanding, “It must be you! Take it off!”
“Take it off!”
“Off! Off! Off!”
More and more voices joined in unison, demanding Paige to remove her coat.
Encouraged by the crowd’s support, Nancy’s resolve hardened as she refused to let go of Paige. “Take it off! If there’s nothing, I’ll kneel down and apologize to you!”
Among the assembled elite, such an accusation of theft was unthinkable. They all thought except for this sudden outsider, who else could it be?
Paige looked towards Molly, who was trying to involve herself as an innocent bystander. “And what about you, Miss Clarke?”
This statement caused everyone to turn their attention back to Molly.
Feeling uncomfortable under their scrutiny, Molly forced a smile and gently replied, “Everyone just wants to clarify things. Let Nancy search you. If there’s nothing, I’ll apologize to you.”
“Apologize by kneeling,” Paige insisted, not letting Molly off the hook.
After a moment’s hesitation, Molly reluctantly agreed, “Alright, I’ll kneel and apologize.”
“Did you hear that? Why aren’t you taking it off?” Nancy was eager to thoroughly humiliate this woman Bryan had brought in. She reached for the zipper on Paige’s coat.
Paige seized Nancy’s fingers and twisted them away, saying coldly, “I’ll handle this myself.”
“Ahh!” Nancy winced in pain, her face turning pale. How could this woman be so strong? She took two steps back, then tried to rush forward again to strike Paige, who had already pulled down the zipper of her coat by then.
Wide-eyed, Nancy watched intently.
Molly watched with anticipation, unable to hide her excitement.
In full view of everyone, Paige smoothly pulled off her coat. Underneath, she wore a knee-length cream-colored chiffon dress, which complemented her fair skin beautifully. As the coat fell, the skirt cascaded to the ground, transforming a knee-length dress into an elegant floor-length gown. Intricate embroidery began at her chest, depicting vibrant roses in lifelike detail, extending gracefully down to the hem. With a slight movement, the skirt blossomed like a flower in full bloom, mesmerizing under the lighting.
This stunning transformation captivated everyone present.
“She’s so beautiful.”
Molly stood by, her own gown suddenly looking worthless in comparison.
Everyone was stunned.
Upstairs, Jaden watched Paige’s glamorous transformation and couldn’t help but exclaim, “I didn’t expect her to look so stunning.”
A cold glare fell on him…
Jaden turned to see Enrico staring at him darkly. “What, do you admire her beauty?”
Intimidated by Enrico’s gaze, Jaden quickly lowered his head and retreated, not dare to look down at Paige downstairs.
Downstairs in the hall, Paige handed the coat to Nancy. “You wanted to search, right? Go ahead, see whose earrings and bracelets are on me.”
Nancy stood there dumbfounded, forgetting to take the coat.
“Or do you want me to strip off this dress too?” Paige taunted sarcastically.
Nancy hesitated, her voice forced, “Yes, strip it off if you dare!”
“Alright then, you’ll have to help me with this dress,” Paige challenged, standing defiantly. “Come on over and help me strip. If you find nothing, I’ll sue you. I’ll go to the media and expose how a group of rich kids forced someone to undress.”
Nancy was rendered speechless.
The dress was too tight-fitting to hide anything. Even if there was something to find, it would have fallen out when the skirt slipped down earlier.
Molly stood there for two seconds, then snapped back to reality and glanced at Paige’s wrist, noticing a white lace ribbon tied around it. The ribbon wasn’t flat; it bulged, indicating something underneath.
Without hesitation, Molly moved forward to grab Paige’s wrist and intend to untie the ribbon.
“What are you doing?” Paige pushed her away sharply.
Stumbling back a few steps, Molly almost fell but was caught by someone nearby.
Paige smirked, “Miss Clarke, do you really think this lace ribbon could hide your earrings?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Everyone looked at Molly with curiosity.
Ignoring the others, Molly steadied herself and addressed the crowd, “Just now, I heard news that the police are hunting down a girl who escaped from the slums. The age and appearance seemed to match this lady here.”
“What, escaped from the slums?”