An Understated Dominance - Chapter 130

In the banquet hall, Dahlia noticed Julie walking in, out of breath. “Didn’t you say you were waiting for a friend, Julie? Where is she?”

“Something came up, and she couldn’t make it,” Julie replied with a shy smile. “Oh, Dahlia, could I borrow your compact mirror? I need to fix my makeup.”

“I thought you brought your own,” Dahlia said.

“Mine’s broken. I’d rather use yours,” Julie said, not waiting for an answer. She reached into Dahlia’s bag and started searching for the mirror.

Dahlia felt annoyed. She knew her cousin could be quite spoiled and rude.

“Thanks, Dahlia,” Julie said, tossing the bag back after finding the mirror. Then, she made an excuse to go to the bathroom.

Just then, Tina entered the hall, followed by a noisy crowd.

She stopped in the middle of the room and raised her hand. “Quiet down, everyone. I have an announcement to make!”

The hall quickly fell silent.

“It’s my birthday today, and I wanted it to be a joyful occasion, but something terrible has happened!” Tina looked around the hall before continuing. “A pair of valuable earrings I planned to wear has been stolen. They are unique, custom-made Pandarum earrings, and they mean a lot to me!”

The crowd gasped.

“What? Someone stole Miss Hummer’s earrings? Who would dare do that?”

“Someone must find out who did this! Such a terrible person should never get away with it!”

“Damn it! If I find out who stole Miss Hummer’s things, I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson!”

The crowd in the hall was fired up, shouting insults and threats at the thief. They all hated the thief, but they also wanted to support Tina.

“Everyone, please calm down. I know who did it,” Tina said.

“Who? Where is the thief?” Everyone looked around, eager to identify the culprit.

Tina walked over to Dahlia with a serious look on her face.

“She’s the one!” Tina pointed at Dahlia.

“What?”

The crowd was shocked by the accusation. If the thief had been a man, they would have confronted him right away. But they were stunned that Tina accused someone as beautiful as Dahlia.

“Isn’t that the president of Quine Group? Why would she steal?” someone asked.

“Exactly! Everyone knows Ms. Nicholson. She wouldn’t do something so low, would she?” another person added.

“Sometimes you can know someone for a long time and still be surprised by their true nature. Who knows what she could be hiding behind that pretty face?”

The men were skeptical of Tina’s claim, while the women believed her completely.

“Miss Hummer, there must be a misunderstanding. I haven’t stolen anything,” Dahlia said, trying to stay calm. She couldn’t believe Tina would accuse her.

“A quick search will show us if you did or not,” Tina said with a slight smile.

“Miss Hummer, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to search—”

Dahlia felt uneasy as she faced the crowd. Tina had just accused her of stealing something, and though she knew she was innocent, she couldn’t let Tina disrespect her like this.

“What do you have to fear if you’re not guilty?” Tina sneered, a smirk on her face.

“That’s right! If you’re really innocent, what harm would a search do?” another voice chimed in.

“Hmph! I think someone’s feeling guilty!” Tina’s friends started to support her. They were eager to see Dahlia get in trouble, hoping to overshadow her.

“Fine,” Dahlia said, tired of the argument. “If Miss Hummer wants to go through my things, then go ahead.” She handed over her bag, confident in her innocence. She didn’t want to make a scene, so she thought it was better to let them check her belongings.

Tina didn’t say anything else and signaled to her bodyguards to search the bag. Soon, they pulled out a delicate jewelry box. To everyone’s surprise, it had Tina’s name carved on it.

“Miss Hummer, here it is!” one of the bodyguards said, handing the jewelry box to Tina.

“Ladies and gentlemen, do you see this?” Tina exclaimed, raising the box high. She opened it and took out a stunning pair of ruby earrings, showing them off to the crowd. “This! This is evidence!”

Gasps filled the hall as people stared in shock.

“No way! Would the president of Quine Group really do something like this?” someone whispered.

“Hah! I thought she was above that!” another person added, their disbelief clear.

“Who would have thought she was so materialistic?”

“I always believed that such a beautiful person would know how to act better than this! Why would she steal from others? That’s just awful!”

At that moment, everyone’s opinion changed completely. With clear proof in front of them, everyone chose to side with Tina.

“No! This can’t be true!”

Dahlia’s face changed as she shook her head frantically. “Why is this in my bag? I’ve never even touched it!”

“You thief!”

Furious, Tina slapped Dahlia hard.

Smack! Five red marks instantly appeared on Dahlia’s cheek.

“Miss Hummer, I didn’t steal anything! Someone must have set me up!” Dahlia tried to explain.

“How can you deny it when we have evidence? You’re just like someone who gives up when facing the end!” Without saying another word, Tina slapped her two more times, showing no mercy.

Dahlia’s face was swelling, and her hair was a mess.

“I did not steal!” she insisted, clenching her jaw with determination.

“If I say you stole it, then you did!”

Tina scoffed. “Guards! Hold her down! I’m going to teach her a lesson today!”

“Yes, Miss Hummer!”

Two of Tina’s bodyguards stepped forward and grabbed Dahlia, holding her arms behind her back and forcing her down to her knees.

“You slut! How dare you try to steal my man? Do you have a death wish?” Tina grabbed Dahlia’s hair, a cruel smile on her face.

“It was you? You framed me?” Dahlia was shocked for a moment before it hit her. She realized that Tina had been targeting her all along!

Chapter 125

“Hah! Looks like you’re not as clueless as I thought!”

Tina let out a soft laugh. “But what does it matter if you know? No one can help you now. I can do whatever I want with you.”

With that, she grabbed a bottle of red wine and forced the neck of the bottle into Dahlia’s mouth.

The wine poured into Dahlia’s mouth, making her choke and cough uncontrollably. Her face turned bright red.

She felt dizzy, and it was a terrible feeling.

“Drink it! I said, drink it!” Tina’s face twisted with madness.