Striking Back at the Evil Stepmother (1)

Seeing him, Rosalie's lips curved into a mischievous smile, much to Richard's surprise. Then he was enraged at the thought of being made a fool by this woman. 

Richard's anger radiated off him as he made his first step to approach her. Almost anyone who was in front of him was arrogantly pushed by him. 

For a moment, started gasps and cusses rang out as the guests were rudely pushed to the side by this newcomer. 

However, Richard did not take his eyes off Rosalie, who didn't seem bothered by his hateful gaze. Instead, she raised a mocking and provoking eyebrow as if taunting him to do more. 

But inwardly, she was wondering whether Richard was stupid. Creating a commotion like this, in front of a lot of people, was he belittling the Ameratti family or was he expecting his sister to protect him after making such a spectacle?

"Well, it doesn't matter." Rosalie glanced away and put her glass down. She also started making her way to her family.

Albert and the other important guests entertained by the Ameratti family didn't notice the commotion at first, as they were a bit far from the entrance.

Then finally, someone noticed Rosalie. 

"Does anyone of you know who that woman is?" Mrs. Smith asked, her eyes distracted by the scene in front of her. "She looks incredibly beautiful."

Hearing her words, the others followed her gaze and immediately chorused with her. 

"Is she a celebrity invited to the party?"

"No, I don't think so. Just look at her, would a celebrity exude that kind of elegance and sophisticated aura? She must be someone's daughter."

"Is she single? My son just ended his relationship. I wonder if I should introduce her to him."

The hearty conversation they were having suddenly diverted into something else. The guests whom the Ameratti family tried so hard to entertain the whole day were now distracted by something else. That definitely didn't feel right. 

Today was the Ameratti Corporation's founding party, they should be the center of attraction and the topic for everyone. Not some attention seeker.

Frowning, Emma looked at her husband and saw him with a slightly dazed look. Amongst the guests who turned around to find the 'distraction', Albert was one of them. 

Feeling insecure because the guests have described the person as 'beautiful', Emma's face turns dark. She hurriedly turned around, only to feel flabbergasted at the scene in front of her. 

Emma originally felt pleased with herself. She carefully planned the trap she set for her stepdaughter just for today's founding party. Aside from Richard's mishap, nothing seemed to have gone wrong. The only thing she was waiting for was to hear everyone comment on how vulgar Rosalie was, as she was scantily dressed at a formal party.

She waited and waited with bated breath. 

Rosalie was naive and foolish, overjoyed at the prospect of being closer to her, and readily accepted the dress she gifted her. 

And Emma believed that everything would go as planned. She even prepared her lines and expression when things went down, ready to comfort her pitiful stepdaughter.

So, why? Why was Rosalie walking towards them while looking so fascinatingly beautiful and breathtaking? 

As Rosalie got closer, Emma got a clear view of the girl walking towards them. She was wearing a long, slim-fitting off-the-shoulder black gown which accentuated her snow-white skin and highlighted her delicate neck and collarbones, making people's hearts beat fast. Her steps were graceful and composed as if she was walking on air.

When Rosalie finally stopped, others could see her features clearly. Her features were like those of a fairy, making others stop breathing. Especially, when they look at her mist-covered and serene eyes. 

The entire place seemed to drown in pure silence as they were held spellbound by her beauty. 

Rosalie gazed calmly at Emma, silently telling her that she was playing with her.

Emma clenched her teeth, her eyes growing cold as she realized Rosalie had known about her plan all along!

"Did I come too late to join the party, Dad?" Rosalie's lips formed a sweet, endearing smile. She perfected the look of an innocent and adorable daughter. 

It was Albert's first time seeing Rosalie acting like this towards him, so his reaction was a bit delayed. He and Rosalie never exchanged sweet words with each other, even though the two were father and daughter. The last time she did, it was on the day her mother died and Rosalie hugged him tightly and told him: "Dad, you won't leave me like mommy, right?" 

At that time, what was his reaction then? 

Albert recalled what he did when he heard Rosalie's sad words. 

"You're no longer a child. Stop clinging to me." Albert had left a crying Rosalie with the crumpled flower wreathes on the floor without looking back. 

Now, hearing her for the first time, calling him so sweetly, Albert was feeling awkward. At the same time, he felt pleased with himself.

"No, you're just right on time, dear." 

Rosalie's smile became even more profound. But the coldness in her eyes shone with a murderous light.

At Albert's reply, Emma was brought back to reality. There was no time to be distracted by her own thoughts, and she needed to compose herself. 

Putting on a different face, she went to stand beside Rosalie, hooked an arm around the latter's, and happily joined in, "That's right. You're not late, sweetie. But maybe next time, you should try not to be a sleepyhead and come before the guests. You even made me call you." 

With this, she reminded everyone that Rosalie had taken her sweet time to sleep while everyone was already inside the venue. This was Emma telling everything what a lazy and spoiled child she was!

These people were all important and wealthy people whose time was all calculated into money. As expected, once Emma reminded them of this fact, their favorable impression of Rosalie decreased.

Rosalie didn't care about them or what they thought of her. 

She gently pushed away Emma's hand, and with a cold and distant smile on her lips, she said, "What are you talking about, Emma? When you called me earlier, I was already on my way here. But Richard suddenly entered my room and stopped me." 

Her calm response made Emma feel a bit embarrassed. 

"Speaking of Richard, I think he was making a lot of noise in the back." 

As if on cue, a loud noise was heard. A table was flipped over with its legs sticking out, and a few guests were sitting on the ground. Broken glasses of expensive wine and champagne, as well as food served on the table, were scattered around them.

The guests were in a sorry state. In the middle of it all, Richard stood alone, his face red with anger.