Chapter 6 A Fairy's Face, A Viper's Heart

To be fair, such handling of the situation was quite appropriate.

After all, The Hall family and The Green family were relatives. No matter how ugly things got, some face had to be given to The Green family.

A steward stepped forward to guide the way. Emily responded with a polite smile, stepping over the shattered glass in her pointed high heels as she walked past Allen without pause.

Since the host had already intervened, the spectators naturally made way for her.

The scene had already turned as ugly as expected. Emily had initially intended to leave quietly, but just as she lowered her gaze, she noticed someone ahead subtly extending a foot, as if waiting for her to fall into their trap.

Today, besides throwing three glasses of wine at Alburt, she hadn't offended anyone else.

If it wasn't a new grudge, then it could only be an old one.

And as for old grudges, there was likely only one-

James.

As the young head of The Green family in Chicago, James had always been the object of admiration among socialites, mostly because of his strikingly good looks.

His appearance alone was enough to make countless women willingly throw themselves at him, even without considering The Green family's power and status.

Thus, when James married her, countless hearts had shattered.

But now, with a seemingly better option in front of them, why was someone still targeting her?

Emily pretended not to notice and walked straight ahead, stepping directly onto the outstretched foot.

The other party had been preparing to trip Emily, but to their surprise, Emily's sharp heel landed right on their foot, eliciting a sharp cry of pain as they fell to the ground.

Emily had been prepared for this, so she only swayed slightly, but still maintained a precarious, unsteady stance, taking several steps back.

She briefly debated whether she should go all out and take a dramatic fall. But just as she was about to decide, a hand suddenly reached out from behind, resting lightly on her waist to steady her.

Emily had no choice but to stand firm before turning her head.

Allen stood behind her, his expression calm and his deep eyes unreadable.

He was tall and imposing, his presence overwhelming. Even with her 5'7" height and 7-centimeter heels, Emily was still a head shorter than him.

But the pressure he exerted on her wasn't just due to his height.

There was something... lurking beneath his composed and proper exterior.

Suppressing the slight quickening of her heartbeat, she flashed him a bright smile. "Thank you, Mr. Hall."

Allen remained silent, withdrawing his hand without a word.

Even so, Emily could still feel multiple hostile gazes on her.

Of course-she was already James's wife, yet she was now seemingly entangled with this new rising star?

Emily lowered her gaze, adjusted her dress, and prepared to leave. But once again, someone blocked her path.

"Are you blind? You stepped on me and think you can just walk away?" The woman, Elizabeth, had barely managed to stand up with the help of others, glaring at Emily coldly.

Emily tilted her head and studied her. She looked familiar, but Emily couldn't quite place her. Still, she smiled slightly. "Are you injured? Then you should go to the hospital first. Later, bring your medical bill to The Green family. James has always been generous with pretty girls."

"Hah! As if you get to make decisions for him," Elizabeth sneered. "Or should I say, clinging desperately to your title as Mrs. Green, of course you'd want to make yourself seem important. But tell me, does James even acknowledge you?"

The surrounding crowd perked up at the confrontation.

And finally, Emily recalled who Elizabeth was.

Elizabeth wasn't directly involved with James, but she was standing up for one of his many female confidantes.

Seeing that the audience was interested, Elizabeth pressed on, her voice dripping with mockery. "You really think no one remembers what you did to climb your way up to Mrs. Green? The things you've done, the people you've harmed-don't you have any shame? If I were you, I'd spend my life keeping my head down. And yet, here you are, strutting around. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution, Emily?"

All eyes turned to Emily.

Emily listened quietly to her accusations, then casually touched her earlobe and smiled. "Well, it's winter. There won't be any thunderstorms."

"Pfft-" Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh.

Elizabeth's face twisted with rage. "Yeah, sure, winter doesn't have thunderstorms. But heaven still sees everything! Look at what's happening to The Wilson family now-that's your karma! Emily, congratulations. Everything you did is coming back to haunt you and your family."

"Oh, if you're so close with heaven, could you pass along a message? I'm not that close with my family, so punishing them is pointless. If karma has business with me, it should just come for me directly."

Emily spoke without a trace of fear and then walked past her, continuing to follow the steward.

Behind her, murmurs of gossip spread like wildfire-

"What exactly did she do?"

"Who did she hurt?"

Elizabeth, seeing the growing interest, raised her voice in triumph. "She colluded with thugs to eliminate obstacles so she could marry James! She used the most despicable, vile methods to ruin an innocent girl, leaving her humiliated and permanently disabled! That poor girl has been in a wheelchair ever since-"

Her words rang out across the room, loud and clear for all to hear.

Such a severe accusation, thrown out in public-yet Emily merely paused briefly before continuing to walk away without a single word in her defense.

Her silence only seemed to confirm the allegations, and the whispers grew louder.

"She's got that arrogant and reckless attitude-totally believable that she'd do something like that."

"No wonder she disappeared for the past two years. Even she knew she was guilty."

"No surprise The Wilson family's in trouble now. Even James isn't lifting a finger to help them..."

In the crowd, Allen stood silently, watching Emily's retreating figure disappear through the doorway.

Behind him, Vincent lowered his voice to explain, "Mrs. Green is from The Wilson family. They've run into some trouble recently and have been seeking help everywhere. But since The Green family isn't lifting a finger, no one in New York City will either."

Nearby, Evan, the tall and handsome department manager, let out a sigh. "Such a shame-what a face, what a body. If she were in bed, I bet she'd be wild. Too bad she's from The Green family..."

"A fairy's face, a viper's heart. Aren't you afraid she's poisonous? You might die in her arms," someone teased.

"If I die under a peony flower, I'll be a happy ghost," Evan smirked.

A few men chuckled knowingly, while others frowned and shook their heads.

Vincent, however, shot Evan a glare. "Talking like this in front of Mr. Hall-do you even know how to behave?"

Evan shrugged. "We're all young men. Who knew he'd be so old-fashioned?"

"This Mr. Hall may be young, but he was personally trained by Old Mr. Hall. His habits and character were meticulously shaped under his grandfather's watchful eye. He's flawless. A man like a mountain of snow-you think he's like you?"

"Seriously? He's in his twenties. Even if he's disciplined, he's still got desires, right?" Evan smirked. "Unless... the rumors are true. That he was sick for years, and even though he looks healthy now... he's completely useless in that department-"

Some snickered, while others frowned in disapproval.

Vincent said nothing more, turning to catch up with Allen, who had already moved on to another conversation.