It was the first time Josie was formally appearing in public. Although Winston looked down on her, he couldn't let her embarrass the Carters. For that reason, he had prepared an extravagant gown for her.
Now, as he looked at Josie standing before him in a dark red mermaid dress, her figure curvaceous and her expression as cold as an ice queen, he was momentarily stunned. Winston snapped a photo and sent it to their group chat. "Gotta hand it to Wallace's latest design. Even an 'old woman' like Josie can look good in it.
Soon, his phone started buzzing with notifications. He didn't go to see it but took Josie's hand and went to the banquet hall with her.
All eyes were on them as they walked in. Some were envious, some were surprised and some were even jealous. Winston's mood lifted considerably. However, his expression stiffened when someone asked which prominent family the lady belonged to. "She's not from our circle."
Before he could finish, a sharp, playful voice chimed in from the side. "A lady? Don't flatter her! She's just a country bumpkin."
Zelda, dressed in a delicate pastel pink princess gown, walked over gracefully, exuding elegance and nobility. The people around her joined in, scanning Josie with mocking eyes and clicking their tongues in disapproval.
"Zelda, even you're giving her too much credit. She's not just from the countryside, she came straight out of the deep mountains!"
"She doesn't even have to worry about getting kidnapped. The moment she steps off the car, she knows this place better than the traffickers themselves!"
Thinking about Winston's shared photo in the group chat and the compliments that followed, Zelda clenched her teeth and looked down at Josie with condescension. "Did you really think that putting on a designer gown would turn you into a peacock?"
Soft snickers echoed around them, the initial admiration for Josie replaced by ridicule. Winston's face darkened, his expression shifting between embarrassment and anger. He frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Zelda."
Zelda pouted in displeasure, then quickly latched onto Winston's arm, pushing Josie aside. "Winston, I was just joking with her. She's not even mad—why are you?"
She turned her head and smiled sweetly at Josie. "Josie, your life has really improved since being with Winston. It's my birthday today and you didn't even get me a gift."
Winston's face darkened. "Josie, I told you it was Zelda's birthday. How could you come empty-handed?"
If she could, Josie would have walked away right then and there to end this farce. "You only told me at nine o'clock last night. I didn't have time—"
"Enough." Winston cut her off coldly. "That's no excuse. Apologize to Zelda."
Her body was still weak from the effects of drinking the other night. Standing so long on an empty stomach made her stomach ache, but she knew they wouldn't let this go easily. As expected, Zelda smiled sweetly. "We all know about Josie's financial situation, so we won't make things hard for her."
She then picked up a glass of wine and held it out. "Since you're such a good drinker, why don't you down this as an apology? Then I'll forgive you."
Josie knew she couldn't avoid this, so she swallowed her discomfort and accepted the glass. However, she sensed something was wrong as soon as she drank it. With her tolerance, one glass of wine shouldn't have made her feel this dizzy. Moreover, a strange heat was spreading through her body.
She tried to grab Winston's arm to tell him, but he coldly pushed her away. "Zelda drank too much and isn't feeling well. I'll take her upstairs to rest. You can look around."
Josie's vision blurred quickly and she saw double. She stumbled and tried to walk out of the crowd but was hugged by a pair of hands that came out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Zelda stood obediently by Winston's side, saying to his parents, "Josie also came to celebrate my birthday. Let's go find her later, okay? She'll be so surprised to see you two!"
