Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 48

The salon was divided into two sections: the general admission area outside, and the exclusive VIP exhibition inside.

When Gillian looked down at the stolen invitation and realized it was blank, without Emma's name printed on it, her thrill skyrocketed.

Initially, she had only wanted to embarrass Emma by getting her locked out of the venue, but now...

"Phoebe, the exhibition is starting. Let's head inside."

Gillian walked over to call her friend. Phoebe cast one last, complicated glance at Emma, instantly sparking Gillian's irritation.

"You two were talking so intensely. Don't tell me you've forgotten what she did to you?"

Phoebe's eyes dropped at the reminder.

Years ago, her mother had fallen critically ill and urgently needed to be transferred to a specialist hospital.

She had begged everyone she knew, and out of sheer desperation, she had called Emma.

She called over and over, but the phone wasn't just ringing out—it was actively being declined.

She even sent frantic texts begging Emma to help, or to at least ask the Lockwoods to pull some strings. All she got in return was one ice-cold reply.

[If the Harrington family doesn't care, why should the Lockwood family? The Harrington family has been providing for you all these years anyway. If your mom dies, she dies. At least she won't be a burden anymore.]

When Phoebe first read those words, she completely refused to believe Emma had sent them.

It wasn't until Gillian stepped in, leveraged her connections to save her mother's life, and casually mentioned how Emma had completely cut ties with the family, that Phoebe finally accepted the truth.

Emma never cared about anyone else's struggles; she only ever called Violet when she needed money.

Phoebe's eyes darkened with melancholy. She still couldn't understand how the warm, wonderful girl she used to know had turned into such a monster the second she went overseas.

The question had haunted her for years, but as she grew closer to Gillian, she slowly let go of her past friendship with Emma.

Emma locked her phone and reached into her bag, only to find the bottom pocket completely empty.

She raised an eyebrow. Stolen right out from under her nose?

Emma narrowed her eyes. Phoebe was entirely incapable of stealing, which meant it had to be the waiter who had conspicuously bumped into her table to deliver her coffee earlier.

"Miss, do you not have an invitation?"

Emma pressed her lips together, crossing her arms as she looked up at the staff member. "My invitation was stolen. I need you to check the security cameras immediately."

Losing a piece of cardstock was hardly a crisis to Emma.

She remained perfectly composed. Seeing this, Gillian immediately rushed over to twist the knife.

"Is it stolen, or did you just never have one to begin with?"