Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 49

Emma's eyes locked onto the black invitation clutched in Gillian's hand, and a sharp, knowing laugh escaped her lips.

"No need to check the cameras."

She narrowed her eyes. No wonder Phoebe had spontaneously decided to come over and reminisce—it was a distraction so Gillian could steal her pass.

"The illustrious daughter of the Lockwood family surely isn't entering the exhibition as a standard guest, right?"

Emma threw the question back at her. Knowing Gillian's blinding arrogance, if she actually had a VIP pass, there was absolutely no way she would have kept it hidden this long.

Gillian's grip tightened around her purse. Remembering that the invitation was blank, she gritted her teeth and slammed it onto the podium.

"This is my invitation."

The staff member's demeanor instantly shifted to utmost deference the moment he saw the ultra-exclusive VIP pass.

Oddly enough, seeing that it lacked a printed name didn't prompt any questions. Instead, it only made him more respectful.

"Ms. Lockwood, I presume? Please come with me. Your seating arrangements were personally finalized by our boss."

Gillian's confidence swelled to bursting. She shot Emma a look of pure, unadulterated venom. "Hear that? What makes you think you can ever compete with me?"

Emma's lips curled into a faint smile, her voice carrying clearly across the lobby.

"I just hope you can handle the weight of that invitation."

Before Gillian could even process the threat, Tristan stormed over.

He looked genuinely shocked to see the ultra-rare VIP pass in Gillian's hand, but he didn't question it. Instead, he glared at Emma with absolute revulsion.

"Emma Lockwood, are you actually losing your mind out of jealousy? It's just an invitation. Why wouldn't Gillian deserve it?"

Tristan lifted his chin, looking down at her like she was a stain on the floor.

He sneered, his eyes filled with malicious delight. "This auto salon isn't for stray dogs. If you don't have a ticket, get the hell out of here before you pollute the air."

Slap.

Emma calmly pulled her hand back as Tristan stared at her in shocked fury. She casually blew on her reddened palm, a look of sheer disgust in her eyes.

Emma had expected Carter to intervene, but she hadn't expected him to go straight for the jugular like that.

She was genuinely surprised, and she found herself looking at him with undisguised appreciation.

Standing just a few feet away, Percy caught that look, and his eyes darkened with bitter resentment.

He had been engaged to Emma for years, yet she had never once looked at him with that kind of admiration!

She really was just a shallow gold-digger, perfectly happy to latch onto whoever had the most power.

Watching Carter shield Emma once again, Gillian felt the jealousy burning a hole straight through her chest.

She glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers, gritted her teeth, and deliberately raised her voice. "Mr. Harrington is trying so hard to protect Emma, but why didn't you just give her an invitation in the first place? Now she's forced to crash the event like a beggar, and you have to clean up her mess."

Carter's gaze turned to absolute ice. Just as he opened his mouth to utterly decimate her, a voice laced with lazy amusement spoke up beside him.

"Who ever told you I needed an invitation to walk through those doors?"