The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 53

Mandy watched the drama unfold with obvious delight, fanning the flames at just the right moment. “Oh, Claire, don’t get so worked up. Maybe she really didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, she’s pretty. It’s only natural she’d want to get noticed by Mr. Mitchell.”

Her words still carried the implication that Natalie had ulterior motives.

Just then, Daniel noticed the commotion and hurried over. “What’s going on here? Why are you causing a fuss? Don’t you realize there’s filming happening over there?”

He pushed through the crowd and paused when he saw Natalie and Mandy. “What’s going on?”

Claire’s eyes lit up when she saw Daniel. “Mr. Reed, it’s me, Claire Moore. Mr. Mitchell recommended me for the cameo of Lady of Blackvale.”

“You?” Daniel’s eyes widened as he looked from Claire to Natalie. “So what are you doing here?”

Natalie shrugged. “I told you already. I’m not here for that.”

Daniel remembered the scene at the entrance. “Didn’t you say your last name was Moore?”

“Yes, my last name is Moore.”

Daniel let out a sharp breath and shot Natalie a resentful look. He was already worried that his own mistake would come back to bite him. He had mixed people up, wasted time, and nearly caused a mess.

So he quickly tried to shift the blame. Seeing Natalie’s calm attitude, he figured she was just some tourist or fan hanging around and aimed all his frustration and excuses at her.

“Come on, just because your last name is Moore, you had to play along? Isn’t that deliberately misleading us? Do you even realize how precious our time is? Everyone’s been held up because of you.”

Daniel’s tone turned sharp. “You’ve wasted so much of everyone’s time. Miss Moore’s already here, and you’re still hanging around in her costume. Are you here to cause trouble?”

The more he spoke, the more convinced he was that he was in the right, raising his voice as if that would prove he wasn’t to blame. ‘The real problem is this woman who showed up out of nowhere,’ he thought.

The crowd that had gathered to watch started gossiping in hushed tones.

With Daniel taking her side, Claire stood a little taller and gave Natalie a triumphant glance.

Natalie listened quietly to the accusations, her face giving nothing away. There was no anger in her, no trace of grievance, only cold detachment.

When he was done, she finally spoke, calm and unhurried, “First, at the gate, you were the one who assumed I was the Moore and brought me in without letting me explain or check who I was.”

Her tone was steady, just laying out the facts. “Second, I only did the makeup and costume because the crew told me to. 1

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Chapter 53

never asked for it, and I never claimed I was here as an actress.”

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“Third,” she said, shooting Daniel a cold look as his face turned red. “Blaming someone you misled because you weren’t paying attention isn’t going to fix anything.”

Her words were sharp and precise. In just a few sentences, she made it clear that Daniel was the one who had made the mistake and that she had only followed the crew’s instructions, leaving no room for him to dodge responsibility.

Daniel was struck speechless, his expression turning rigid with embarrassment. He knew he was in the wrong. His earlier accusations were just him grasping at straws to save himself, and Natalie had shut him down hard.

The crowd’s gossip got even louder.

“Looks like it really was Daniel who messed up, huh?”

“She’s totally right. She never claimed she was here to act.”

“Looks like Daniel’s just trying to dump the blame…”

Claire grew anxious when she saw Daniel left speechless.

“Mr. Reed, don’t let her talk her way out of this. She did it on purpose. Just look at her, all dressed up and made up. She’s

Claire pointed at Natalie, acting all high and mighty. “This woman is a crazy stalker fan. She wormed her way in and stole the cameo Mr. Mitchell gave me, just so she could bother him and snap secret pics.”

Zoe looked even more bewildered. “You… A cameo?”

Zoe thought, ‘Cameo? Didn’t Mr. Mitchell ask me to pick her up because she’s just here to see him?‘

Claire answered without missing a beat, “Obviously, Lady of Blackvale. Call the cops and have her taken away already.”

She got even more enthusiastic, thinking, ‘If Mr. Mitchell finds out I helped sort this out, he’ll definitely be impressed with

me.‘

But Zoe’s next words completely threw everyone for a loop.

“Wait. You’re not here to see Mr. Mitchell?”

“Huh?” Claire noticed Zoe’s odd expression, and a sense of dread washed over her. Uncertain, she opened her mouth to speak, “Wasn’t I here to act?”

“Crap, I grabbed the wrong person.” Zoe’s jaw dropped. ‘I screwed up again. What do I do now?‘

Natalie licked her lips. “I’m the one you were supposed to pick up. I’m here to see Jason.”

“You’re the Miss Moore Mr. Mitchell wanted me to pick up?” Zoe stared at Natalie, who was almost too beautiful, with that cold vibe, and suddenly, it all clicked. ‘This is exactly the kind of person Mr. Mitchell described.‘

Zoe had been hanging around at the entrance earlier, checking out Claire for ages, not sure if she was the right one, until she heard her last name was Moore, and finally went over.

She’d even thought Jason was exaggerating. Claire was good–looking, but not really beautiful–beautiful. And now she knew that it was because she had the wrong Moore.

“I’m so sorry, I picked up the wrong person. Are you alright?” Zoe finally realized her mistake, looking mortified.

Claire’s face was a picture of disbelief. “What did you just say? The Miss Moore you were supposed