Mr. CEO's Young Mistress novel Chapter 50

"Shirley, I'm so angry! Sharon's merely an adopted child, but Leonard treats her better than he treats me!" Selena scowled at Sharon, who was being led along by Puvis. 

...

Shirley's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, and she looked at Sharon as well. On the stage, Sharon dazzled like a princess. 

The pearl necklace she was wearing was one of a kind. Designed by a notorious jewellery designer, it cost over ten million dollars. 

As for her dress, it had been handsewn by a renown French master tailor and would have taken months to complete, contributing to its high price. 

Not only that, her pink crystal shoes were also custom made by another famous designer, and just her butterfly hairpin alone would have cost millions. 

...

Her whole outfit cost tens of millions of dollars, and everything was made by famous designers. 

No woman could even dream of measuring up to her!

Everyone was thinking, "What a lucky girl! Thanks to her parent's death, she has someone like Leonard Lefebvre to dote on her!"

...

Shirley narrowed her eyes, barely concealing the dark glint that flashed in her eyes. 

Calmly, she looked back at Selena, who was barely holding back her tears. In a gentle voice, she consoled Selena. "It's Sharon's twenty-first birthday, so it's natural for her to have a grand banquet. Besides, what would people think of your brother if it had been anything less?"

...

"She's right, darling. Our family is the head of the Four Great Families, so we have to live up to expectations and protect our reputation." Rosamond added hurriedly. 

...

When Shirley heard Rosamond's words, she wanted to sneer. 

"I know that! But he didn't have to go to such lengths for her, did he? Even my eighteenth birthday hadn't been as fancy! Just look at what she's wearing! It must have cost a fortune just to have them designed. What about me? He only gave me a villa and nothing else. He didn't even help prepare for the banquet! Not only that, he even left early on the day of the banquet just because Sharon was sick!" Selena whined.

...

...

Selena was feeling sorrier for herself by the minute. The more she thought about it, she more disappointed she felt towards Leonard. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and decided. "You can stop comforting me. I can tell who he really cares about! Mummy, I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to see Sharon and Leonard ever again!" 

...

With that, Selena gathered her dress and stormed out of the hall. 

"Selena..." Rosamond jumped up, about to chase after her. 

...

"Rosamond." Shirley held her back. "The banquet has just begun. If you leave now, what will the media think? I'll go after her, so you can stay here." Shirley assured Rosamond. "Don't worry, I'll comfort her."

...

"You're right, Shirley. You're so thoughtful. Well, I'll leave Selena in your care since she listens to everything you say. Please hurry, I'm worried about her." Rosamond replied urgently, clasping Shirley's hand. 

...

"I'll go now." 

Shirley pulled out her hand and turned to chase after Selena. 

Rosamond's eyes followed Shirley out of the hall, and she let out a long sigh. She looked at Sharon and Puvis on the stage. 

She may have tried her best to convince Selena that Leonard only cared for Sharon because of their family's reputation, but she couldn't deny that she also felt that Leonard paid Sharon too much attention.

...

He cared for Sharon much more than his sister, even more than the entire family! 

"There, there. Sharon has been in our family since she was five and has lived with Leonard since then. I bet Leonard sees her as a daughter by now. Wouldn't he want the best for her, just like how we want the best for Selena?" Nathan asked, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Rosamond's shoulders. 

...

...

Rosamond peered at Nathan but said nothing. 

......

After getting off the stage, Sharon immediately searched for Melanie but to no avail. 

"Hasn't she arrived? Or has she gone to the washroom?" Sharon wondered. 

But she waved off her initial thought. "There's no way she hasn't arrived. I've asked her an hour before the banquet started and she already said that she was on the way. She either went to the washroom, or she went to search for somewhere quiet." Sharon decided.

...

She gathered her dress and headed towards the washroom. 

Sharon was walking along the corridor to the washroom when she caught sight of Melanie ahead, who looked stunning in her red dress. Sharon's face lit up with a smile and she quickened her pace. 

"Isn't Sharon Andre lucky? Her coming-of-age ceremony is even fancier than the actual child of the family. Did you see how angry Selena was when she rushed out of the hall just now? Tsk, tsk," someone chatted. 

"Well, what can she do if her brother cares for Sharon more?" another replied. 

"Honestly, I don't think it's that simple." 

Someone asked, surprised, "What do you mean? Did we miss something?" 

"Well... I heard this from a friend of mine who was drunk..." 

Lowering her voice, the woman continued. "Apparently Mr. Lefebvre has special feelings for Sharon Andre..."

For a moment, no one said a word. 

...

"Good heavens! What nonsense are you talking about?" A lady gasped. 

"Exactly! We can't speak of such rumours so casually." Another added.

"I can't say it's for sure since my friend was drunk when she told me that. She even told me to keep it a secret." 

"Well, I don't believe that. Why would Mr. Lefebvre like someone as immature as Sharon when he could easily get any woman he wanted? I'd rather believe that Sharon is the one who fancies him." A woman scoffed.

...

"I think so, too. I mean, just look at her! Actually... Now that you mention it, I think it might be true that Sharon is the one who has ulterior motives. She must have used her body to seduce Mr. Lefebvre! Otherwise, how can an orphan like her stack up against the actual child of the Lefebvre family?" 

...

"How terrifying! If that's really the case, she must have been planning for a long time. I heard she entered the Lefebvre family when she was five. To think that a five-year-old child could be so cunning. Tsk, tsk. Just the thought of that gave me goosebumps!" 

...

"So what if she's cunning? Even if she successfully made Mr. Lefebvre fall in love with her, there is still no way she could become his wife. Putting someone as powerful as Shirley Cook aside, I bet even the Lefebvre family wouldn't allow such a woman to—"  

...

"Shut up!" An icy voice snapped, startling the women who were gossiping. 

They stiffened and turned to look towards the entrance to the washroom, relaxing when they saw it was Melanie. 

...

Disdain instantly replaced the panic in their eyes as they sneered at Melanie. 

"Who are you?" someone asked rudely. 

Melanie snickered and leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "Someone who talks behind others' back doesn't deserve to know my name." 

"What the f*ck? Who's this arrogant b*tch?" Another woman scowled, gritting her teeth. 

"I don't know her either!" someone replied, crossing her arms as well as she glared at Melanie, hostile. 

"Did you know that those who slander others behind their backs will have their tongues cut off in hell? Not to mention, they could never reincarnate. They'll only be disgusting flies waiting to be swatted!" Melanie drawled leisurely with a smirk. 

...

"Who you calling flies?"

"Whoever just said that!" Melanie glared at her fiercely. 

The woman's heart skipped a beat, flabbergasted. 

"You're just looking for trouble, aren't you? What has our chat got anything to do with you?" 

"It pissed me off, that's what!" Melanie raised her chin and stared straight into her eyes. 

"Are you crazy?" 

"That's right! You better be prepared because I'm going to keep you here until the banquet is over!" Melanie sneered with narrowed eyes. 

"Pfft! You?" 

"Luckily, I've learnt Taekwondo and even won a national competition. I think it's more than enough to deal with the like of you!" Melanie retorted.

...

Her words dumbfounded all the women. They hadn't expected someone as girlish looking as her to have such a skill. 

Melanie looked at them quietly.

Silently, Melanie scoffed to herself. "As if! I'm busy enough just trying to survive. Where would I get the money to learn Taekwondo?" 

...

...

But she had to admit that she was indeed stronger than most women. 

For a moment, no one moved, the air turning heavier. 

Melanie still stood in the same spot. She seemed determined to not let them pass. 

"I have to teach them a lesson, or they'll say something even worse next time!" Melanie thought.

"What the hell do you want?" A woman cried out, quivering. 

Melanie shrugged. "Like I said, no one is leaving before the banquet—"

"Melanie."

Melanie paused and turned her head.