The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 495

At that moment, Dick was busy mingling with the crowd, making connections wherever he could.

Not far away, Aline was deep in conversation with a group of well-dressed ladies.

She sat at the very center of their little circle, basking in their admiration, finally enjoying her moment in the spotlight.

The Glenwood family was the most powerful household in Crestwood. Even though Dick wasn’t Scales’s biological son—just his adopted child—Scales doted on him. And the Glenwood name alone was enough to open any door. Now that Aline was Mrs. Glenwood, she knew everyone out there would have to call her by that title, whether they liked it or not.

Aline sat perfectly poised, sipping her champagne as one woman after another came up to toast her and heap on the compliments. If they’d gone any further, they might have praised her all the way back to infancy.

“Mrs. Glenwood, your skin is just flawless—like porcelain, honestly.”

“If you have time, Mrs. Glenwood, we should book a spa day together sometime.”

“I absolutely love that necklace, Mrs. Glenwood. I’ve had my eye on it for ages, but my husband says it’s too expensive. I wish I had a husband like yours!”

“Mrs. Glenwood, I heard you have a daughter. Does she have a boyfriend yet?”

“If not, perhaps she could meet my son sometime?”

Aline had never experienced this kind of attention before. She made a show of it, playing the part of the prestigious hostess to perfection.

Just then, a few middle-aged men hurried over. Aline assumed they’d come to greet her, so she offered them a gracious smile.

But the men barely glanced her way. Instead, they strode right past her and approached the ladies in her circle, grabbing their wives by the arm and pulling them aside.

In the blink of an eye, Aline was left standing alone.

Had Jeanette gotten into trouble?

Panic flickered in Aline’s eyes. She set her glass down and went off in search of her daughter.

She scoured the room, but there was no sign of Jeanette. Then, at the center of a growing crowd, she finally caught sight of her. Aline hurried over, intending to ask what was going on, but as she drew closer, her heart sank.

Jeanette stood at the center of the crowd, her cheeks swollen and red, a smear of blood on her lips. Red wine dripped from her hair, staining her white dress a garish crimson. She looked utterly humiliated.

Aline’s face blanched. She pushed through the crowd and rushed to her daughter’s side.

She grabbed Jeanette’s shoulders, her voice trembling. “Jeanette, what happened to you?”