Chapter 2707
The crowd was somewhat taken aback; nobody expected Regina to still be able to flash a smile after what she’d been through, let alone engage in light-hearted banter.
In their hearts, an undeniable sentiment emerged: Regina was unmistakably still the true Miss Tanner.
But at the back, Madeline was fuming, her lips twisted in anger. Why should Regina steal the spotlight like this?
What an utterly shameless woman, Madeline thought. To be accused of swiping her own mother’s bracelet and still have the nerve to laugh about it? Regina’s mental fortitude was certainly something else.
“Are you trying to muddy the waters, Regina? You owe our mother an explanation,” she hissed.
Glancing over at Madeline, it was no wonder she was considered a knock-off.
Did these outsiders really need to stick around and wait for the family to sort out their mess? Even if Regina had indeed smashed her bracelet, what did it have to do with any of the guests? They had already shown enough respect to the Tanner family by staying this long. Now, Regina had gracefully suggested they leave, yet here was Madeline stirring the pot.
“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Regina breaking some mistress’s bracelet isn’t exactly the crime of the century, is it? Huh?” Daphne Olsen spoke up, a longtime friend of Regina. Daphne had been itching to stand up for Regina but had been silenced until now.
As she found her moment, both Francis and Imogen’s faces turned sour, while Madeline reacted as if her tail had been stepped on, abandoning any pretense of being the well-mannered Tanner heiress.
“You can’t expect pearls of wisdom to fall from a dog’s mouth. What are you blabbering about? Who are you to talk like that, and who let you into our home!” Madeline screeched. Regina stepped in front of Daphne, ready to retort, but her father beat her to it, scolding Madeline sharply.
“Who raised you to be so impolite? This is Miss Olsen of the Olsen family-I invited her here myself!”
The Olsens were a notch above the Tanners, and had it not been for the connection between Regina and the family, the Tanners would have lost their business dealings with them long ago. They were certainly not a family the Tanners could afford to offend.
Madeline had really stepped in it this time. Her face turned beet red, words failing her.
How was she to know this sharp-tongued woman was none other than the esteemed
Miss Olsen?
Even more bewildering to her was the friendship between Regina and Daphne, seeing the protective stance Regina took.
“Mr. Tanner is truly blessed,” Daphne said sarcastically. “Not only does your own daughter help with your business, but you also have someone else’s daughter speaking up for you. If only my dad had your luck, the Olsen family would be even more successful.”
Daphne wasn’t one to be trifled with; she always spoke her mind.
“Daphne, you jest,” Francis intervened smoothly. “Madeline simply doesn’t know many people. She moved in with her mother in her teens, so there are a lot of folks she’s unfamiliar with. I will surely keep a closer eye and educate her properly from now on!”
With that, Madeline was metaphorically slapped across the face in front of the whole gathering.
No matter how hard she tried to blend in, her roots as a nouveau riche were evident. She wasn’t from the same world, and no amount of pretending could change that.
Several young men and women from other notable families were in attendance, and catching sight of Madeline’s flushed face, looking as red as a cooked lobster, they couldn’t help but turn away to stifle their laughter.
