Chapter 390: Don’t You Feel Ashamed?
The lights blazed all around, men and women in luxurious attire mingled here, everywhere the swirl of perfume and elegant silhouettes, and the faint aroma of champagne was diffused in the air.
But to Cecilia Vaughn, none of this was particularly tempting—the reason she wanted to go inside early was simple: it was just too cold tonight.
Even though she was probably the girl dressed the warmest here, she still couldn’t help but shiver, silently squeezing her palms to force herself to stand more upright and graceful.
—There was no alternative; since she was here, Cecilia Vaughn had to be mindful that this was a charity gala, so she could only try her best to maintain her composure and not leave herself open to ridicule.
...
Cecilia Vaughn handed over the gold-embossed invitation, fully expecting to be let in.
However, the tuxedoed guard kept eyeing the invitation with suspicion, finally looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Miss... are you sure you haven’t come to the wrong place?"
Cecilia Vaughn was instantly stunned.
For a moment she almost suspected her ears had deceived her. The cold wind whipped around her, Cecilia forced herself not to let her teeth chatter, struggling to keep her tone gentle.
"No, isn’t the venue listed on the invitation this place?"
Out of a sense of self-doubt, Cecilia couldn’t help but glance around—she thought she just caught a glimpse of Kent Ramsey, a trendy young actor who’d become a huge star recently. But Cecilia only noticed him because he’d posted his own invitation on Weibo.
"Excuse me, this is definitely the site of the ’Light of Love’ charity gala, right?"
The guard in the tux looked at her awkwardly, his expression carrying an indescribable nuance. That look made Cecilia Vaughn distinctly uncomfortable.
"Of course, this is indeed the location for the ’Light of Love’ charity gala."
Cecilia Vaughn breathed out in relief, her face blossoming into a radiant smile.
"Since it’s the right place, surely I can go inside now, can’t I?"
The guard was caught off guard by the girl’s clear and bright face, stunned for a second by her smile. But stunned or not, he only hesitated a few seconds, then, thinking of his job, immediately blocked Cecilia Vaughn with his hand.
"Uh... I’m afraid your invitation is fake..."
Cecilia Vaughn froze again.
She nearly thought the guard was joking. As someone who studied art, she could tell how expensive the paper was—not to mention the embossed gold patterns, just the thin Kaelen-imported pine ink paper was worth a lot.
"Couldn’t you guys have made a mistake?"
Cecilia Vaughn’s mind was full of doubts. She wore a long-sleeved, ankle-length dress, but with no coat, she was so cold her nose was nearly running.
After all, mixing up invitations wasn’t a small matter, so Cecilia could only wait patiently at her spot.
...
The guard watched as Cecilia shivered with cold, feeling not an ounce of sympathy—instead secretly thinking what a pity it was that a con artist had such good looks.
"Miss, there are more wannabe stars than I can count trying to sneak into our red carpet at charity galas. Please go back, don’t hold up the next guest for registration any longer."
Cecilia Vaughn had never been publicly called a fraud before, her expression was utterly embarrassed, her lips moved lightly as she spoke, earnest and apologetic.
"I’m sorry, could you give me a chance to explain? I really didn’t come here to crash the red carpet."
—Come on, anyone crashing the red carpet, even on a cold night, would be showing off chest, midriff, arms, or thighs—that’s the formula for making the headlines!
"Mr. Guard, could you tell me who sends out the invitations for this gala? I really did get it in my school mailbox..."
Cecilia Vaughn sounded sincere, but the guard, used to seeing countless actors in show biz, was growing impatient.
"Go, go, go, young lady, I’ve already exposed you—why keep blocking others’ way?"
The guard had barely finished speaking when a wave of disgruntled chatter broke out behind him.
"Yeah, your invitation’s obviously fake, and you still want to explain?"
"Get out, don’t hold up our security check."
Cecilia Vaughn furrowed her delicate brows. She didn’t believe this was just coincidence—who would send her a fake charity gala invitation just to set her up?
While Cecilia Vaughn was puzzling over it, suddenly, a loud shutter click echoed in the air.
Followed by a barrage of flashes, tearing through the darkness of the night.
"Isn’t that the Vaughn Family’s eldest daughter, Cecilia Vaughn?!"
"God, she’s here too?! Is it because Miss Fiona is donating ten million tonight with The Second Young Master Law to build an orphanage in Stellerton?"
"Didn’t you hear? Eldest Miss Vaughn doesn’t even have an invitation, but still tries to crash the red carpet. How humiliating! Does the woman have no shame?"
...
Fiona Vaughn and Tyson Law are here?
And as the featured guests?
Cecilia Vaughn’s expression shifted; a bizarre idea flashed through her mind almost instantly.
But before she could confirm her suspicion, a swarm of reporters surrounded her like glue, leaving no room to escape.
"Eldest Miss Vaughn, you clearly weren’t invited to ’Light of Love’—why are you here?"
"Just this week, you started a humanitarian charity for Veridia women—was that just a publicity stunt?"
"Your Radiant Group used to be only locally known in Stellerton, but thanks to trending online, now you’re famous all over Veridia. Even your stock price has soared for several days running—like a firebird rising. Miss Vaughn, having tasted the benefits of marketing, are you here to keep riding the wave at ’Light of Love’?"
The reporters’ questions were sharp and relentless; Cecilia Vaughn’s face was frozen from the cold wind, but she was forced to deal with them anyway.
"Sorry, but those suspecting I’m just putting on a show are going to be disappointed."
"This invitation was sent to me at school. If I’m not mistaken, it’s Kaelen’s exclusive pine ink paper, with the ’Light of Love’ watermark. Unless someone here has access to their internal stationery, I doubt anyone could forge this in such a short time."
Cecilia Vaughn made eye contact with the reporters one by one, her voice clear and cool, but not the slightest bit timid.
"But the fact remains you weren’t actually invited! Are you here because you’re jealous your sister got an invitation?"
"By the way, at the end of this month, your sister’s marrying your first love. Will you send them your blessings?"
Seeing the reporter’s malicious expression, Cecilia Vaughn felt a weight in her chest.
Just as she was about to answer, suddenly, a soft yet excited female voice sounded behind her.
"Big sis, you were invited by ’Light of Love’ too?"
She turned around, and instantly caught sight of Fiona Vaughn and Tyson Law.
She froze in place.