Tina( Miss Hummer)

Chapter-88

Over at the Nicholsons' that afternoon.

"Dahlia, are you going to Miss Hummer's birthday party this evening? Can you bring me along?" James asked excitedly when he saw the invitation on the table.

She was, after all, the daughter of Edwin Hummer, the richest man in the country. It would be beneficial to make acquaintances with such a person.

"I will be attending the birthday party, but the invitation is limited to two persons only. Julie has already called dibs on it." Dahlia cast a damp over James' enthusiasm.

"Her?" Displeased, James turned to look at Julie, who was on the couch applying makeup to her face.

"Dahlia, I'm your brother! How could you bring her, and not me?" He grumbled. At that, Julie shot him a glare and said condescendingly, "And what can you do there? Everyone attending the party tonight will be people of status and elites. Wouldn't a high school dropout like you just embarrass yourself showing up there?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Do you think that you're all that great?" James was irked.

"Better than you, at least." Julie wasn't one to back off easily.

"You!"

James was just about to burst into a fit of anger when Florence stopped him just in time. "That's enough. Julie's our quest, you should play nice. I think it'd be a good opportunity for her to make good connections at the party this evening since she's fresh out of college. Let her go with Dahlia."

"Do you hear that? If I manage to befriend Miss Hummer, I'd be on the highway to success! When the time comes, I'll make sure you benefit from it too!" Julie said with her head held high.

"Hah! You? I'd be better off relying on myself!!" James plopped down on the couch, obviously feeling indignant. Ever since Julie came, all the attention had been shifted to her. He felt that he was now out of favor.

"Ah, right, Dahlia, I nearly forgot." Florence seemed to recall something as she rummaged around in her bag. In the end, she pulled out an Intricate jewelry box.

"This is a present that Matt gifted you two days ago. Since you're attending the party today, I think you can put this to good use. Have a look."

As she spoke, she opened up the jewelry box. There was a pair of ruby earrings in it. The earrings were exquisite and delicate. They were dazzling under the light's Illumination.

"Wow! It's spectacular!' Julie's eyes lit up as she scrambled to get up. She pulled the jewelry box over for a better look at the earrings. Aunt Florence, such gorgeous earrings must cost a bomb, won't they?"

"I heard Matt mention that these are Pandarum earrings, and they are custom–made. This is the only pair in the whole of Swinton. It costs millions, Florence announced proudly.

"Is that so? As expected, only the best from Matt!" Julie beamed as she picked up one of the earrings and put it on. "Aunt Florence, how does it look on me?"

"You're a born beauty, Julie. Of course, it looks magnificent on you," Florence answered.

"Hehe! Well, thank you then, Aunt Florence!" Julie brazenly took the other earring and put it on too. It was evident that she was about to take it as her own.

Her actions gave Florence quite a shock. "Julie, this is your cousin's gift from Matt. It wouldn't be too nice for you to wear it tonight." Florence chuckled awkwardly.

"What's wrong with me wearing it? I'm just borrowing it for the night, it's not like I'm not going to give it back." Julie snapped bluntly.

"But"

Florence was about to counter what she just said, but Julie cut her off. "Aunt Florence, we're relatives. You can't be so petty, can you?"

"Julie Amberson! These are my sister's earrings! What rights do you have to wear them?" James finally could not take it any longer.

She said that she was just borrowing them, but the fact was, she had never once returned the items she borrowed! This was plain robbery!

"Hey! Why are you shouting at me? Isn't it just a pair of earrings? Aren't you just being selfish?" Julie slammed her hand on the table aggressively.

"I'm selfish? Do you have any idea how greedy you look right now? Do you have no shame?" James bellowed.

"How dare you scold me? Aunt Florence! Did you hear what James said? I can leave if I'm not welcome here!" Julie flared up.

And with that, she turned to leave.

But before she could even take her first step, Florence pulled her back. "What are you doing, Julie? Of course, you're welcome here! Aren't they just a pair of earrings? I'll lend them to you!"

"Mom! You-!"

"Shut it!" Florence whipped around and shot him a glare. "You're her older cousin! Why do you keep picking fights with her? Can't you be more generous?"

"Fine! Keep siding with her then. See if I care!" James was so angry that he stormed out and slammed the door.

Dahlia frowned. It wasn't the earrings that she was concerned about, but Julie's domineering attitude did not sit well with her.

"Dahlia, you do not mind me wearing your earrings, do you?" Julie smiled as she touched the earrings gently.

"It's up to you." Dahlia could not be bothered to continue speaking to her. To begin with, she was not comfortable with Matt's gift to her.

"Hehe! Thank you, Dahlia." Julie beamed brightly as she continued applying her makeup. That evening at Kingdom Hotel, a black Mercedes–Benz rolled up to the main entrance. The door opened, and Dahlia and Julie got out of the car.

Dahlia dressed down for the occasion in a black dress and black heels. She kept her accessories simple too. Julie, on the other hand, went all out and dressed herself up, almost looking like a peacock. She had jewelry from head to toe and looked dazzling under the lights.

To further accentuate the million–dollar pair of ruby earrings, she even did her hair up in a chignon. She was out to be in the limelight.

"Wow! What a stunning lady! She looks like a celebrity!"

"I think she looks even more attractive than any celebrity out there! Her looks and elegance are otherworldly." When the both of them got out of the car, a bunch of guests at the entrance turned to look at them.

However,most of their attention was on Dahlia. Despite Julie's showy appearance, she did not receive much attention After all, it was clear that Dahlia was far superior to her in all aspects, from looks to figures. Julie's extravagant outfit alone was not enough to make up for what she lacked.

"Hmph!" She was not pleased. She had made every preparation she could think of for the birthday party that evening, and she had expected to impress everyone with her beauty. It had never occurred to her that Dahlia's presence would steal all the attention.

"These men are so blind! How could a woman who had been married before compare to me?" She thought.

"Dahlia, you can head up first. I'm waiting for a friend here." Julie made up an excuse to send Dahlia away once they entered the hotel lobby.

She was well aware that with Dahlia around, she would never get the attention she yearned for. How would she make acquaintances with the rich and famous then? How would she get to know rich, eligible men?

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you at the banquet hall." Without giving it much thought, Dahlia took the elevator up to the banquet hall. With Dahlia gone, Julie quickly became the center of attention. She deliberately walked around the lobby and flaunted coquettishly, attracting much attention.

Some men approached her in an attempt to strike up a conversation, but she rejected them all, playing hard to get.

"Hey, you've got such lovely earrings! May I know where you bought them from?"

"Yes, that's true! I've never seen such exquisite earrings before!"

"These rubies are huge! They must have cost you a lot!"

Soon, not only the men came up to her, but even the ladies flocked over to ask her about the earrings. As usual, women could not resist jewelry.

"These ruby earrings are from Pandarum. My boyfriend gave them to me. These are uniquely custom–made, and they are the only pair out there. As for the price, they were not too expensive. Just a million or two." Julie pretended to be unconcerned about their price and smiled. Though her words sounded humble, arrogance was evident on her face.

"A million or two, and you say it's not expensive? Seems like you're not the average Tom, Dick, and Harry!"

"How fortunate you are to have a boyfriend who gives you such precious earrings!"

"From how I see it, it's not the price that matters, but the sincerity behind it! It's custom–made and unique! That's so sweet! How I envy you!"

The group of women chattered away praising Julie. That fueled Julie's vanity, pleasing her to no end. She really enjoyed being the center of attention and being. praised by others.

Right then, a Rolls–Royce Phantom pulled up at the door.The car door opened and out stepped an alluring woman with delicate features and long, flowing hair. She came walking in like a celebrity among a group of adoring fans.

"Miss Hummer?!"

The lady's appearance garnered a lot of attention and a commotion started both inside and outside the lobby.The crowd that had surrounded Julie immediately dispersed and flocked over to Tina, ready to flatter her.

She was, after all, the star of the day. Edwin Hummer's daughter, Tina Hummer! Julie had intended to go over and welcome her too, but as there were too many people surrounding Tina, she did not do so.

She knew that going along with what everyone was doing would not make her stand out, and she needed to stand out to make Miss Hummer notice her.

At the thought of that, she intentionally stood at the entrance and tried her best to show off the biggest asset she had on her at the moment, which happened to be the pair of ruby earrings.

That was the first step to forming a connection with Miss Hummer. She refused to believe that there was any woman on earth who could resist the temptation of such irresistible jewelry.

As Julie predicted, Tina stopped in front of her when she reached the entrance, with the crowd still around her.

Her gaze was fixed on Julie. Julie suppressed her excitement and walked up to Tina to introduce herself when she saw that the timing was right. "Hello, Miss Hummer. I am Julie Amberson. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

She stretched her hand out for a handshake. But Tina ignored her outstretched hand and stared unwaveringly at her earrings.

"Those ruby earrings, where did you get them from?" she asked icily.

"My boyfriend gave them to me. These are custom–made Pandarums, you won't be able to find a similar pair out there. But of course, Miss Hummer, if you fancy them, I can give them to you." Julie was secretly delighted.

"Even the daughter of the wealthiest man can't resist these earrings," she thought to herself.

"Boyfriend?"

Tina's expression clouded over. "Is it Matt Laney?"

The reason why she asked was that she had received the exact same pair of ruby earrings from Matt as her birthday gift not too long ago.

"Oh! Do you know Matt too, Miss Hummer? In that case, we're friends too!" Julie's eyes lit up. Who knew that a pair of earrings would be the key to her success?

"Who's your friend? Bitch!" Tina glared at Julie and struck her across the face. Smack! A loud, crisp sound was heard. Julie was at a loss as she held her cheek in her hand. "Miss Hummer, wh–why did you hit me?"

"What is your relationship with Matt Laney? You better come clean. If you hide anything from me, I'll make sure you won't live to see the next sunrise!" Tina's expression made it clear that she meant every word she said. She would not let other women mess with what was hers.

"Miss Hummer, I think you're mistaken. Matt and I are just regular friends, nothing more than that!" Julie started to fluster.

She did not know what had happened, but it was obvious that she had angered Tina.

"Would regular friends give you ruby earrings worth a million dollars? Do you think I'm a dim–wit?" Furious was an understatement to describe what Tina was feeling at that moment.

"It has nothing to do with me, Miss Hummer! These ruby earrings aren't mine, they're my cousin Dahlia's! I only borrowed them for a few days!" Seeing that the situation wasn't favorable to her anymore, Julie stopped pretending and coming clean with the truth.

"Dahlia Nicholson?" Tina's eyes narrowed into slits.

She remembered that that was a name that Matt had mentioned when he asked for her help concerning the interrogation room. She hadn't put much thought into it then, but it turns out that there was something fishy going on with the two of them.

"That bitch! She seduced my man, and she has the audacity to show up at my birthday party?! Is she trying to provoke me?" Tina gritted her teeth as a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.

"This is all Dahlia Nicholson's fault, Miss Hummer. I've got nothing to do with it. Will you please let me off?" Julie was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat.

She finally got an idea of what had happened. Tina and Matt were obviously a couple. The main problem was that Tina recognized the pair of earrings. That was no different from her catching Matt and Dahlia together.

"Shut up! If you do not have a death wish, then do what I tell you to do!" Tina roared.

"You name it, Miss Hummer. Whatever you need me to do, I'll try my best to accomplish it!" Julie promised wholeheartedly.

"Put this into Dahlia's bag." Tina took a delicate jewelry box and handed it to Julie.

"What do you mean, Miss Hummer?" Julie could not wrap her head around Tina's request.

"Don't ask questions! Just do as you've been told!" Tina scolded. "Yes, yes." Julie nodded vigorously. She was in no place to refuse.