The Billionaire's Charade

Chapter 6 The True Daughter

At the end of the red carpet, a crowd had gathered. Hannah stood in the center. Despite her simple attire and graying hair, she exuded vitality, her face looking much younger than her age, with clear eyes and barely noticeable wrinkles. Her slightly plump face still retained some collagen.

Behind Hannah was a gift table piled high with presents from guests, and various gift boxes of all sizes. At that moment, Mia was opening a square brocade box to present her gift. "Mrs. Thompson, this is a birthday gift from the Brown family of Los Angeles, a set of QUEEN's haute couture jewelry, worth eight million dollars."

QUEEN was an internationally renowned luxury jewelry brand that emerged three years ago and quickly became a favorite among the global elite due to its exquisite designs. Hannah glanced at the jewelry inside the brocade box and smiled, "Thank you, Ms. Brown."

Mia continued enthusiastically, "As long as you like it, the price is secondary. As everyone knows, QUEEN only accepts custom orders, and each piece is unique. I went to great lengths to acquire this necklace because I believe only QUEEN's uniqueness matches your status."

Hannah raised her hand, signaling the attendant beside her to accept the gift box. Before Mia could finish speaking, the attendant took the box and casually placed it among the pile of gifts behind, where it was instantly buried.

"The next gift is from..." the butler announced loudly, holding the gift registry. Guests had to register their names at the door and then present their gifts to Hannah in order of arrival.

Mia, still brimming with things to say, was abruptly interrupted by the butler and had to reluctantly step aside to stand next to Chloe. She couldn't understand why the Brown family's lavish gift failed to catch Hannah's attention. Even the surrounding guests offered no praise upon hearing about the gift.

But Mia soon understood. The gifts from the prominent families of New York were all priceless, with the cheapest being worth over ten million dollars. In comparison, the Brown family's eight-million-dollar jewelry seemed insignificant.

"The next gift is from the Walker family of Los Angeles." Olivia and Steven stepped forward together. Mia's gaze also fell on Olivia. As Olivia presented her gift, Mia's face showed a hint of mockery.

Olivia opened her brocade box, revealing several small, exquisitely crafted bottles of perfume, neatly arranged in a row. "Mrs. Thompson, this is a birthday gift from the Walker family. I hope you like it."

Mia knew Olivia had a hobby of making perfumes. But unless a perfume is crafted by a master, it holds no value. Olivia wasn't a master perfumer, yet she had the audacity to present her inferior perfumes as a gift. Mia found Olivia's behavior laughable and waited for Hannah to angrily throw Olivia out. To her surprise, Hannah picked up one of the bottles, sniffed it, and smiled, "Thank you, Ms. Brown."

Olivia was slightly taken aback. 'How did she know my surname? I have registered as Mrs. Walker.' she wondered.

Just as Hannah was about to have the perfumes put away, Mia suddenly spoke up. "I heard Mrs. Walker enjoys making perfumes. Could it be that these perfumes are homemade?"

Olivia had already noticed Mia. She smiled, "Yes, it's a small hobby of mine. This perfume uses rose as the main note, complemented by various other ingredients..."

Mia's eyes gleamed with pride. Before Olivia could finish, Mia interrupted eagerly, "Mrs. Walker, presenting your homemade trinkets as a seventieth birthday gift for Mrs. Thompson is quite disrespectful. How much could these perfumes cost? A thousand dollars? Ten thousand?"

All eyes turned to Olivia and Steven. Mia cast a deliberate glance at Steven. "Has the Walker family fallen to such a state that they can't even present a decent gift?"

Steven's face darkened. He had caught a cold from the air conditioning the night before and had been feeling dizzy all morning. So, he had entrusted the task of preparing the gift to Olivia. His grandfather had emphasized the importance of this meeting for the Walker family and had given an unlimited budget for the gift. He hadn't expected Olivia to present her homemade perfumes. If her perfunctory behavior offended the Thompson family, the resort project would be out of the question. Steven was about to reprimand her when Olivia spoke calmly.

"I heard that three years ago, Mrs. Thompson came to Los Angeles to recuperate due to insomnia. This perfume has calming and sleep-inducing properties, which might help alleviate her insomnia and headaches."

She had done some research at the company that afternoon and learned about Hannah's insomnia. Mia laughed mockingly, "It's just a few bottles of perfume, Mrs. Walker. Don't exaggerate their effects. If perfumes could cure ailments, why would we need hospitals?"

At that moment, a red-haired woman standing beside Hannah sniffed the brocade box and remarked, "This perfume seems to have a faint medicinal scent."

Olivia responded calmly, "I altered the formula and added a few calming herbs, which is why there's a slightly medicinal scent."

The red-haired woman smiled at Hannah, "Grandma, I quite like this perfume. If you don't want it, I'll take it."

The speaker was Scarlett Thompson, Hannah's granddaughter, who had flown in from abroad for Hannah's birthday. "Who said I don't like it?" Hannah looked Olivia up and down, a kind smile spreading across her face. "This perfume made me feel refreshed the moment I smelled it. Elton, take the perfume to my bedroom so no one gets any ideas."

The butler, Elton, quickly obeyed, carefully taking the brocade box from Scarlett's hands and walking away. Mia's face stiffened at the sight. Hannah hadn't given her eight-million-dollar jewelry a second glance, but Olivia's homemade perfume had won her favor and was put away separately. Were all these wealthy people out of their minds?

The gift-giving continued, but many guests who had already presented their gifts began to leave. Mia, having just embarrassed herself, didn't want to stay any longer. As she turned to leave, she overheard people talking about her.

"That must be the Brown family's biological daughter they found three years ago. I heard she grew up in the countryside."

"No wonder she has such a rustic aura. She even mentioned the price of the jewelry she gifted. Couldn't she see that the jade bracelet on Hannah's wrist was worth two billion? It was so awkward when she emphasized the necklace's eight-million-dollar price."

"You wouldn't know since you're not from Los Angeles. The one who gave the perfume is the original daughter of the Brown family."

"That explains it. Deliberately making things difficult in such a setting is truly malicious. I find Mrs. Walker to be elegant and graceful, with a natural air of nobility."

"Speaking of which, her perfume smelled divine. Even from a distance, I could tell it was high-end. That's what true luxury is, unlike some people who only talk about money."

Mia's fingers clenched in anger. Everyone liked Olivia. But everything Olivia had was taken from her, Mia. Mia vowed that one day, she would tear off Olivia's beautiful, glamorous mask and show everyone that beneath Olivia's noble and elegant exterior was nothing but a vile, filthy wretch!