Chapter 35: Utilization

The crowd followed her gaze, and what they saw made them jump in shock.

Her neck was covered in several scratch marks and a dense rash of small bumps. The sight was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Noticing their expressions, Shirley Vance subconsciously touched her neck. It had felt itchy earlier, so she’d scratched it a few times, but gently. ’It shouldn’t have left any marks,’ she thought.

Sarah Sullivan also looked at her daughter’s neck. The moment she saw the bumps, her heart sank. In a panic, she wanted to find something to cover it up, but she was also wearing a dress today with nothing to spare. The people around them just watched as if it were a show, with no one offering to help.

Shirley Vance felt the bumps herself and shrieked. A sudden realization hit her, and she pointed at Amanda Vance. "It was you! You did this to me! You’re the one who bought this dress!"

Hearing this, Amanda Vance took a sip of her wine and tilted her head, her fair face a picture of innocence. "Didn’t you just say you bought it, Miss Vance? Besides, even if I did buy it, why would it end up on you?"

Shirley Vance’s face paled. She suddenly realized she had fallen right into her trap. There was no right way to answer that question.

And this trap was clearly one Amanda had dug, leading her to jump in step by step!

Sarah Sullivan understood, too. The "latest design"—it was all part of her scheme!

’It’s because of that bedsheet!’

Realizing this, Sarah Sullivan felt regret for the first time in her life. Not regret for giving Amanda’s son the shoddy bedsheet, but regret for not having killed her when she was a child, allowing her to become so arrogant today!

She gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear Amanda limb from limb.

Seeing the hatred in her eyes, Amanda clicked her tongue. She stood up and slowly walked over to them, glanced at the dress Shirley was wearing, and shook her head. "I was wondering how a cleaning rag I casually bought ended up on Miss Vance. And it even became the latest design for July. I thought I must have been mistaken. So it really was mine. That explains it. I was wondering why I seemed to be missing things after staying at the Vance Family home for two days."

An uproar swept through the room. The way everyone looked at Shirley Vance changed completely.

Not only was this woman a phony, but she also had sticky fingers?

’How could we be at the same banquet as someone like her? Someone like that doesn’t belong here.’

With the show over, Samuel Ford waved his hand. The butler understood immediately and said to Shirley Vance and Sarah Sullivan, "Ladies, if you please."

When they didn’t move, he simply called for the bodyguards.

The Ford Family’s bodyguards were all big and burly. They picked the two women up as if they were plucking chickens. With no ability to resist, they were unceremoniously thrown out of the Ford estate.

Some onlookers, not yet satisfied, even took out their phones to record the scene. Sarah Sullivan and Shirley Vance’s faces turned beet red. They had only one thought.

’It’s over.’

’We’ve lost all face.’

And it was all Amanda Vance’s fault!

Seeing the hypocritical mother-daughter duo thrown out, the mood in the room lightened. ’Why should someone like that be in the same room as us, bringing down the class of the whole event?’

Mrs. Young also smiled and walked over. "Miss Reed, would you have a moment to chat?"

Cecilia Reed glanced impassively at Amanda Vance. Seeing her nod, she knew there were no more threats here and agreed to Mrs. Young’s request.

She had come today because she was worried Megan would be bullied. Even though she knew Megan was very capable on her own, she still wanted to protect her.

With the farce concluded, Amanda Vance sat back down, only to suddenly hear Samuel Ford say, "Three times?"

"What?" Amanda tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.

Samuel Ford downed the wine in his glass and looked at her. "You used me three times."

First, she used him to provoke Shirley Vance’s jealousy. Then, she used him to stir up dissatisfaction with Shirley. And finally, she planned to use today’s spectacle to leverage him against the Vance Family.

Amanda listened to his analysis, her fingers tapping lightly on her leg. When he finished, she shifted her position, propped her chin on her hand, and put on a look of slight surprise, though her eyes told a different story.

She said, "Aren’t you overthinking things, President Ford? How would I dare to use you?"

’Not only would she dare,’ he thought, ’she’s probably been planning this since the moment she stepped in here.’

Samuel Ford’s expression remained unchanged, but his gaze held a new layer of scrutiny. "I’m curious. If I hadn’t been here today, what would you have done?"

"Nothing much." Amanda twirled a strand of hair around her finger, looking at him innocently. "What could I do? I didn’t do a thing. Shirley Vance came over on her own."

’What difference does it make whether he’s here or not?’

’As long as Shirley saw her, she wouldn’t let the opportunity pass.’

’That mother and daughter duo were desperate to see her humiliated in front of all of Aethelburg.’

He suddenly understood what she meant. Indeed, his presence was irrelevant. This was a banquet hosted by the Ford Family, gathering the matriarchs and ladies of high society. That was enough.

What she wanted was *them*.

Shirley Vance’s weak attacks were like a tickle to her. She didn’t need any external force to effortlessly bat them away.

He hadn’t forgotten that Shirley had just said the dress was taken from her.

She had planned all of this from the very beginning.

Samuel Ford let out a soft, humorless laugh. "You’re really something else, Miss Vance."

After using him, she turned around and said she didn’t need him at all; he just happened to be there.

The butler listened, his heart pounding. He glanced nervously at Amanda Vance, sweat slowly beading on his forehead. ’Good heavens, isn’t this a classic case of burning the bridge after you’ve crossed it? If the master hadn’t been here to back her up, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly for her.’

’With such a farce happening right in front of him, the story would spread much faster and wider.’

’Now that she’s achieved her goal, she dares to say the master was useless? She must have a death wish.’

The butler was already mentally shortlisting Aethelburg cemeteries with good feng shui when he heard Samuel Ford speak again. "Amanda Vance, is it? I’ll remember that name."

With that, he turned and left.

The butler froze. ’He’s just leaving?’

’That didn’t sound like a threat.’

He looked back at Amanda Vance curiously and saw her casually eating fruit with her head down. Her composure alone commanded his respect. For a moment, he couldn’t decide if she had nerves of steel or was just completely oblivious.

Amanda was, of course, not the latter. She glanced at Samuel Ford’s retreating back. ’Well,’ she thought, ’this President Ford has a much better temper than I expected.’

"Megan." Cecilia Reed finished her chat with Mrs. Young and walked over. The icy look in her eyes slowly thawed as she looked at her friend. "When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?"

"It’s only been a few days. You’re busy with the new product launch, so I didn’t want to bother you."

"How could you be a bother?" Cecilia looked at her with disapproval. "You’ve already done most of the work. How busy could I possibly be?"

’At most, I’m just handling the publicity. The ’July’ brand has been well-established over the years; even the promotion doesn’t require much effort from me.’

’She’s the one who’s been working hard.’

"By the way, what were you talking to President Ford about just now?" she asked curiously. A sense of unease settled in her heart. President Ford was the man every woman in Aethelburg wanted to marry. She had interacted with him a few times; he was an absolute king in the business world, and she admired him greatly. But if Megan was interested in him, that was another matter entirely.

’He has a son, a complete spoiled brat, doted on by the Ford Family until he’s become lawless. He loves to bully people. I would never want Megan to go over there and be a stepmother.’