Chapter 47: Your Invitation Is Fake

Samuel Ford didn’t reply, his gaze fixed on her face. Dressed all in red, she was a vision of stunning beauty. A faint arrogance was visible as her eyes swept over the crowd, and a slight smile played on her lips. Even from a distance, he could feel her disdain for everyone there.

Samuel Ford stood there without moving, watching her quietly.

Amanda Vance didn’t notice him. Her gaze swept over the faces surrounding her as she casually toyed with the invitation in her hand. Tilting her head to look at Penny Palmer, she asked, "You’re saying my invitation is a forgery?"

"Of course," Penny Palmer said, looking at her and sneering inwardly.

’Does she really think just anyone can attend the anniversary for Number One High? You need an invitation, and every single one is handwritten by the principal and stamped with the official seal. Only those are valid.’

’And the one I gave Amanda Vance didn’t have a seal.’

’Hah, and I thought she was too proud to show up. But give her an invitation, and she comes running. I knew it. What a hypocrite.’

"Someone like you, expelled for misconduct, has no right to attend the school anniversary. Amanda Vance, are you trying to sneak in with a fake invitation to seduce someone?" She smirked. "Even if that’s your specialty, you should at least consider the occasion."

Finished, she glanced at the surrounding people. "Everyone here today is a distinguished member of society, so don’t waste your time. Go find some outsiders who don’t know about your filthy past to deceive."

The commotion was drawing attention. Even people who weren’t in Amanda Vance’s grade started asking around and soon learned about her past. The looks everyone gave her grew hostile.

Instantly, she was surrounded by whispers of contempt and ridicule, mixed with disdain and malice, just like before.

Amanda Vance’s expression remained unchanged. She ignored the inflammatory remarks and asked a single question, "What proof do you have that my invitation is fake?"

’I gave it to her myself. How could I not know if it’s real or fake?’

Penny Palmer looked at her with even more amusement. ’Has Amanda Vance gone crazy from all this?’

This thought made her even more gleeful. "Whether it’s real or fake," she said, "all we have to do is let them take a look, right?"

"That was my plan all along." Amanda Vance glanced at her and rubbed her ear, her expression impatient. "You came over here running your mouth. If there’s something wrong with your brain, you should get it checked out before it’s too late."

"You!" Penny Palmer glared at her, grinding her teeth in hatred. But she didn’t dare have an outburst, fearing it would make for an ugly scene and damage her future prospects.

’Still, Amanda Vance is just putting up a brave front.’

’I’ll just wait and watch her make a fool of herself.’

Shirley Vance said nothing, merely watching with a cold gaze, sharing the same thought.

In front of everyone, Amanda Vance handed her invitation to the teacher handling registration.

The teacher had witnessed the spectacle, but being new, she didn’t recognize Amanda Vance or know anything about her past. She took the invitation with some suspicion. ’This is the school’s centennial anniversary,’ she thought. ’I can’t let anyone just sneak in.’

’With that in mind, she focused on the seal at the bottom. If it was a fake, she would call security and have the girl removed immediately.’

However, when she saw the seal, her eyes widened. Looking again at the handwriting, she blinked in disbelief.

After a moment, she closed the invitation and handed it back, her expression turning friendly. "Please, come in, Miss Vance."

The smiles on Penny Palmer and Shirley Vance’s faces froze. Eyes wide, Penny blurted out, "How is that possible? Hers is definitely a fake!"

’I got it for her myself. There was definitely no seal.’

The teacher’s expression soured as she looked at Penny. She despised troublemaking students and didn’t give her a pleasant look. "Miss Vance’s invitation is indeed authentic."

"It has the principal’s seal?" Penny Palmer pressed, refusing to give up.

"Of course."

Penny Palmer refused to believe it. "Let me see."

As she spoke, she tried to snatch it, but Amanda Vance sidestepped as if she had eyes in the back of her head. Because her own movement was too aggressive, Penny lost her balance and went sprawling to the ground.

Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow and casually snapped a photo with her phone.

Penny Palmer was stunned by the fall. Shirley Vance was also dumbfounded. After a long moment, she quietly took a step back, pretending she didn’t know Penny.

Bob Rhodes arrived to see his fiancée sprawled face-down on the ground, her rear exposed. His face darkened instantly. He strode forward, roughly grabbed her arm, and hauled her to her feet. "What the hell are you doing?!" he snarled through gritted teeth.

’Didn’t she say she was going to teach Amanda Vance a lesson? So why is she the one making such a spectacle of herself?’

Penny Palmer finally snapped out of it. Remembering she was wearing a short skirt, she shrieked and frantically pulled it down. Her hysterical antics made the onlookers frown in disapproval.

So classless.

Bob Rhodes noticed their disapproval, and her behavior made him even more furious. "That’s enough!"

’She’s completely humiliated me.’

"This is all your fault!" Penny Palmer snapped, glaring at Amanda Vance, too furious to maintain any semblance of her supposed elegance.

Amanda Vance, who had been casually admiring her new photo, looked up with an air of innocence. "What did I do?"

’What an act!’

Penny Palmer was livid. ’I never knew Amanda Vance was such a drama queen.’

’In the past, no matter what they did to her, she would always just take it meekly and never say a word back.’

Remembering how everyone had seen her just now, she flew into a rage and directed all her fury at the one she blamed. "Amanda Vance! You bitch! Just because you’re a piece of filthy trash who can’t get married, you want to ruin me? You venomous woman!"

Amanda Vance’s eyes narrowed as she took a step forward. The movement reminded Penny Palmer of when Amanda had hit her in front of the honor roll. Terrified, Penny let out an instinctive shriek, covering her face as she stumbled backward.

But the expected pain never came. Instead, she just heard Amanda let out a scornful laugh.

Amanda Vance watched her with amusement. "Do I need to ruin you? You’re already rotten to the core. Don’t you have any self-awareness at all?"

Her gaze was chillingly cold.

’She and Shirley Vance had led the charge in isolating me, spreading vicious rumors, and even hiring thugs to corner me countless times. I had no grudge against her, had never provoked her, yet she showed no mercy.’

Recalling all this, Amanda let out a soft laugh. She leaned in close to Penny and whispered, "You’ve done so much for Shirley Vance, but take a look at what she’s doing now."

As she spoke, she shook her head. "Tsk. You’re being used as a weapon and you don’t even realize it. What an idiot."

Penny Palmer’s face flushed with anger, but she couldn’t help looking over at Shirley Vance. She saw her trying to shrink into a corner, chatting calmly with the person beside her, not sparing Penny a single glance—as if they were complete strangers.

Her face fell.

’Why did I do all of this? Wasn’t it all for her?’

’And now she’s acting like this!’

’I clearly remember she was standing right next to me at the beginning.’

’Shirley Vance!’

As if sensing her stare, Shirley Vance glanced over. Seeing the venom in Penny’s eyes, she startled. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but then she guiltily looked away.

Seeing her reaction, Penny Palmer understood everything. ’I won’t forget this,’ she thought.

She noticed the way everyone was staring at her; some of the men were even sneaking lecherous glances. She gritted her teeth and turned to leave, but a voice stopped her.

"Stop." Amanda Vance’s voice was light as it drifted over. "Did I say you could leave?"