The Million-Dollar Heart novel Chapter 717

"Country bumpkin?"

Vivienne arched an eyebrow, an expression that hadn't crossed her face in quite some time.

She surveyed Ramona with a critical eye, noting the girl couldn't be more than twenty. With her doll-like features, it was no wonder she had become an overnight sensation.

It wasn't just the push from her handlers behind the scenes; that pretty face was surely a factor.

Withdrawing her gaze, Vivienne's clear eyes shifted to Dorian. "Dorian, what's going on? Didn't we agree that Kala was to be the face of the new perfume line?"

She paused, noting Dorian's evasive look.

She asked, "You're in trouble, why didn't you talk to me?"

"I will explain everything later, Vivienne," Dorian replied, his face showing distress. "Ms. Grimshaw, this is my daughter. Please be respectful."

After he spoke, he turned to face Ramona with a stern expression.

Something was off.

Vivienne tugged at Percival's sleeve, and without a word, he understood. He gestured to Thomas, indicating he should lean in closer.

Ramona, meanwhile, was visibly irked by Percival's blatant disregard for her, his attention solely on Vivienne.

Her voice dripped with jealousy, "Percival, darling, look at them! I wouldn't have taken this ad gig if it wasn't for your sake. Now, they're all ganging up on me."

Her whiny voice grated on Vivienne's nerves.

Vivienne's elegant eyebrows knitted together as she scoffed, "Ms. Grimshaw, are you supposed to be some kind of mother hen? Clucking away like you’re laying eggs at the Hawthorn family talent show."

Ramona's anger flared, and she pointed at Vivienne. "You, you country bumpkin! What right do you have to talk to me?"

Ramona's shrill voice drew the attention of the entire banquet hall to the unfolding scene between Vivienne, Dorian, and Percival.

The guests murmured among themselves, their expressions shifting.

"What's going on here? Who's calling Ms. Hawthorn a country bumpkin?"

"Get with the times. Ms. Hawthorn is known as the perfume maestro Q, not to mention a renowned fashion designer. How can she be unaware?"

"If someone as accomplished as Ms. Hawthorn is being called a country bumpkin, what does that make the rest of us?"

The surrounding chatter didn't escape the group, and Anna chimed in with a smirk, "All this talk of country bumpkins. One would think Ms. Grimshaw was some kind of high-born lady."

"You, I—"

If it weren't for the restrictions of the setting, Ramona would have slapped Vivienne then and there. Her face flushed with a mix of rage and mortification; she regretted not studying Vivienne's background more thoroughly.

Who would have thought that this woman, once so easily bullied in Havenwood, held so many prestigious titles unknown to her?

Ramona clenched her teeth in frustration as she said, "You just wait! I won't let you get away with this!"

...