She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 781

Leila genuinely believed Tessa would agree with her after hearing her speech.

After all, anyone who appreciated Marisse Vale's artistic style would clearly see that her outfit was custom-tailored for this exact charity auction.

Instead, Tessa merely cast a dry, unimpressed glance at Leila, then turned back to Melanie.

"Melanie, honey, I gave you that dress, didn't I?"

The moment Tessa spoke, all the color drained from Leila's face.

Melanie smiled and nodded.

"Yes! The clothes you gave me were all so precious, I was saving them for a special occasion."

The first time Melanie had visited Tessa's home, the older woman had gifted her several pieces under the guise of "old clothes she couldn't fit into anymore."

In reality, every single piece was a brand-new, high-end haute couture design from the current season.

Initially, Melanie hadn't wanted to accept such expensive gifts.

But Tessa had been incredibly thoughtful, buying everything in Melanie's exact size and carefully cutting off all the tags so she wouldn't feel pressured.

However, just because the tags were gone didn't mean the clothes lost their value.

While Melanie had accepted the clothes, she had never worn them.

Every piece was still brand new.

Today, knowing she was accompanying Tessa to an auction dedicated to her favorite artist, Melanie had specifically chosen to wear one of the luxury pieces Tessa had gifted her.

"It looks wonderful... that Dior dress suits you perfectly."

Hearing Tessa's evaluation, Leila's eyes bulged as she looked Melanie up and down.

"This dress is Dior? I don't see a logo anywhere, and since when does Dior make such plain gowns?"

As soon as the words left Leila's mouth, she saw Tessa shoot her a look of pure disgust.

"Some people don't even know what colors and styles are trending in luxury fashion right now, yet they have the nerve to brag about understanding art..."

Tessa remarked, casting another glance at Leila before laughing.

"And seriously, who in their right mind wears an absolute clown suit to a fine arts museum? What a total joke."

Having her carefully curated outfit mocked as a "clown suit" by Lady Whitmore made Leila burn with fury.

"You..."

But facing Tessa's unassailable status, Leila didn't dare provoke her. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and choke down her anger.

"Excuse me."

If she wanted to integrate into high society, climb the ranks as a master designer, and eventually become a wealthy socialite, Dominic was her only hope.

It was certainly better than seducing rich, powerful old men.

Leila firmly reminded herself to endure it.

She had actually hoped that after he hit her, he would take her out for a nice dinner, buy her a lavish gift, and sincerely grovel to win her back!

Instead, all he cared about was forcing her to apologize to Gabriel.

And now he was treating her with complete indifference.

Leila was truly reaching her breaking point.

Taking three deep breaths, she finally managed to cool her heated brain.

"Dominic, this seems to be the most expensive piece here..."

As she spoke, Leila followed Dominic's gaze to the painting that had completely captivated him.

The subject of the painting was as straightforward as its title—

Lustrous Lychees.