Chapter 46

Karen, seeing that she couldn't out-argue me, glared at me and said, "You should just stay home and get better. Stop bothering Brandon. Didn't he have to pick you up and bring you home?"

At that moment, Joanna walked over with Kathy in tow. "Ms. Sinclair, I only sent you an invitation today because of Ms. Sharp. What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on my guests?"

Karen's face turned pale. She certainly didn't dare to offend Joanna and quickly shook her head. "No, no, I wouldn't dare."

As soon as Joanna arrived, the other young ladies at the party gathered around. After all, if they could win Joanna's favor and get close to the Thorne family, it would be a solid backing.

With more people around, someone recognized that Karen often brought Elora to such events and pointed at Elora, asking, "Didn't you say she was your son's wife? I see Caroline is here too. Do you have another son?"

Karen's face stiffened, and she quickly said, "She's my godson's wife. I'm close to her husband, so I took him as my godson. That makes Elora my junior."

Sweat appeared on her face as she let out a deep breath.

But her explanation didn't satisfy the curious crowd. "I see Caroline is doing well. Why didn't you bring Caroline and instead brought Elora? Are you playing favorites?"

Elora quickly waved her hands. "No, Ms. Sinclair didn't know Caroline was better, so she brought me."

"That makes it even worse. She doesn't even know how Caroline is doing. What kind of elder is she?"

Karen's face turned various shades of blue and purple, looking very embarrassed.

She glared at me fiercely, signaling me to speak up and explain the situation for her.

I shrugged, with an expression that said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Karen seemed about to explode with anger. But since she didn't know the identities of the people in front of her and was afraid of offending them, she had to hold back.

"Brandon usually takes care of her, so I don't go over. Naturally, I don't know about her condition. This time, I ran into Elora before coming here. Since she has children and we're close, I brought her along."

Joanna's eyes were full of mockery. "Does Mr. Jordan know about this? I bet you didn't discuss it with him."

Karen and Elora both looked guilty. They hadn't told Brandon about coming here openly this time.

Karen had thought it would be like before, where she brought Elora to show her face and then quietly left. But unexpectedly, she ran into me, making the situation awkward.

At that moment, someone said, "Who knows? Maybe Brandon allowed it. What if..."

Elora glanced at me and quickly explained, "No, everyone, I have nothing to do with Mr. Jordan. I used to work with Caroline, and after she left the company, I worked with Mr. Jordan. But I resigned after two years. I respect both of them very much, so please don't misunderstand."

Kathy crossed her arms and sneered, "What did we say? Why are you explaining so much? Are you feeling guilty?"

Elora bit her lip and said nothing. I suddenly spoke up, "Everyone really misunderstood. Elora has nothing to do with my husband Brandon. What she said is true."

"I didn't tell them about my recovery because my condition is unstable. If it worsens again, it would be a false hope. So it's not their fault; it's mine for not saying anything."

After I explained, Karen breathed a sigh of relief. "Exactly, it's Caroline's fault for not telling us anything. She was afraid I'd worry."

I smirked coldly. Karen was really good at making excuses for herself.

Kathy crossed her arms and looked at the two of them. "You two are explaining so much but not getting to the point. Who knows if there's something going on?"

Karen glared at Kathy but said nothing.

She could only force a smile and say, "Elora hasn't seen much of the world, coming from the countryside, so I brought her out to see."

"Caroline has seen these kinds of events since she was young, so she probably doesn't want to come anymore. That's why I didn't call her."

Her words elevated me but seemed to degrade Elora to the ground.

Elora's face turned extremely unpleasant, but she couldn't say anything and could only force a smile.

After all, she thought she had become Brandon's fiancée and crossed social classes, so she dared to appear at such events without any psychological burden.

But Karen had just shattered her facade, making it awkward for anyone.

Joanna suddenly spoke up, "Alright, since there's nothing going on, let's disperse. But Ms. Kingsley, we need to bring something for the charity auction. Did you bring anything?"

"And Ms. Sinclair, you need to bring something for the auction too."

The two of them stiffened. They had thought they were just here to show their faces and hadn't looked into the nature of the event. They came eagerly but had nothing to auction.

Suddenly, Karen pointed at me. "She brought something."

Joanna nodded. "Of course, Ms. Sharp brought a classic crocodile leather bag worth $200,000. After the auction, all the money will be donated."

Karen's face changed, and she glared at me. "Caroline, do you think Brandon makes money easily? Who told you to donate something?"

The room fell silent, and Elora looked at me with a mix of provocation and smugness, as if waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

"Mom, did you forget? The company where Brandon is the general manager was built by our family. Before I married Brandon, I could buy these bags at will. As for this one, it was just a small gift from my mom."

Karen's face turned completely ugly, and she turned away, not saying anything.

Given the current situation, anything she said would only humiliate herself.

Karen then took off a ring from her hand and threw it on the table. "I'll auction this."

Joanna glanced at it casually and handed it to a nearby waiter. "A diamond ring. Let's see who bids the most and give it as a bonus."

"You..."

Karen suddenly stood up, her eyes red as she looked at Joanna.

Joanna turned her gaze to her and asked slowly, "What about me?"

Karen could only grit her teeth and sit back down.

Seeing Karen had offered something, Elora had no choice but to take off a pair of earrings and hand them over.

"These are earrings my husband gave me. I'll auction these."

Joanna picked up the emerald earrings with two fingers and examined them under the light before handing them to someone nearby.

"Take these to a jeweler. They look fake to me."