h4Chapter 193: Chapter 193/h4

    At that moment Cora’s gaze swept over the crowd and then back to Abigail. "Why are you trying to make it a crime? Why are you trying to twist it into something ugly? It was never sabotage. She didn’te here to humiliate anyone. She’s just doing her job."

    Then the atmosphere was heavy now.

    Some of the workers standing at the far end exchanged nervous nces. Some of the audience even began murmuring, unsure of whose side to be on. But Cora wasn’t done.

    She stepped closer. Not afraid. Not backing down.

    But Abigail... she didn’t flinch either. She turned fully to face Cora, and deep inside her heart, there was a small victorious me dancing. This was what she had always wanted. This face-off. This tension. This moment. And now she had it.

    A sly smile curled at the edge of her lips, but she masked it well.

    Then, with a light, mocking tone, she tilted her head and said, "Wait...are you actually talking to me? Or am I dreaming or what?"

    At that moment, as Victoria’s voice echoed through the hall, her sarcasm was sharp enough to cut ss. "Oh, she’s not dreaming," she said mockingly. "She’s very much awake. The great Diamond card owner is standing right in front of her defending an ipetent staff member, no less. Can you believe that?"

    Immediately people in the crowd began murmuring again, their curiosity piqued. The tension in the air was thick. Victoria took a step closer to Cora and waved dramatically toward the announcer who was still trembling from the earlier ps.

    "Doesn’t this just confirm what we’ve been suspecting all along?" Victoria continued, her tone dripping with disdain. "A Connived effort from the very beginning. The way she’s defending this woman, you’d think they nned this entire humiliation together."

    Cora’s eyebrows drew in slightly, but she didn’t respond yet.

    "And how dare you call it a mistake?" Victoria hissed. "That woman clearly said Abigail was not the rightful owner of the dress. And now you, the supposed ’rightful owner’ as she ims, are suddenly ying the good savior?"

    Abigail, who had been quietly fuming beside her, now nodded in agreement with everything Victoria was saying.

    Victoria turned her eyes back to the audience and raised her voice even louder. "We are not fools. We’re not going to let this go just because you’re standing here with a calm voice and a pretty face. If there’s going to be an apology, it bettere from the top. We want the director here. Right here. Right now. And if that doesn’t happen this whole gathering is over."

    Abigail pped her hands once and spoke firmly, "Exactly. We’re not epting anything less. If the director doesn’te out here to apologize in person, then this event is done. No more bidding. No more show. No more smiles. This gathering is over."

    Immediately gasps ran through the audience like a wave.

    All eyes now turned to Cora, but Cora didn’t flinch.

    She stood there, calm and confident, as she tilted her head and looked directly at Abigail. Her tone was quiet, but her words rang out clearly.

    "Why does it seem like there’s a whole lot going on here?" she asked slowly, her voice steady but pointed. "Because I don’t think this is about the dress anymore. No. This feels like something deeper. Like you’re trying to use this clothing mix-up as a cover."

    She stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Abigail’s face.

    "Are you... having a problem with me?" Cora asked. "Do you have some kind of personal beef with me you’re trying to disguise under all this?"

    At that moment, the entire room tensed up even more. The once lively atmosphere was now crackling with invisible sparks. All eyes were glued to the three women at the center of this growing storm. Still Cora stood tall, unfazed, her hands calmly folded in front of her as she stared at Abigail and Victoria, while the two women shot daggers with their eyes and hurled their venomous words without a second thought.

    Then abigail took a single step forward. Her voice wasced with contempt as she spat, "What the hell are you even talking about, girl? Having a beef with you? Please, don’t tter yourself." Her lips curled into a mocking smirk as she continued, "Do I even know you like that? Who the hell do you think you are?"

    She let out a sharpugh that was anything but amused. "Oh, wait... let me guess. Because of that little circus act you pulled on TV the other day, now you think everyone knows your name? You think you’re the new darling of the media? The face of tomorrow?" She scoffed, throwing her hand in the air dismissively. "Girl, wake up. That doesn’t work for me. I don’t know you, and frankly, I don’t want to know you."

    Before Cora could even respond, Victoria stepped in like a backing vocalist in a cruel duet, her tone even sharper. "Yes! Who the hell do you think you are, Cora? Just because you managed to embarrass James on live television? Is that supposed to impress us? Because all I saw was a childish disy of power. Aplete act of bullying. That’s all it was."

    Victoria’s words grew louder, her chin tilting upward in arrogant defiance. "You talk like you’re some great defender of justice, but in reality, you’re just someone who enjoys public humiliation. And for what? Clout? Recognition? A moment in the spotlight?" She folded her arms tightly. "Well, let me remind you we don’t fold under empty threats."

    At that moment the murmurs in the room returned, like distant thunder before a storm. Gasps, stifled giggles, and shocked nces flew around the hall as everyone struggled to keep up with the speed at which the confrontation was escting.

    Victoria then locked eyes with Cora once more. Her voice dropped, but the chill in it cut like ss. "If you think you can walk in here, raise your voice in front of everyone, and dictate how this matter ends then you’re grossly mistaken. Because if you overstep even one more time in this matter, I swear to you, girl... we will escte it."