Chapter 68

Rena's face twisted with disgust as she eyed Brinley. "Ugh. Why is it her?"

A buzz of chatter quickly spread through the crowd.

"Victoria is quite something else. Mr. Jones shows up for her sake."

"Looks like you all missed the news. Rumor has it that she was his first love, and now they're getting married."

"You can't be serious.For real?"

"As real as it gets. Search Mr. Jones' name online if you doubt me. Not long ago, his mistress made quite a stir online, targeting his first love. That mess was everywhere. What really surprised me is that the so-called first love turns out to be Victoria. With Victoria by Mr. Jonee's side, the Jones Group seems unstoppable."

Up on the stage, Brinley reached for themicrophone and gave the crowd a bright smile. "It's been a while since I saw all of you. l, Victoria Hale, am back." Her expression was full of excitement. "And my real name is Brinley Gilbert. I hope you'll all remember that."

The audience burst into cheers and clapping.

"Gee! Just the sight of her smug face makes my blood boil," Rena muttered through gritted teeth.

Hannah glared at Brinley, her eyes icy, astonished by Brinley's audacity to steal her hidden identity as Victoria and even make such a statement in public so brazenly.

"I want to apologize for being away for the past months," Brinley added, her voice ringing with emotion. "I had to deal with some health problems, but I'm feeling much better now. I've grown a lot during that time.From here on, I will focus on creating better safety products for women."

She spoke louder to make sure everyone heard her. "I owe so much to Mr. Jones. Since I came back from abroad, he's given me the best possible platform-Polaris Tech. This company is my fresh start. I hope, with his support, I can reach new heights."

While saying this, she sent Vincent a look full of admiration.

Rena shook with anger. She felt like charging toward the stage to expose Brinley's shamelessness, but Hannah quickly held her arm to keep her back.

"Hannah, you're not mad? They're flaunting their affair like you don't even exist! I'm fuming!" Rena hissed.

"Of course, I am furious," Hannah replied, her eyes growing even darker. But what truly set her off had nothing to do with their blatant display onstage. Watching Brinley parade around using her name Victoria was what pushed her over the edge. Brinley must bet that Victoria would never show up to expose her lies.

Calm and steady, Hannah kept her eyes fixed on the stage. "Just wait. The farther Brinley climbs, the harder it will be when she falls."

Rena was still seething and didn't notice the subtle change in Hannah's tone. "I just can't accept it. How could someone like Brinley possibly be Victoria?"

Hannah turned to her, arching a brow. "You really like Victoria, don't you?"

Rena hesitated for a second before admitting, "Not really. I just picked up some info about her from my dad.A woman that capable would never stoop to be a homewrecker."

Rena's attention went back to Brinley, who was soaking up the crowd's cheers. "Check Brinley's face. She's grinning so wide that you can see every wrinkle."

Hannah kept staring at the stage. Seeing Brinley bask in all that attention only made her feel the situation was even more absurd. Vincent would go out of his way to support Brinley's career, even attending events he clearly disliked just to back her.

Hannah had to suppress a bitter laugh at Vincent's approach toward her. He'd once insisted she should leave her job and settle into being a housewife. He'd even said to others that she never needed to work a day in her life, clearly a statement masking his unwillingness to support her career as he did for Brinley. How irony.

Turning away, Hannah finished off the champagne in her glass in one go.

It was then that Brinley and Vincent started walking over.

Close by, Hannah caught a playful remark. "Looks like we'll be hearing wedding bells soon for Mr. Jones and Miss Gilbert."

Brinley blushed and let out a shy laugh, staying silent instead of denying it.

Vincent appeared a little uncomfortable and seemed like he was about to respond, but a sharp female voice interrupted before he could.

Raising her voice loud enough for everyone to hear, Rena called out, "Mr. Jones, you changed your partner so quickly. I wonder how long this Miss Gilbert will stick around."