Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 116: The Jewel Only One Owns

And I believed Lando would never give me something that could embarrass me in the future.

"Imitation necklace?" I repeated her words, tilting my head to the side and deciding to act innocent like her. "What do you mean by that? Just because we have the same necklace doesn’t mean one of them is fake, right?"

Maxwell let out a loud scoff. "Not only do you have a rotten heart, you’re also stupid!" he snapped. "That jewel only exists once in the world! And I’m sure neither you nor your crippled husband could ever afford it!"

I had a sudden urge to throw a chair at his face right there, but I held myself back. If I reacted that way, I’d become the villain in this scene, and I refused to give Madeline that satisfaction. I wanted her to be the one humiliated today.

But the real question was... why wasn’t Victor Brixton stopping any of this? Why was he just standing there on his little stage, watching us like we were some kind of entertainment?

Wasn’t this supposed to be a charity event? With how chaotic things were right now, it honestly felt more like a reality show.

"I would never give my wife something fake," Lando said suddenly, his voice calm but firm, like he’d break the world in half if someone insulted me again. "Cheap jewelry can cause skin allergies."

I didn’t think Helcia’s skin was that weak since she often used cheap products her whole life, but either way, Lando’s words were really sweet.

"And how could you possibly buy the real Celestia Tear Diamond necklace?" Dorian looked at Lando with a belittling gaze, as if he was nothing but trash. "You can’t even buy an electric wheelchair."

Of all the insults in the world, why did he have to insult my husband’s wheelchair? Just because he used a traditional one didn’t mean he didn’t have an electric one.

His brothers would probably lose their minds if they found out that Lando even has an elevator in his manor. It seemed like they even thought we lived in a cheap apartment or something.

"Did you steal money from your company?" Maxwell accused him. "I’m not even sure your wife can afford that dress."

"Don’t be like that," Madeline chimed in sweetly, which made her look even faker. "My sister probably used cheap fabric to make that dress. Or... maybe she spent all her savings on it after doing that one advertisement."

Well, first of all, thank you for saying my dress looks beautiful, and the fact that she knows I just starred in an advertisement clearly means she’s been stalking me all this time.

The phrase about haters loving us more than fans is true after all.

"If I did, then what?" I spoke up, making Madeline gasp because she probably didn’t expect me to admit it that quickly. "It’s not like I used your money to buy my gown. Whether I spent all my savings or used cheap fabric to make it, I don’t think that matters."

Madeline gritted her teeth, but within seconds tried to look innocent again. "W-well, it matters! If your gown is made by a designer, people deserve to know so they can appreciate the designer."

Honestly, people only care about a fashion designer if they are a well-known designer or someone who works for a luxury clothing brand.

No matter how skillful a designer is, as long as their brand isn’t considered a luxury brand, their designs will always be seen as cheap.

"I commissioned this gown privately, and the designer didn’t want her name mentioned because she already has many clients to handle." I made up a lie, then changed the topic before Madeline tried to dig deeper about my dress. "Besides, which one do you want to talk about right now, my gown or my so-called imitation necklace?"

Madeline’s eye twitched, probably starting to lose control of the emotions clouding her brain—if she even had one—and looked ready to attack me right then and there.

"Helcia," she whispered, pretending to be kind again. "I’m trying to save you and your husband some dignity. Just admit from the beginning that you’re wearing a fake necklace. It’ll be so much more embarrassing if you keep denying it and get exposed later."

"This necklace isn’t fake," I answered firmly.

Madeline scowled. "Maxwell literally said there’s only one in the world!"

"Then clearly yours is the fake one," I replied calmly, smiling like it was common sense.

"And why are you so sure?"

"Because my husband said mine is real." I gave Lando a soft pat on his shoulder, like he was my medal. "And for the record, my husband would never steal company money. He’s a good man. I’m confident he could never do something that disgusting."

But then I suddenly worried they might start questioning where Lando got that much money in the first place, so I quickly added, "He’s so kind and hardworking that his boss decided to give him this necklace as our wedding gift."

Lando never said he bought the necklace, only that he gave it to me, so the boss’ excuse was actually perfect.

"You mean the mysterious owner of Zentra?" Maxwell laughed. "We don’t even know his identity, so how are we supposed to believe he’d give something that expensive to one of his employees? He probably just gave you a fake one to comfort your poverty a little."

Lando shrugged casually. "With that logic, I could also say you don’t even know him either, so how can you be so sure he would give me a fake one?"

The argument kept going in circles, and honestly, I started to feel like it would never end, like we were trapped in the world’s most annoying group chat.

Until suddenly, a woman stood from her chair and spoke up. "I can tell the real one from a fake very easily," she said confidently. "I used to work as Ms. Delacroix’s assistant, and I personally watched the Celestia Tear Diamond being made from the very beginning until the end."