The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire
Chapter 1242 Center of Attention
The smooth hum of the engine died down as a luxurious and swank Ferrari ground to a halt at the entrance of the hospital. The executives and doctors had already been standing in wait, surrounding the vehicle with fawning smiles as a woman alighted. Kailee stepped out of the car with her head raised, lending her a noble and elegant air. The director of the hospital quickly walked over and greeted her with an obsequious bow.
“Miss Gibson,” he said in an obviously ingratiating tone, “thank you for taking the time to come and grace us with your presence. It is our privilege to have you here. Just your appearance has greatly elevated the occasion.”
“You are being too kind, director. The honor is mine.”
The corners of Kailee’s mouth rose slightly. Her words were full of humility, but there was arrogance in her eyes.
She basked in the flattery of the director and executives that surrounded her—their attention sweeping away the vexation from the past few days. Kailee took her seat at the center of the podium with her head held high.
It was a welcome change from the dejection that hovered in recent days.
Since Garrett’s ruthless uncovering of her plot, Kailee had not gotten any chances to get close to him. Even Vera had been difficult to reach. But it mattered little because Kailee knew that only scolding awaited her if she did manage to contact the other.
To make matters worse, Vera had prohibited her from setting foot in their home again.
As these misfortunes piled one after another, Kailee grew more and more dispirited. She felt cornered and helpless, as if everything was slipping out of her control.
At first, she had thought that revealing Janet’s involvement in Laney’s escape would make Vera change her opinion of her. Kailee had expected Vera to go after Janet and force Laney to give up the child.
But things couldn’t have gotten further from her desires. Instead of earning Vera’s favor, she became an annoyance to Vera. And still, nothing had happened to Janet and Laney.
Left without a choice, Kailee had to continue spreading gossip about Vera being an evil mother-in-law in the hope of putting pressure on her to harass Laney.
However, the gossip seemingly had made no difference.
On the contrary, there were other stories going around in the circle that said the exact opposite—Vera was a very kind and agreeable mother-in-law who treated Laney as if she was her own daughter.
Nobody brought up the incident where Laney left home with her child.
It was almost as if the incident had been all but forgotten.
At the same time, another gossip was passing around the ears and lips of the group.
There were whispers of a wealthy young lady deliberately targeting Laney, causing her to almost lose the child in her womb. But that was not all. The lady in question was also said to be shamelessly aiming for the spot of Garrett’s mistress.
Everyone speculated about the identity of this vile woman.
Some had surmised that she was one of Garrett’s ex-girlfriends.
When words reached her, Kailee had gotten so scared that she locked herself at home for several days, not daring to take a step outside.
She anxiously waited for the heat to cool in the next couple of days. Only when public opinion calmed down did she go out and show her face. However, the anxiousness from the previous days had taken its toll on her, making her feel disheartened.
She had spent so much time and effort on her plan, but in the end, all of it had been for nothing.
How could she ever accept such a loss!
It was fortunate that the Gibson family had donated a large amount of new equipment to the hospital not too long ago. Thanks to that, Kailee was invited by the director of the hospital to attend an event as an honored guest. Coming here and basking in everyone’s praise brought her some joy.
She had always reveled in being the center of attention. Nothing beat the feeling of having everyone’s eyes focused on her.
At this moment, Kailee was sitting down in the seat of honor, listening contentedly as the host sang her praises and expressed gratitude for her presence.
The host was showering her with compliments, trying his best to thank her for donating new equipment. He extolled her beauty and her generosity, which made an outstanding contribution to the patients.
“Now, we would like to invite the beautiful and benevolent Miss Gibson to say a few words.”
The enthusiastic requested made Kailee’s lips involuntarily curl. She stood up proudly and walked to the stage to take the microphone that the host handed to her.
“Thank you for your kind words. It’s an honor to be with you here at this event.” Kailee smiled, preparing to recite the speech she had prepared the previous night.
However, the warm atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Her eyes went to the audience below and saw them whispering among one another and looking back at her with eyes full of disdain.
Kailee’s heart sank, an uneasy feeling rising inside her.
The next moment, her assistant’s expression changed, and she quickly rushed to the stage. In her haste, she had all but shoved her phone in front of Kailee’s face.