Chapter 1264:


    Major social media tforms were broadcasting the whole thing live, and online viewers jumped into passionate debates. A number of international watchers felt pretty ticked off about how things had gone down.


    “Why did Kiley start by thanking Maia instead of the president of the International Jewelry Design Association?” one person wrote. “Does Maia rank higher than Aurielle somehow? This whole thing is supposed to be about Radiant Jewelsunching new products.”


    “Maia didn’t even bother to get up when Kiley thanked her earlier,” anothermented. “Where are her basic manners? Just look at how Aurielle handled herself. It makes Maia look stuck-up.”


    “Didn’t someone post online that Maia was ying the diva during sign-up?” yet another chimed in. “They said she was acting like the main event… and she got thanked first. What exactly did she do to earn that?”


    Plenty of people at the actual event felt just as confused about Kiley’s choice to put Maia first.


    “What’s the deal here?” someone whispered. “I heard Cooper Group and MCN couldn’t stand each other. But Kiley’s being pretty chummy with Maia, isn’t she?”


    “Right?” another person agreed. “There was this huge drama online before. Everybody knows Maia turned down Kiley’s invitations to tonight’s party multiple times. Still, Kiley put her at the top of her thank-you list. Kiley is quite forgiving.”


    “The Cooper Group is a toppany in Wront,” someone else added. “They’ve been around for almost two centuries. The heirs who inherit everything are famous for seeing the big picture. Just check out Kiley. She does see the big picture.”


    The whispers stayed fairly quiet, but they kept steadily tearing down Maia’s reputation among the crowd. The words stabbed at Maia like needles, one after another, hitting their mark.


    Still, Maia kept that smile on her face. Her eyes stayed cool and collected. Her posture remained ramrod straight. She’d definitely heard all the nastyments, but she didn’t get up, and she didn’t say a word in response.


    Her restraint actually made her stick out even more. It was like she was quietly telling everyone she didn’t think any of this deserved an exnation.


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    Raegan sat somewhere toward the back. She watched the whole fascinating scene y out and couldn’t hide her smirk. She’d gotten her people to spread ugly rumors about Maia all over the ce,unching a full-scale online assault against her.


    Kiley had yed this really smart. She’d put Maia on a pedestal, which meant everyone was now watching her closely. That setup would make it way easier to tear her downter. The fall would be that much more brutal. Meanwhile, Kiley could walk away from the mess with clean hands, never directly troubling Maia but always appearing to defend and favor her, thereby inciting more dissatisfaction toward Maia.


    All of a sudden, Anti—seated beside Raegan—raised an eyebrow. She’d been listening to all the chatter happening around them. Her curiosity got the better of her.


    “So who is this Maia Watson exactly?” she asked Raegan. “Howe Ms. Cooper made such a big deal about thanking her first? What’s she done to deserve getting singled out like that?”


    Raegan leaned closer to Anti, her voice a hushed murmur. “Maia Watson is a puzzle. She served four years for theft, then transformed her life, rising to chief designer at MCN. She’s also a celebratedposer and painter. Isn’t that like something from a fairy tale?”


    Anti’s jaw dropped, disbelief widening her eyes. “You’re kidding. An ex-convict pulling that off? She must be a fraud.”


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