?Chapter 699:


    “Is that nude photo even real?” Karen asked cautiously. She was genuinely curious, not trying to be mean.


    Unexpectedly, Evelyn’s face twisted with disdain, and her reply was harsher than Karen’s question. “Who knows what kind of awful things that tramp Elena has been pulling…” Her voice dripped with disgust.


    Karen pressed on. “Aren’t you about to marry Jeffry? Haven’t you heard anything about this?”


    Evelyn’s animosity toward Elena was clear. She’d always looked down on Elena, thinking she was from the sticks and not fancy enough, yet Elena kept clinging to Jeffry. Now, with this scandal, Elena had really made the Harper family look like a joke.


    As soon as the scandal spread, all the rich people Evelyn knew in high society were practically itching to get thetest gossip from her.


    Evelyn, who didn’t care about Elena, had no idea what the truth really was. Annoyed by all the questions, she snapped, “Elena didn’t grow up with the Harpers. What do you expect from some hick like that?” Her words practically confirmed that Elena’s photo was real.


    Karen was still a little unsure. Elena didn’t seem like the type to do something like that.


    Before Karen could ask more, she noticed Evelyn’s face suddenly go pale with shock.


    Karen spun around to see Elena standing right behind them. Both their eyes widened in surprise.


    Karen’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as she stammered, “W-when did you get here?”


    Karen wished she could disappear. How long had Elena been standing there? Did she hear them gossiping about her right to her face? Karen briefly wondered if anything could be more mortifying than this situation.


    Elena, however, remained cool as a cucumber. “When you asked if the photo was real,” she replied calmly.


    Karen’s mouth hung open, no wordsing out. So Elena had heard every single word!


    Flustered, Karen avoided Elena’s gaze and stammered, “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just… you know, curiosity…” Elena’s face remained impassive, revealing nothing.


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    Evelyn’s face twisted with deeper embarrassment than Karen’s. Evelyn might not have liked Elena, but she admired Jeffry, who was fiercely protective of her.


    Even with her dislike, Evelyn never intended to make an enemy of Elena. Today’s mess was purely idental. It was all Karen’s fault for being so nosy!


    Evelyn wanted to apologize, but her throat tightened, and the words wouldn’te out.


    Elena clearly didn’t care. She turned to leave, the sapphire on her ne catching the faint glow of the streetlight.


    “Wait!” Karen blurted out, her eyes fixed on the ne. She stepped forward, jaw practically on the floor. “Did Wesley give you that?”


    That was unmistakably the ne their grandmother had left, meant for Wesley’s future wife. How had it ended up around Elena’s neck?


    Elena simply replied, “Yes.”


    Karen was speechless, frozen by shock. A storm of emotions—disbelief, confusion, and maybe even hurt—washed over her. She’d seen the way Wesley looked at Elena, a tenderness unlike any he showed others, but she hadn’t realized it was this serious. This ne meant something. Wesley wouldn’t give something this significant unless he saw Elena as his future wife. So Wesley was truly head over heels for Elena!


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