Christopher's tone was somewhat spoiled, "Auntie, we're here to support Aunt Jessie. There's no need to argue with unrelated people."
Unrelated people!
What a clever adjective to use.
Bianca immediately stopped arguing.
Well, her brother had no interest in Sisca. What was she fighting for!
Moreover, today's show was important to Jessie. She couldn't ruin it.
Bianca's face immediately brightened. Sisca's face, on the other hand, turned ugly.
The onlookers' gazes became subtle.
When Young Master Carter called Sisca an unrelated person, it proved that Sisca was not his birth mother.
With Bianca teaming up with Young Master Carter to confront Sisca, and Dominic not saying a word, it was evident that Sisca wasn't that important to him.
Perhaps the lying scandal in the mall was true. Sisca and Dominic weren't even in that kind of relationship!
As everyone delved into the ocean of gossip, they almost stumbled upon the truth.
Sisca lowered her eyes, feeling almost on the verge of bursting with anger.
Sure enough, he was a bastard, just like his mother!
All of this happening was noticed by Ava, who was paying close attention to the front stage.
Seeing that Al still hadn't arrived at her seat, she grew anxious. Unfortunately, Jessie showed no reaction, only chatting with Alessia.
Al hadn't arrived yet. It seemed like the mysterious guest had become a no-show. This event couldn't afford to offend Dominic, this bigwig.
Ava timely walked out from backstage, greeted Dominic, and diffused the awkwardness for Sisca.
"Mr. Carter, we're very honored to have you and your son join us for the Ramirez's autumn new product launch."
As she spoke, Ava's gaze fell on Christopher, who was wearing a mask. She paused slightly. Why did this child's eyes and figure look similar to Christian's?
After thinking about it, she felt it was just her imagination.
Christian, a child without a father, couldn't be compared to the esteemed young master of the Carter family.
Suppressing the strangeness in her heart, Ava looked at Christopher with warmth and admiration. "Young Master Carter, your eyes are truly beautiful."
Christopher wrinkled his eyes, instinctively disliking this supposed grandmother.
This grandmother gave him the same feeling as Sisca, tinged with fakeness.
Christopher lowered his eyelashes, ignoring Ava's deliberate flattery.
Dominic nodded politely to Ava, maintaining a polite distance. His gaze moved to the runway, as if trying to catch a glimpse of Alessia behind the curtain.
If Alessia hadn't disclosed their relationship to Ava, she was definitely not just abiding by the agreement.
But he couldn't be bothered with her affairs. He just needed her not to cause trouble for him.
However, Christopher was kidnapped because of her. He had known that it was Nolan who kidnapped Christopher. Alessia had acted fast, and the Ramirez family had sent Nolan abroad. He had finished the job from behind. Nolan's days abroad must be difficult.
He needed to find an opportunity to warn Alessia again, not to bring her messy family affairs in front of the child.
Ava couldn't possibly fathom Dominic's thoughts. Seeing that Dominic's interest was not high and that Christopher didn't respond to her, she sat down by herself.
Now, there were only two empty seats in the front row: one for Jessie and the other for Al.
Behind Ava, the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, taking advantage of her relationship with Ava, asked her. "Miss Ramirez, I heard that Jessie invited a mysterious guest. I see that everyone in the audience is familiar faces. Who is the guest she invited, and has she arrived?"
Ava looked at the empty seat beside her and inwardly cursed Jessie for being unreliable. Less than a minute before the event started, it seemed unlikely that Al would show up.
Embarrassing Jessie alone was better than embarrassing the entire Ramirez family; her own face mattered more.
Ava put on a fake smile and said, "Mysterious guest? Did Jessie mention anything like that to you? I'm not sure. This child is holding such a big event for the first time, maybe she's being a bit too impulsive for the sake of publicity."
The editor-in-chief immediately understood the meaning behind Ava's words. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a hint of sarcasm.
"Miss Ramirez is indeed intelligent, perhaps too intelligent. You should remind the younger generation more often not to tarnish the good reputation of the Ramirez family."
Without the mysterious guest, their next issue of the magazine would lack material, affecting her interests. Naturally, she was displeased.
"You're right. I'll talk to Jessie later and have her make it up to you." Ava replied humbly, playing the role of the good person and successfully appeasing the editor-in-chief.
Bianca, who knew the truth, found it both amusing and annoying to hear Ava criticize Jessie. She pinched herself several times before suppressing the urge to retort.
Don't get agitated! Don't get agitated! Let Ava continue to be foolish. When Alessia revealed her identity, Ava's face would be ruined.
As Bianca was mulling over these thoughts, the event officially began, and the host, dressed in formal attire, took the stage.
Jessie, accompanied by Alessia, also came from backstage to the front.
As Jessie sat down, Alessia was about to follow suit. Suddenly, Christopher, wearing a mask, stood up and swiftly took the seat beside Jessie, leaving the only seat next to Dominic empty.
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, those who were unaware of the entanglement between Alessia and Dominic wore puzzled expressions.
What was Young Master Carter doing?
People with a bit of knowledge about the truth reacted differently.
Bianca greeted Alessia happily, "Sis, please sit!"
Sisca almost choked with anger. She hadn't expected Alessia to come.
She realized that she might have guessed wrong before. Dominic's sudden appearance might not have been because of her, but because of Alessia.
Ava's expression changed slightly. Was Young Master Carter arranging this to match Dominic and Alessia?
Was Alessia really favored by Dominic?
She had clearly warned Alessia not to think about Dominic, but it seemed that Alessia didn't take her words to heart.
Under various gazes, Alessia's eyes flickered slightly, and then she calmly sat down.
With so many people watching, she couldn't just stand there and let herself be stared at like a monkey.
A cold fragrance, unique to women, filled the air as the woman next to him sat down.
Dominic glanced at Alessia and then continued to watch the stage expressionlessly, but his expression was somewhat distracted.
Ava, sitting next to Jessie, suppressed her thoughts and asked in a low voice, "Jessie, where's Al?"
Jessie looked at the stage, her eyes showing a meaningful glint. "Auntie, you'll find out later."
But to Ava's ears, it sounded like Jessie was still being evasive.
Ava lowered her eyes, no longer speaking, but feeling somewhat annoyed as she waited to see what would happen next.
She wanted to see what Jessie would say if Al didn't show up after the show. Perhaps she could use this incident to suppress Jessie and persuade Harrison to demote her.
She needed to ensure that Harrison relied only on her. Only then could she do whatever she wanted in the company.
After the host delivered the opening speech on stage, she invited Jessie, the organizer of the event, to the stage to speak.
As Jessie spoke on stage, the media and veteran celebrities invited to the event cast strange glances at her.
Because of Ava's words to the magazine editor, the rumors had spread far and wide.
Now everyone thought that Jessie was just trying to create hype, fabricating a fake mysterious guest out of thin air.
After Jessie stepped down from the stage, she went backstage to handle the work. Feeling the strange gazes from the audience, she instructed her assistant to inquire about the situation.
The assistant quickly found out the ins and outs of the matter, and Jessie felt indignant, cursing Ava for being despicable.
Jessie chuckled at her own naivety, realizing that she had long understood that there were no good people left in the Ramirez family, but she still held unwarranted expectations.
"No need to worry," Jessie took a deep breath, adjusting her mood.
The assistant couldn't help but ask, "Has the mysterious guest arrived?"
"They arrived early. Make sure the segment featuring the mysterious guest's appearance and unique talents is well arranged. This is probably the highlight of our show, and we can't afford to mess it up."
Jessie was confident, repeatedly instructing.
The assistant was also inspired by Jessie's confidence and became more confident.
On the front stage, the models proceeded with their runway walks in an orderly manner. As an hour passed, everyone began to feel a bit weary. At this moment, the host invited Jessie back on stage.
The host, with her playful and humorous style, looked at Jessie and asked, "Miss Jessie, everyone has been sitting in the venue for so long, and they're feeling a bit weary. Would you like to give them a little treat to lift their spirits?"
***