the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart
Chapter 195: Eyes black as grapes, damp and seductive

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Eyes black as grapes, damp and seductive

The guests, seeing that the fourth lady of the Leclair Family had come up with a novel idea, sat at their seats with keen interest, waiting for Bessie Leclair to draw the gifts and give them a spectacle to behold.

The first gift drawn was from the Liu family in the city—a British Pureblood Horse.

Amidst the gasps of surprise from the crowd, the horse was already being led over. The chestnut horse’s coat gleamed with a dark, glossy hue, its limbs robust and powerful, exuding explosive energy. As it walked, its movements were exceptionally graceful, clearly showcasing excellent training.

Delphine recognized the Liu family’s Miss as the round-faced girl who often followed Bessie Leclair and Yvonne Wade around. She cast her eyes downward, her lips curving into a faint line.

"Wendy is a full-grown Pureblood horse with a gentle temperament, very suitable for young ladies to ride," Miss Liu briefly introduced before an appraiser stepped forward to assess the horse.

"It’s a British hybrid, valued at around eight hundred thousand," said the appraiser.

Even as a hybrid, the horse’s quality was impressive, and the crowd nodded in approval. After all, truly rare pureblood horses would be astronomically priced.

The second gift drawn was rather ordinary—a set of jewelry from the Young Residence heiress, valued at approximately 1.2 million.

Seeing the presence of an appraiser, Delphine frowned slightly and tugged at Ignatius Leclair, who was conversing with someone nearby.

In the open-air venue, Ignatius sat at the central seat. The man’s features were classically handsome, and he listened politely and elegantly to the conversation of several close family friends. Feeling his cufflink being tugged, he turned his head.

"Hm?" he asked in a low voice, his gaze landing on her jade-like fingers. It seemed she particularly enjoyed tugging at his cufflinks.

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Ignatius’s mouth.

"I took a snuff bottle from your collection room—the one shaped like a deer. Do you remember it?" Delphine leaned closer and asked softly.

The man lowered his gaze to her face, which was so close that it was almost within reach. Her dark, grape-like eyes glistened with a mesmerizing allure.

Before Ignatius could reply, Delphine heard her gift being announced.

Her expression slightly cooled.

"Miss Delphine Carter of the Leclair Residence, a snuff bottle."

The crowd erupted in chatter—who gives a snuff bottle as a gift?

Ignatius’s long, phoenix-shaped eyes deepened. "Go on, it’s fine," he said gravely.

Delphine rose to her feet, walking calmly toward the host’s platform. She glanced at the murmuring socialites.

The small snuff bottle had already been retrieved from the pile of gifts and brought forward to the stage. In comparison to the expensive racehorse, the adorably quaint snuff bottle was immediately overshadowed.

In the open venue, surrounded by a sea of blue and purple blossoms, every word of the crowd’s commentary carried distinctly through the air.

Delphine offered a faint smile, took hold of the snuff bottle, and spoke lightly into the microphone. "This snuff bottle dates back to the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty. Some time ago, I heard that Grandfather Leclair wanted to complete his snuff bottle collection and was missing one piece. I acquired this specifically at an auction in New York. It is a gift for my sister on her engagement."

In other words, this little trinket was meant for Bessie to present to the Leclair patriarch as though it were her own thoughtful contribution.

Standing in front of the countless scions from South Asian aristocratic families, her delicate and gentle features maintained an unwavering, confident smile as she explained the origin of the snuff bottle. She caught sight of Bessie’s increasingly sour expression and felt a fleeting thrill of satisfaction.

"You’re lying!" Yvonne Wade, who had been standing alongside Bessie in her usual guise of a supportive confidante, shrieked furiously. "That’s just a piece of junk, something from a street vendor."

"You’re welcome to have the appraiser check it," Delphine countered with a smile, casting a slightly pitying look at Yvonne.

Indeed, she had lied. But it didn’t matter whether the snuff bottle was a treasure or a piece of worthless junk; she was already in an unshakable position of advantage.

By invoking Bessie as her sister and involving the Leclair patriarch in the matter, even if the appraiser dared to determine the object as worthless, they wouldn’t risk embroiling themselves in the affairs of the Leclair family.

Delphine let slip a subtle smile. Bessie had clearly been spending too much time around dimwitted types like Yvonne; her methods were becoming increasingly lacking in refinement.