Reginald Ashford wore a charcoal five-piece suit, highlighting his strong build. Silver cloud embroidery, a jade pocket square, and a qilin tie pin enhanced the outfit, also making it fit for the theme. Evelyn Ashford stood beside him in a pearl-gray gown with subtle crane motifs, jade earrings, and a phoenix brooch. Both of them looked a match made in heaven, with the man handsome and the woman elegant.
However, even in the presence of the master and the madam of the Ashford family, the people inside the hall couldn't take their eyes off Elena Ashford, the daughter and the heiress of the Ashford family. Dressed in a midnight-blue off-shoulder gown, Elena looked like a real immortal descended in the mortal world. Her small face looked ethereal with glowing skin, shimmering eyes and soft lips. Her hair was styled in a soft updo adorned with a crystal hairpin with the shape of a star. A diamond single-string necklace was placed on her sleek neck and her shoulders looked delicate as if they'd be broken by a single push.
Soon, the party started and everyone came towards the Ashford family to give their best wishes to Reginald Ashford. The young men in the party couldn't take their eyes off Elena. She was a kind of beauty which everyone wanted in their lives. So, everyone tried to interact with the heiress or make their parents introduce them. The young women glanced at Elena in jealousy. The young women also included Vanessa, whose eyes were green with envy. She looked at Elena with profound hatred in her eyes. Elena could feel Vanessa's malicious gaze, but she ignored her and focused on socializing with people whom her parents introduced her to.
Everyone was impressed by Elena as she could speak to anyone on any topic. She was not like other socialites who knew nothing other than clothing and beauty brands. Elena was someone who possessed basic knowledge of all the fields. Even though she was not profound in everything, knowing something about everything made her very likable.
Vanessa saw people chatting and laughing with Elena and thought that being rich was so good that everyone smiled at you even though you were just an empty vase. She didn't know that in the business community it was not sufficient to have good looks. After all, what could a family do with a madam who was all looks and no brains? Other than giving birth to beautiful progeny, the woman was useless. She won't be able to manage a household if she didn't have any brain.
Vanessa didn't know that Elena had a habit of reading newspaper every day. Even though it was a menial task and ignored by many, Elena knew that if she had to stay up-to-date with the current trends of either business or anything else, reading newspaper was mandatory. This made her knowledgeable about everything. However, Elena didn't show off her awareness to Vanessa to prevent the latter from feeling inferior. Vanessa had stepped into the entertainment industry and Elena knew that Vanessa didn't have any interest in any other thing, so she had thought of helping Vanessa if she faced any difficulty. However, Vanessa was unaware of all this.
As Elena was associating with the guests, her gaze fell on a little girl eating pastries at the side. The little girl had a round face and very bright eyes. She was so cute that Elena instantly felt like pulling her cheeks and hugging her.
However, before she could go near the little girl, Vanessa blocked her way.
"Elena! Thank God you're here! I almost thought I wouldn't see you here!" Vanessa blurted out when she got near Elena.
"Of course I'm here. I am one of the hosts here," Elena said sarcastically.
Vanessa was speechless. She had wanted to emphasize the fact that Elena rarely attended any parties and thus she thought that Elena wouldn't even attend her own father's birthday party as always. However, Elena's refute made Vanessa appear stupid.
The mysteriousness of the heiress of the Ashford family had gained a positive impact when people saw Elena. They didn't feel that Elena was being arrogant by not attending any social events and thought that she must have had a reason to do so.
This was because Elena was neither overbearing and nor servile while facing others. She left a good impression on everyone.
Vanessa adjusted her expression and smiled at Elena before holding her hand, "Elena, let's have something to drink."
Vanessa dragged Elena to the beverages counter and ordered her favorite drink. She ordered the same for herself. Actually, it wasn't that the drink was Elena's favorite. But it was Vanessa's. But Elena had the habit of give-in it to Vanessa, so the latter didn't even know what Elena liked.
The counter guy was busy, so his assistant handed over the drinks to the two girls. Elena felt thirsty after talking so much, so she immediately gulped the drink. Vanessa's face lit up as she took a sip of her drink leisurely.