07
Paula, with a look of disdain, pulled out a wet wipe from her purse and began to clean her hands methodically.
Tiffany, still on the ground, was in shock, struggling to grasp how Paula, who had just been so chummy with her, could flip so abruptly.
“Paula!” Stephan called out sharply, moving to assist Tiffany once more.
But Theodore stepped forward to stop him.
12:07 PM .
“This is my bar. What’s with the shouting?”
Panic flashed in Tiffany’s eyes as she spoke with urgency, “It was Zooey who pushed me! Are you all just going to stand by her? Paula, weren’t we becoming friends?”
The onlookers gave her nothing but cold stares.
Paula, now done with her hand cleaning, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“You really thought someone like you
be
my friend? I was just toying with you, and you fell for it?”
Stephan tried to advance, but him with a smile, “Our engagement is over.”
Desperation crept into his voice. “You need me to secure your heirship!”
“Well,
With that
I did mention
9 family has more
one
Son,” I countered, hinting at his brother, lan Smith.
legacy.
everyone present was well aware that my family had thrown its weight behind lan in the succession battle for the Smith family
Stephan, now in disbelief, momentarily forgot about Tiffany on the floor and
began to
profess his loyalty to me.
“He’s just a waste raised overseas! I’m
your best bet!”
Theodore signaled, and the security moved in, grabbing Stephan to lead him out.
As he was being pulled away, he yelled back, “lan is made of glass! How can he be better than
Love was no match for power.
With Stephan gone, Tiffany was left
in
a dire spot.
She played her victim card once more, hoping for sympathy.
But in this circle, everyone was seasoned in th
game of power. Her theatrics were transparent.
me?”
I laughed softly. “Had you just played the obedient pet, wagging your tail when told, I might’ve thrown you a bone when I felt generous. But you got
too ambitious.”
Pure terror seized Tiffany, leaving her lips bloodless.
Paula then chimed in with a suggestion.
“At your birthday, didn’t she accuse you of dousing her with wine? Being falsely accused isn’t pleasant. How about we make that accusation true?”
I picked up the priciest wine on the table and poured it over Tiffany’s head.
“Enjoy it. It’s worth more than your life.”
Drenched in wine, Tiffany shivered, her eyes wide with shock as she turned to Theodore.
“You set me up! You said there were no cameras here just to humiliate me!”
Theodore grinned. “How else would we have seen your true color?”
Ever since that night at the bar where I turned the tables on Tiffany, her resentment towards me deepened.
At the office, where our paths frequently crossed, she made a point of flaunting herself in front of me.
“So what if you slaved over that project for two years? Dad still chose me to take the credit. In his eyes, I’m the favored o
I paid no mind to her juvenile provocations, treating her like she was invisible.
Tiffany, seeing she was being ignored, grew increasingly frustrated.
