06
Jessica couldn’t help but scoff at him. “You’re quick to defend another woman over your fiancée.”
Tiffany was reluctantly dragged into the drinking game.
Time and again, she was the one to lose.
I lounged in my chair as I watched Stephan gulp down drink after drink on her behalf.
A voice from the crowd noted, “Stephan, you’ve never played the white knight with drinks before, have you? Tiffany, you’ve got some luck.”
This sparked a ripple of laughter among the group.
Leaning in, a socialite whispered to Tiffany with a giggle, “You two are like soulmates, aren’t you?”
The crowd had conveniently forgotten about my engagement to Stephan and openly praised what a perfect couple Tiffany and Stephan made.
Tiffany’s demure act was so convincing that anyone unaware of the true situation would easily believe she and Stephan were a couple in love.
I excused myself to the bathroom, and when I came out, Tiffany was standing in my way.
With a defiant tone, she taunted, “Your friends were all chatting with me just now, completely leaving you out in the cold. How does it feel to be sidelined?”
I met her challenge with a sneer.
“And?”
Her eyes sparkled with defiance.
“Zooey, your life’s pretty much a flop. Not even your friends give you the time of day.”
Just then, her gaze flicked to the side, catching sight of Stephan.
“Mr. Fitzgerald mentioned there’s no surveillance here. If I fall now, who do you think they’ll believe?”
In an instant, she hurled herself to the floor with dramatic flair, her knee scraping against the surface. Blood began to seep out.
She then launched into her most convincing act yet.
She portrayed the perfect image of a delicate flower wronged by others.
Tears began to stream down her face as she bit down her lip.
“It’s my fault for getting close to Stephan. I’m sorry. It’s all on me,” she sobbed.
Witnessing her pained expression, Stephan was overcome with heartache.
He sprinted to her side and scooped her up, setting her gently onto a chair before spinning around to unleash his anger at me with a bellow.
“Zooey! This is too much!”
His accusation drew all eyes toward us.
Jessica stepped up beside me, her brows knitting together as she took in the scene.
“What’s her game now?”
Stephan, ever the gallant knight, tenderly brushed the tears from Tiffany’s face and confronted me with a challenge, “Can’t you let Tiffany be? How can you push her?”
I replied casually, “Well, I did push her. What of it?”
He was taken aback by my unapologetic tone, his words catching in his throat.
Tiffany hadn’t expected me to admit it so boldly, and the situation veered sharply from the script she had in mind.
Stephan spoke up again, “Is this all because she snagged one of your projects? It just proves you weren’t cut out for it. That’s why your father handed
it over to Tiffany. How petty can you be, blaming and then attacking her for your own shortcomings?”
I responded with a cool, dismissive shrug, “If that’s the story you’re sticking with, then so be it. I can’t change your mind.”
He stood there, words failing him.
Meanwhile, Tiffany, grimacing in pain, managed to pull herself up. She clutched at the sleeve of Paula Harris, a socialite she had just been charming.
Tiffany pleaded with pain, “Paula, Zooey pushed me. It really hurts, Can you stand up for me?”
Paula gave a nod filled with counterfeit compassion. “Absolutely, I’ll see to it that you get the justice you’re due.”
Her smile was warm, but then, with a swift motion, she jerked her hand away.
Tiffany, unprepared for the move, hit the floor with a solid thump.
A chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it. I mused silently, “Seriously? Did nobody tell her that Paula knew Taekwondo?”
