"How can you be so cold to your friend after it's been ages since we last talked?" she gently reprimanded, taking a step closer.
As Clarissa moved closer, she leaned into him, embracing him gently.
Selina, at the other end of the table, widened her eyes in shock, slowly munching her food. Were Clarissa and Zane close? Selina pondered.
"I hope you didn't have a difficult time staying alone abroad," Clarissa inquired, still in his arms.
As Zane felt her warmth, a disturbing sensation stirred within him. He nearly flinched away, but restrained himself. Instead of embracing her back, his brow furrowed and his jaw tightened.
A visible vein popped out on his arm as he tightened his fist. He didn't want the hug to last for more seconds while he grasped her shoulder and gently pulled her away. His distant gaze met her eyes, which sparkled with emotions he couldn't comprehend.
"Yes, it was fun abroad," Zane replied, the weight of lies barely hidden in his voice and then took a step back from her.
Leah chuckled in delight. "You don't know how much Clarissa has missed you."
"What about me, Clarissa? Don't you miss me?" Noah chimmed in.
Clarissa shot him a playful glare. "We've been seeing each other for months and years, but it's boring," she teased, prompting laughter from the adults and Noah.
Noah placed a hand on his heart, feigning a heartbroken expression. "You're hurting my pride, Clarissa. You should treat it better, like you do with him. Don't you think so, Auntie Leah?"
Leah smiled at Noah's pitiful expression. "How can she treat it better when you let other girls have it?" she teased, causing Noah to grin even wider.
Clarissa waved a dismissive hand at Noah's playful antics. "Let him be, Mother. He always pretends we are strangers whenever he's with others girls. Now, he wants me to treat him better....that's never going to happen."
Noah straightened his expression, reaching for Clarissa's hand. He gently took it into his grasp. "I will try my best to hold on to this hand for a lifetime. I'm sorry for hurting,"
Clarissa felt her cheeks warming at Noah's sweet words. He slowly lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles.
Leah yanked Noah's hand away from her daughter's flawless skin before it could reach his lips. If she knew nothing about Noah, she might have fallen for his charms and considered handing her daughter over to him.
"Don't act so intimate with Clarissa, otherwise people might misunderstand," Leah reminded him, while Noah nodded in acknowledgement and stepped back.
"My bad," Noah mumbled. "She's so beautiful that I got carried away."
Zane adjusted his necktie slightly, feeling out of place in the cheerful atmosphere. He didn't like the vibe and felt it shouldn't be like this with Everett.
Staring at the smiles, a testament to the blissful life they had been enjoying, irritated him to the core.
He could no longer bear their sight because he would soon end their short-lived happiness after tonight.
Zane turned around, intending to leave, but Clarissa was quick to stop him.
"Zane, Wait!" Clarissa called out, and Zane halted in his tracks.
He raised a brow, confused by her sudden call.
Clarissa extended her hands, holding a small blue velvet box, and opened the lid to reveal a sparkling gold wristwatch. "Please accept my gift. I hope it suits your taste."
Zane glanced at the wristwatch, and before he could voice his rejection, Noah took the gift from Clarissa.
Zane turned his head to Noah, and his amber eyes, concealing deadly emotions, flashed at Noah's playful stare. Noah understood that expression, but didn't want to hurt Clarissa's feelings.
He looked away from Zane, admiring the branded wristwatch. "Wow! You don't have to worry. You chose a great present for Zane. He appreciates your efforts."
Clarissa felt a strange sense of unease from Zane's reaction. She wasn't sure if he was rejecting her present or simply being distant.
"I have other important guests to meet. Excuse me," Zane said.
Zane figured he would become weary of the greetings regarding his return, which he knew were primarily about business. For some, his return was a thorn and a painful reminder they wished to erase.
Noah followed behind Zane because he couldn't lose sight of him either. Otherwise, things would turn into a catastrophe.
Leah turned to Clarissa and noticed how disturbed she appeared. Trying to lift her daughter's spirits, she said, "Zane's flight may have exhausted him, and he may not want to discuss personal matters right now. So have fun,"
Clarissa nodded, exhaling with relief.
With an amicable smile on her lips, Leah wrapped her arms around Hudson, who patted Clarissa's shoulder. They both wore their usual perfect couple demeanour in public before they moved on, striding toward other elites to discuss business.
Meanwhile, Selina's eyes remained on Hudson as she watched him mingle with some elites alongside Leah. Her heart sank once again at the sight of their laughter and conversation a while ago, feeling excluded from their circle.
While her gaze lingered on Clarissa across the room, she envied society's acknowledgement of her half-sister as their father's daughter and Everett's only child.
Selina blinked, breaking from her thoughts the moment she noticed Clarissa waving at her. She hesitated, lifting her hand in the air, and waved back, both of them smiling genuinely at each other.
Clarissa stepped forward to approach her sister, whom she hadn't seen in a while, but her mother's soft voice called for her nearby. She hesitated for a moment before heading to join her mother and the group.
Unbeknownst to Selina, three bossy girls from the left side were approaching, realizing that her presence didn't match their exclusivity.
As Selina lifted a delicious dessert to take a bite, someone yanked it from her hand, causing her face to contort in confusion.
The girls sized up Selina with scornful glares, noting that she didn't fit their world of silks and diamonds; her presence was a wrinkle in their curated perfection.
One girl remarked sharply, "Her scent is cheap, and everything about her is, too," prompting Selina to glance at their expensive attire.
The girl in the middle frowned, maintaining a condescending look directed at Selina. "You don't look like a rich kid. How did you get inside?"
Selina saw that these girls looked troublesome, and she wondered how she had attracted their attention despite her efforts to remain unnoticed.
Straightening her spine and adopting a neutral expression to project confidence, Selina replied, "Mr. Zane invited me, and I expect my presence shouldn't disturb you."
The girls let out a mocking laugh at Selina's bold claim, clearly seeing her as an outsider.
"That's outrageous!" the middle girl exclaimed. "You must have stolen someone's card and now have the nerve to lie about being invited."
"Someone as respectable and influential as Mr. Zane would never associate with a low-life girl like you!" another girl scolded bitterly.
"Maybe she's just here for free food!" a third girl spat.
Free food?
Those contemptuous words hit Selina's dignity like a physical blow, and she clenched her fists at her sides.
How could they think of her that way?
Even if she had experienced hunger before, she had never attended an event just for a free meal.
"First, I didn't steal the invitation card from anyone. Second, I'm not here to meet your imagined scenarios. I'm here to celebrate Mr. Zane's return," Selina retorted calmly.
They refused to believe that Mr. Zane would invite someone as lowly as her to an event meant for elites.
The middle girl waved her hand dramatically in front of Selina's face, as if to ward off what she considered the stench of Selina's supposed lies. "What relationship do you have with Mr. Cassius that would warrant an invitation?" she interrogated.
Selina remained silent.
"Who knows? She might be here to entice him into some transactional relationship that will elevate her pathetic life!" another girl sneered in response to Selina's silence.
"Unfortunately for her, we won't let her dirty trick work!"
"We don't need to do anything because she's too ugly to even catch his attention!"
They all chuckled.
Selina glanced past the girls, realizing that this conversation was harming her sense of belonging. It pained her to see just how lowly they viewed her.
Instead of replying, she turned her attention to the room. She didn't want trouble, knowing that arguing with them would only waste her time and escalate into a fight.
Once things got heated, she was certain that everyone in the room would side with the troublesome girls because she was different. Neither did she want to embarrass Mr. Zane.
With resolve, Selina spun around, intent on finding a quiet spot away from their disdainful gazes.
The girls exchanged mischievous glances. They didn't like her presence there, and the thoughts of Zane being the one inviting her there irritated them.
In a swift motion, one of them shoved a hand against Selina's back. The impact caused her to stumble uncontrollably as she fought to regain her balance. It was too late; she lost her footing and crashed onto the table's surface.
Shatter!
The sharp clang mixed with a thud pierced the lively atmosphere, drawing curious and confused glances from everyone in the room.
For a second, the entire room seemed to freeze. But the ruthless whispers of the guests cut through.
"Who is she?"
"Can't you tell? She looks like a kid from a lower class,"
"Did someone bring a charity case?"
"Is she drunk or just desperate for attention?"
The guests exchanged amused chuckles, their disdainful gazes fixed on Selina's hunched figure on the floor.