?Chapter 1452:


    “Watch your mouth,” Sharon said coolly. “We’re all women here. There’s no need to be this vicious.”


    Charis froze, staring at her in disbelief, wine dripping down her face.


    She pointed at Sharon, her voice shaking. “You… you’re that beauty salon owner. So you know each other. Fine. You dare ssh me? Do you think I can’t shut your salon down?”


    Sharon, dressed in a crisp tailored suit, met her re head-on. “Go ahead. Try.”


    Her salon had survived years in Choria. It wouldn’t fall over a threat like that.


    Seeing her intimidation fail, Charis’s expression twisted further.


    She grabbed a napkin and wiped at her face and chest, but the more she wiped, the worse it looked. In the end, she threw the napkin onto the floor in frustration.


    “Do you even know how expensive this dress is?” she snapped at Ste. “Can you afford topensate me?”


    Sharon stepped forward, positioning herself squarely in front of Ste. “I sshed you. I’ll pay. Double, if you want.”


    She wasn’t short on money, and the dress looked like it cost, at most, a few hundred thousand.


    “You—” Charis was so angry she couldn’t speak for a moment. Finally, she spat out, “You two are in cahoots!”


    “So what if we are?” Sharon shot back. “You started insulting people first. Don’t deny it. I’ve got evidence.”


    After years in this circle, Sharon had learned to protect herself. The moment Charis approached with that smug expression, she’d already hit record.


    Charis, spoiled and unused to real confrontation, didn’t have Sharon’s sharp tongue.


    She clenched her teeth, shot Ste a venomous re, then turned and stormed off, dragging along the friend who had stood silently beside her the entire time.


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    Sharon was still fuming. “I’m refunding her membership the moment I get back. She’s unbearable.”


    Ste spoke softly, almost distracted. “No need, Sharon. Business is business.”


    Making money off an enemy should feel satisfying, shouldn’t it?


    As the event reached its midpoint, William was called up to the stage to deliver a speech.


    Under the spotlight, his presence drew the eye without effort. A sharply cut jaw gave his face a cold refinement, and when his gaze moved across the audience, it carried a measured sense of superiority thatmanded respect rather than resentment.


    Across the room, Ste remained seated on the sofa, wondering if she had truly once stood beside someone like him.


    Someone so striking. Someone so distant.


    Had he really chosen her before?


    A softugh slipped from her lips and cut through the hush of the venue. At once, William turned his head and looked straight at her.


    Realizing what she had done, she straightened and quickly covered her mouth.


    She honestly had not intended for thatugh to escape her at all.


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