Shanley''s brow furrowed sharply as he watched his girl''s demeanor turn instantly frigid.
"I''ll go get you a drink," he muttered, keeping his voice low as he looked at her.
Juniper turned her head away, her expression souring further.
*Don''t know you?*
Sheryl felt a sharp pang in her chest as the man walked right past her without a second nce. They had met so many times. He had even smiled at her once...
Unable to handle Shanley''s icy dismissal, Sheryl''s eyes welled with tears. With her perfect makeup and trembling lip, she looked like a heartbroken damsel abandoned by a cruel lover, desperate for sympathy.
The guests exchanged loaded nces, their eyes darting to Juniper. They were practically waiting for the drama to explode. If Sheryl hadn''t studied abroad, given the close ties between their families, she might very well be the one engaged to him right now.
Childhood history wasn''t something you could easily erase. It had to burn the Cindere interloper to see it.
"Honoring the divine is not about the price tag, it''s about the sincerity of the heart," Hannah said smoothly. She stepped forward, bodily boxing Sheryl out of the way as she pulled Juniper close, her face radiating grandmotherly warmth. "If someone''s intentions are rotten, all the expensive treasures in the world won''t earn them a single blessing."
"Isn''t that right, Juniper?"
"You''re absolutely right," Juniper replied with a faint, detached smile, utterly dismissing Sheryl''s existence. She turned her gaze to Miranda, who was currently eyeing Sheryl with a severe, unimpressed re.
"Miranda, this is for you."
It was a box of choctes.
Juniper had personally contacted the artisan to customize the batch-low fat, low sugar,pletely guilt-free.
"Oh?"
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd as they saw the gift.
"It''s the same brand Sheryl gave her," someone whispered.
"Hardly the same. Sheryl gave three boxes, Juniper only gave one!"
"That brand is the Hermes of chocte. Ordinary people can''t even get on the waitlist. If Sheryl managed to snag three boxes, you know she had to pull major strings."
"Wait, look at Juniper''s box. Doesn''t it look... weirdpared to Sheryl''s?"
One box was dazzlingly ornate; the other was in and unbranded.
"Sheryl is old money. She wouldn''t buy a fake."
"Are you saying Juniper bought a knockoff?"
*A fake?*
Hearing the whispers, Sheryl''s eyes locked onto the box in Miranda''s hands.
It absolutely was. Forget the packaging-it didn''t even have the official stic seal.
It was the cheapest kind of knockoff.
Who did Juniper think she was
dealing with? Did she really have the
audacity to gift the matriarch of the
Schwartz family a counterfeit
product? Did she not care if she
poisoned her?
"Miranda!"
Sheryl''s lips curled into a triumphant smile. She took two quick steps forward, physically blocking Juniper,
and spoke in an overly el
honey sweet voice you absolutely
cannot eat that."
"Excuse me?" Miranda looked up at her, a warning frown creasing her forehead.
"It''s just..." Sheryl bit her lip, shooting Juniper a look of pitying hesitation. "Ms. Payne, I think you might have been scammed."
Juniper, hands still tucked casually in her pockets,zily lifted her gaze to meet Sheryl''s. Her eyes were arctic.
"The chocte you gave Miranda is a fake," Sheryl dered, holding up her own pristine box with an earnest expression. "And honestly, its a very obvious fake."
CR choctes never used packaging like that.
*If you''re going to buy a fake to impress your future mother-inw, at least do your research!* Sheryl thought maliciously.
*Well, I suppose we have to forgive her. She''s an orphan. She''s never seen real luxury in her life.*
*That bracelet she gave Hannah looked incredibly cheap, too.*
*What kind of spell did Shanley fall under? Sheryl is poised, elegant, and leagues above her!*