Chapter 54
~Chapter 54~
“Really? It’s surprising that she’s thinking of others first. Did she really come back from the monastery a changed person?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but she seemed extremely cautious about getting involved with men.”
“Having been heartbroken in love and even chased out by her family…… Ah! That was a slip of the tongue! Haha!”
Bella shuddered at the fact that people were starting to pity Harriet.
She had worked so hard to turn Harriet into a pathetic, ugly loser unworthy of any sympathy, yet in just one year, people were treating her like a tragic heroine sighing with heartbreak.
On top of that, now even talk of her being “abandoned” by the Listerwell family was coming up?
Bella clenched her fists in frustration.
‘Why does Harriet have to be the center of attention at my party?!’
Pretending she had urgent business, Bella left the room to find Caroline.
“Caroline. Go bring out the gifts.”
“Huh? Already? We were supposed to give them at the end when people leave, right?”
“Just do as I say, okay?”
“Uh…… Alright.”
Sensing Bella’s foul mood, Caroline hurried off to the preparation room.
Soon after, the Cheslow family’s servants began handing out gifts to the guests.
With the party in full swing, it felt rather sudden and awkward.
Once she confirmed everyone had received theirs, Bella lightly tapped her wine glass with a silver spoon. A clear chime rang out.
“This is a small token of my gratitude to everyone who came today. It’s the bestseller cream from Labonaz, the brand famous for its luxury skincare.”
“Ooh!” Admiring exclamations burst out here and there.
Labonaz Cream wasn’t just expensive—it was notoriously hard to get.
Bella smiled in satisfaction.
“Gentlemen, give this to your mother, sister, or lover, and you’ll score major points. And ladies—you all already know how wonderful this cream is.”
One bottle cost 500 dirham, and Bella couldn’t afford full-sized authentic products for everyone.
So she’d struck a deal with the Labonaz president: half-sized gift versions at a discount, in exchange for her including promotional pamphlets in each pouch.
This way, she saved money while still getting the credit.
“I’ve been using Labonaz for a long time, and the products are truly excellent. I really wanted to recommend it to all of you. I hope you like the gift!”
Applause broke out.
Bella was certain that now everyone would forget Harriet and that cheap soap, and start talking about her and this glamorous Labonaz Cream instead.
But then, she sensed the mood shifting unpleasantly.
“Do we have to carry this around until the party ends?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient……”
Harriet had given out gifts at her tea party too, but everyone had been seated, so they could just leave them on the table.
This was an evening party, though. Guests couldn’t set things down anywhere—there was a risk of losing them.
Plus, lugging the gift around all night was a hassle.
In the end, Bella had to send the servants back to collect them. The gifts would be redistributed at the exit when guests left.
James, standing beside her, chuckled awkwardly.
“Why’d you hand out the gifts so early?”
“I figured some people might leave early. Guess I didn’t think it through.”
Bella forced a smile at James, whom she’d snapped at without realizing.
She knew perfectly well that giving gifts mid-party was a bad idea.
‘But how else was I supposed to get people to stop talking about Harriet?!’
Distributing the gifts was the only distraction she could come up with.
If it stopped the soap talk, she’d endure this much embarrassment.
But just then, she overheard Viviana talking to a nearby young lady.
“If you like Labonaz, take mine. It didn’t really suit me.”
Bella shot Viviana a sharp glare, but she didn’t notice.
‘I dumped a fortune into Labonaz trying to be like Bella…… but it did nothing for my acne.’
The only real perk of the pricey stuff was flaunting it. Looking back now, Viviana wondered how many people had mocked her behind her back.
Having found a product that actually worked for her skin, she felt no qualms about giving away that expensive Labonaz Cream.
As Viviana mulled this over, someone poked her side.
Caroline had sidled up.
“Still, it’s a gift from Bella out of gratitude. Did you have to say that right now?”
Viviana frowned at the words.
“When else? I’m not using it anyway—better someone else does, right? I didn’t say anything bad……”
“Sigh…… Viviana. I’ve thought this before, but you’re really lacking in tact. Just like when you went to Harriet’s tea party.”
“I wasn’t the only one. The others went too.”
“Whatever.”
Caroline’s pitying look made Viviana’s anger boil over.
‘She’s always like this—acting like she’s so much better than everyone.’
Viviana resolved to give Caroline a piece of her mind.
But the instant she turned toward Bella, she froze in shock.
Bella’s cold, piercing gaze sent chills down her spine.
‘Is this really the Bella I know?’
It was no mere illusion.
Bella was glaring at her icily, and just as Viviana opened her mouth, Bella whipped her head away like she couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.
Suddenly, Viviana remembered something Harriet had said once.
『“Why is Bella pretending to care what I think? She never used to. Don’t you think it’s weird?”』
It really was weird.
Bella had never given a damn about Harriet’s opinions, her friends’, or anyone else’s stares.
Bella always did exactly as she pleased, and people like Viviana just made her look all the more appealing.
But…… was Bella really that great?
The doubt unearthed an old memory.
Back when Viviana had a crush on Adam Hoffner, Bella had known.
But Bella had flaunted the flowers he’d given right there on the tea table, bragging that Adam preferred women with flawless skin.
The others had given Viviana awkward looks that day—but not Bella.
Viviana had told herself then that Bella hadn’t meant to hurt her.
But…… had she really not?
In that moment, something inside her snapped.
Viviana couldn’t hold back anymore.
“So what—so what if I upset Bella? Is the sky going to fall? Are we here as guests or as props to make her shine?”
Caroline and the others around her stared in shock, but Viviana pressed on.
“Ah, right. We’ve always been Bella’s backup dancers, haven’t we? And now that I’m not playing my part, I’m suddenly the villain. Give me a break!”
“Viviana! Are you out of your mind? That’s so rude!”
But Caroline’s scolding didn’t faze her.
“You’re the rude one, Caroline! Lacking in consideration? You serious? Fine, say I am. But why should I have to tiptoe around you or Bella?”
She finally unleashed all the resentment that had built up inside her.
Truth be told, all of Bella’s friends came from solid families.
People called them the “gathering of pretty, polite young ladies,” but that reputation wasn’t all thanks to Bella.
Viviana—the one often dubbed the “least pretty in Bella’s clique”—didn’t want to keep living like Bella’s handmaid.
When Viviana refused to back down, Bella finally approached with a concerned, gentle expression.
“What’s going on, Caroline? Why is Viviana so upset?”
Viviana let out a hollow laugh.
‘Our eyes just met, and she looked at me like a bug. Now she’s putting on the sweet act?’
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen through Bella’s true colors sooner.
No—that wasn’t it. She had noticed before. There’d been plenty of times Bella’s attitude left her uneasy.
She’d just kept ignoring it.
‘Must be me overthinking. I’m being too sensitive. It’s a misunderstanding.’
Just then, one of the other young ladies poked her.
“Viviana, what’s gotten into you? You’re going to make Bella cry.”
“This is Bella’s party. Don’t make a scene—just apologize.”
Viviana glanced around—Caroline cradling Bella protectively, the other friends glaring daggers, guests whispering and rubbernecking.
And suddenly, it all felt eerily familiar.
‘When was the last time I saw a scene like this?’
She sifted through her memories…… and remembered.
‘Ah! Back then…… Harriet was the one standing in my place.’
About a year and a half ago—one of Bella’s tea parties.
