Andrea fumed inwardly, Who dares to steal my thunder?‘
She shot an annoyed glare at the doorway, her eyes going wide—then even wider.
‘Kaia? Why is she here?” Andrea grumbled to herself, her irritation spiking.
But what truly made Andrea’s blood boil was seeing Kaia show up in her old dress.
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Calling it ‘old‘ was a stretch. Andrea had only worn that dress once. The style was so hideous that it looked like a potato sack on her, and the more she saw it, the more she hated it.
Since it was her engagement party and Kaia didn’t have a dress, Andrea deliberately picked out that one for her, hoping she’d look ridiculous.
But to Andrea’s shock, the dress that had looked shapeless and frumpy on her was unexpectedly transformed on Kaia, showing off her figure in all the right places.
That was when Andrea realized the problem wasn’t the dress but was herself.
Her eyes practically shot sparks of jealousy as she came to that conclusion.
Tonight, Kaia wore just a touch of makeup, her glossy hair swept up to reveal her elegant swan neck. Wherever she went, all eyes seemed to follow. She was the undeniable center of attention.
Suddenly, Andrea’s mind flashed with a thought, and she snapped her head toward Louis.
Sure enough, Louis was totally mesmerized, his gaze locked on Kaia, face openly awestruck.
Seeing that, Andrea felt a wave of jealousy and a sharp sense of threat, and her hatred for Kaia only burrowed deeper.
Clenching her teeth, Andrea walked over to Kaia.
“Wow, Kaia, you look gorgeous tonight! I don’t remember you ever dressing up before. What made you go all out today?” Andrea called out, her tone sweet on the surface but laced with hidden barbs.
She deliberately raised her voice so everyone could hear, making it clear she wanted people to think Kaia had dressed up just to make her, the younger sister, look bad.
Kaia could feel the whispers and glances from all around, but she just gave Andrea a calm, knowing smile.
“Andrea, are you really that good at pretending? When you handed me this dress, you practically begged me to dress up for tonight. After all, it’s the Bennett and Ross families‘ engagement, and you said there’d be a ton of high society people here and told me not to embarrass you, right? Mom reminded me over and over, too. And let’s not forget, I’m wearing your old dress. So now you’re
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saying I’m being flashy? Trying to steal your thunder? If you’d told me, I could’ve just thrown on whatever and called it a day
“But…” Kaia suddenly switched gears, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
She gave Andrea a once–over, her eyes full of contempt.
“Honestly, with your lack of curves and zero looks, I could show up in a potato sack and still totally crush you!”
Andrea’s face flushed deep red, practically burning with humiliation. She was no slouch in the looks department–way prettier than most of the socialites present.
But next to Kaia… Kaia was a blazing star, and Andrea was just a dim little firefly in her shadow,
Jealousy flooded Andrea’s veins all over again.
“Kaia, how could you say that about me?” Andrea cried, her tears falling like she was the picture of innocence. “I know I’m not as pretty as you, and I know you’re blaming me for taking Louis away from you.”
Kaia couldn’t help but laugh. “Andrea, still trying to stir things up? I was willing to let things slide, but you keep trying to throw me under the bus, making me the bad guy for everyone to see. Do you think I’m some pushover you can walk all over?”
“I… I didn’t mean it like that,” Andrea sobbed, her voice trembling.
“Drop the act. Do you seriously think crying a little makes you right? Didn’t you just say you were the one who stole Louis from me? Please, I couldn’t care less about that jerk. But you know what? You’re not wrong about one thing. You hooked up with him before he even broke off our engagement. Sure, call it ‘mutual feelings‘ if that makes you feel better, but let’s be real. You’re just the other woman trying to make it sound classy.” Kaia sneered, her words icy and cutting.
People glanced at each other, whispering behind their hands as the drama unfolded.
“Honestly, Kaia might not be much, and she’s not a match for Louis. But she’s got a point. Andrea’s basically the other woman who went after her future brother–in–law.”
“I don’t think that’s fair. Louis didn’t want Kaia because she’s always messing around, never doing anything serious. Someone like her doesn’t deserve to marry into the Ross family.”
“Come on, did you forget Kaia was the top scorer in the whole city’s SAT? If that’s what you call ‘messing around, then what about all those who didn’t even make the cut for Morganburg University?”
“You guys are getting off topic. Let’s keep it real. I heard Louis and Andrea were already together before the engagement was even called off. Tsk… So yeah, Andrea is the other woman here.”
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Andrea was freaking out, like an ant in a hot pan. She’d tried to set Kaia up and embarrass her, but Kaia had flipped the script on her with just a few sharp words.
Kaia let out another cold laugh, giving Andrea a look like she was hopeless. “Andrea, let me spell it out for you. Stop trying to mess with me. Your tricks and your so–called smarts? They’re nothing in front of me. I ignore you because you’re not even worth my time, but if you keep pushing your luck, I’ll make sure you’re the one who gets humiliated in front of everyone at your engagement
party.”
Andrea clenched her fists in fury, shooting Kaia a murderous glare.
“Dogs that bite don’t bark. Yeah, just keep sulking like that,” Kaia tossed out with lazy disdain before turning on her heel and walking away.
Andrea felt like she was about to lose her mind, but she had no clue how to talk back. Worse yet, Kaia was still holding some dirt on her.
Just as Andrea was burning with resentment, she caught sight of Kaia walking up to the engagement cake and picking up the cake knife.
What is she up to now?‘ Andrea thought, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Everyone else was watching Kaia, too, confusion written all over their faces.
Kaia picked up the knife with unhurried confidence, but the little figurines of Andrea and Louis perched on top were in her way. Without hesitation, she plucked them off and tossed them aside, then, with a swift motion, sliced herself a piece of cake and started eating–completely ignoring the occasion and everyone watching.
Everyone in the room was so shocked that their jaws practically hit the floor.
Kaia paid zero attention to the stunned crowd. After a couple of bites, she nodded, looking genuinely pleased. “Not bad at all. Which bakery made this? I might drop by for some myself next
time.”
Silence fell.
The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Ruth and Lincoln tried to make themselves invisible. They’d wanted to jump in and lecture Kaia, but doing that at the moment would only embarrass themselves even more.
“Man, that was so satisfying!” A girl in a pale yellow evening gown stepped up beside Kaia, her eyes shining with admiration “Kaia, you’re such a badass! If it were anyone else, they’d just grit their teeth and swallow their anger after having their fiancé stolen by their sister. But you? You made a scene at their engagement party and even ate their cake. That was a real slap in their faces–so damn bold!”
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“And you are…” Kaia turned her head, giving the girl a curious look.
