Chapter 3
Ice-cold wine came flying right at me.
I was ready for it, so I leaned to the side, and most of the wine ended up soaking the wall behind me.
But some still managed to splash onto my shoulder.
"Claire!" Jessica gasped, her voice full of concern.
She quickly grabbed some napkins and started wiping off my shoulder.
Ryan finally snapped out of it and grabbed Vanessa, who was totally losing it.
"Vanessa, calm down!" Ryan said, trying to hold her back.
"Let go of me! It was her! She's the one who humiliated me first!" Vanessa screamed, struggling like a madwoman.
Things got totally out of hand in the room.
Some people tried to pull them apart, some just watched the drama, and others stood there looking completely clueless.
I just watched the whole circus with a cold, blank stare—didn't feel a thing inside.
I brushed off my wet clothes and stood up.
"Jessica, let's go," I said, my voice calm and steady.
"Alright!" Jessica said, helping me up and shooting Vanessa a death glare.
"Ryan, keep your crazy girlfriend on a leash! Next time she tries to bite, I won't hold back!" Jessica snapped, her voice sharp and unwavering.
Ryan's face was stormy as he held Vanessa, who was still throwing a fit, but he couldn't get a single word out.
Jessica and I walked out of the private room, and the heavy door cut off all the noise behind us.
The hallway was quiet. Jessica finally couldn't hold it in anymore and hugged me, laughing so hard she nearly fell over.
"Claire, you were seriously badass just now!
"You should've seen Vanessa's face! She looked like she'd just swallowed a lemon!
"And Ryan? I bet he's kicking himself right now!"
I tried to smile, but couldn't.
The wet fabric stuck to my shoulder, and it felt cold against my skin.
"People like that aren't worth it.
"I told you Ryan wasn't it. He never saw people for what they really were, but you didn't believe me," Jessica said, her smile fading as she looked at me, sympathy in her eyes.
I shook my head. "It's not on him. I was the one who misjudged him."
Back in high school, Ryan was the star of the class—the guy everyone looked up to, always shining bright.
Me? I was just a nobody, a wallflower stuck in the corner, barely worth a glance.
With my family struggling, I kept quiet, buried myself in textbooks, hoping knowledge could be my ticket out.
Ryan was one of the rare few who ever reached out and actually cared about how I was doing in school.
Maybe it was nothing to him, but for me, it was the only bit of light in an otherwise dark and lonely youth.
But today, the way he instantly took Vanessa's side without a second thought completely crushed whatever feelings I had left for him.
Just then, my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out and saw a message from Ryan on WhatsApp.
Ryan wrote: [Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't know things were like this.]
Then another message popped up right after: [Where are you right now? Let's meet up. I want to explain.]
I deleted the chat, expressionless.
Jessica peeked over and scoffed. "Now he apologizes? Too late! If he really meant it, he would've stood up for you back there instead of letting Vanessa lose it like that."
I stayed silent, slipping the phone back into my pocket.
We made our way to the hotel lobby to call a ride home.
Before we could step outside, a sleek black Bentley Mulsanne glided to a silent stop right in front of us.
The rear window slid down, revealing a man's refined, handsome profile.
"Ms. Sutton?" a gentle male voice inquired.
It took me a second to place him. "You're... Ms. Quinn's driver?"
He offered a polite smile. "Ms. Quinn was concerned about you. She asked me to ensure you and your friend get home safely."
Amanda Quinn was the general manager of the Summit Club—a sharp, formidable woman who had shown me considerable kindness during my part-time stint there.
I hadn't expected her to know about tonight's reunion.
Jessica's eyes went wide. "Claire, you know people who drive Bentleys?"
"Just a former boss from a part-time job," I said with a wry smile.
I didn't refuse the kindness. Jessica and I settled into the plush interior of the car as it pulled smoothly into the night.
Jessica spent the ride excitedly examining every luxurious detail of the car.
My phone buzzed again—this time from an unknown number.
After a brief hesitation, I answered.
Ryan's voice came through, urgent and a little desperate.
"Claire, don't ignore me! Please, just hear me out!
"Vanessa didn't mean it! She was just tricked by someone!" Ryan blurted out, his tone frantic.
I frowned. "Tricked? What do you mean?"
"Yeah! She heard it from a friend named Sophie. Sophie said she saw your photo on the Summit Club's roster, and Vanessa believed her and ended up saying the wrong thing!"
Ryan sounded genuinely sincere.
"She knows she messed up now, and she's really upset and crying. Could you let it go just this once?
"We're all classmates here. Let's not make things so awkward, okay?" Ryan pleaded, his voice full of desperation.
As I listened to him, I couldn't help thinking how absurd this all was.
Even now, he was still coming up with excuses for Vanessa.
He was just dumping all the blame on some so-called "Sophie."
I replied coldly, "Ryan, do you take me for an idiot?"
Ryan went silent on the other end.
I kept going, my voice icy. "Is Vanessa a toddler or something? Can't she think for herself? Does she just swallow whatever people say?
"If she had even a shred of respect for me, she would've checked with me first instead of publicly humiliating me with made-up accusations.
"She's not clueless. She's just plain mean."
I said, my voice tight with disappointment, "And you, Ryan, you're the one who really let me down.
"Not once did you bother to ask me what actually went down.
"You just kept siding with your girlfriend, blaming me, and expecting me to suck it up and forgive her. And for what? Why should I?"
My voice wasn't loud, but every word came out sharp, with a cold edge I couldn't hold back.
Ryan was stunned into silence.