Chapter 2
Claire and Marcus's wedding was a lavish event, hosted at the prestigious Worldwin Hotel.
The guest list was packed with VIPs and power players from every field.
Claire was dressed in a custom-made wedding gown, showing off her smugness and arrogance as she mingled among the guests, champagne glass in hand.
She linked arms with Marcus and made a point of coming over to toast me, clearly just to flaunt her victory.
Claire said with a smirk, "Hey, Sophia, this is your first time meeting Marcus, right? If your business ever tanks, maybe Marcus will bail you out."
She added, "What's the use of hustling so hard? Marrying a good man is what really matters. Too bad you'll never be that lucky."
It was like she finally felt she'd stepped all over me, her whole face lit up with a triumphant smile.
Marcus, standing beside her, gave me a polite nod.
Noticing her arrogance, he frowned slightly.
After all those years together in my previous life, I knew he was never truly satisfied with his wife.
After all, Claire was obviously clueless to everyone.
Once Marcus's novelty wore off, Claire's life would turn into hell.
Seeing me stay silent, she figured I was just jealous.
She tossed a few more snide remarks my way, then walked off with Marcus in tow, her head held high in triumph.
I wasn't in the mood to argue with her anyway. I'd just stepped into running the company, and there were so many connections I needed to build.
With all the business big shots in attendance today, I wasted no time grabbing a drink and mingling, eager to expand my network.
In my previous life, Claire always thought she was above everyone else. She acted like the star among female CEOs and didn't think she owed anyone any courtesy.
She did whatever she wanted, no matter the consequences, and kept shutting out business partners left and right.
She never got that there was always someone out there who was bigger and badder. It didn't take long for her to piss off the Reed family, the real power players in Lintabruge, and she got blacklisted overnight.
No way was I going to end up like her. I made sure to introduce myself politely, humbly offering my business card to everyone I met.
It worked. I managed to leave a good impression on a few of the power players in the room.
After hustling around all evening, I barely had a second to catch my breath.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the middle of the hall.
"You did that on purpose. Do you think I'm blind? How dare you ruin my big day? Do you have any idea who my husband is?" Claire snapped.
Just moments ago, she'd been all smiles, but now she was shooting a death glare at a little girl.
The little girl looked like she'd never been in a situation like this before, nervous and completely out of her depth as she tried to explain herself.
"I-I really didn't mean to. I was just looking for my brother. I bumped into you by accident. I-I already said I was sorry," she stammered.
With all those eyes on her, the little girl's cheeks flushed, and she was on the verge of tears.
It was just a minor incident, something that should've been brushed off and forgotten.
But Claire saw it as the perfect chance to show off in front of everyone, and kept hounding the little girl.
Claire continued, "No way. This dress was flown in from abroad. You stepped on it and got it dirty. I'm sure you couldn't afford it no matter what. Who are you anyway? I've never seen you before. Are you some servant who snuck in?"
The upper-crust crowd was tight-knit. Everyone knew each other.
Claire was only acting so tough because she thought she'd found someone weak to bully.
Seeing the little girl about to burst into tears, I couldn't just stand by and watch. I stepped forward.
"Claire, come on, it's your big day. Why make a scene? She didn't mean it. Let it slide, okay?" I said.
Getting called out in front of everyone, Claire's expression twisted with embarrassment and annoyance.
She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "And how would you know she didn't do it on purpose? Maybe she's just jealous I married so well. I've seen plenty of broke girls like her before.
"Why are you defending her? What? Did you put her up to this just to mess with me?"
I never thought she'd throw it back at me like that, and my face fell instantly.
Just as I was about to fire back, an icy male voice suddenly sliced through the crowd. "The Stone family must be so proud of their choice in their son's wife."