Nora Ainsworth's voice choked with emotion. "I know. I know you're in love with him. Leon has had so many girlfriends. Why did you just love him in secret all this time? But now that you know I'm going to marry him, you can't control yourself anymore. You think it shouldn't be me, don't you? You think you're better than me, that it should be you. Is that right?"
Maeve froze, Nora's words having struck a nerve. Her expression turned ugly. Suddenly, her eyes grew cold, glinting with grim resolve. "So what if it is?! Can your Ainsworth family even be mentioned in the same breath as my Sutton family? In what way am I not your equal? Nora, do you know why I even bothered being friends with you? It's because you're destined to be the plain green leaves, while I, by contrast, am the radiant flower! I am the legitimate eldest daughter of the Sutton family. And you? You're nothing but the stepdaughter your mother brought into her second marriage. How can you possibly compare to me? Tell me! In what single way are you my equal?"
Nora's palms were ice-cold. All because of a man, her best friend's mask had been torn away. She didn't know whether to consider it a blessing or a curse.
Her vision blurred. She turned away. "These comparisons are just pathetic. Maeve, you're the legitimate eldest daughter of the Sutton family. Go back to your own social circle and stop using a 'plain green leaf' like me for contrast, because I am one of a kind."
Maeve looked like she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. After a long moment, she finally spat, "I just hate that self-righteous tone of yours. So prim and proper!"
With that, she spun around and quickly strode away on her high heels.
Nora looked back again, watching Maeve's retreating figure until it vanished from her tear-blurred vision.
The days they had spent laughing together had come to an end today. It proved that what she had believed to be a friendship was nothing more than a vivid dream.
She refused to feel sad. Sadness would only mean admitting she was the loser in this hypocritical game.
No one wanted to be trampled under someone else's heel, and she was no exception.
*
Nora stood there for a moment. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a man standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing here?"
Quentin Grant casually closed the restroom door. "Can I say it's because I just missed you too much?"
Nora blushed. "You're nuts!"
Just then, a series of footsteps echoed from outside the door. 'If anyone were to find her in the restroom with him—'
She frantically pushed him into a stall, and had just slid the lock shut when she heard Sharon Ainsworth's voice from outside.
Nora didn't dare make a peep. Quentin Grant shot her a sidelong glance. He still hadn't gotten his fill from the night before.
"Your fiancé is so handsome, Sharon. You and your sister are so lucky."
Sharon Ainsworth replied politely, "Thank you."
The two of them were there to touch up their makeup. The other woman soon left, leaving Sharon Ainsworth alone.
The sound of a phone dialing rang out. After a few rings, she spoke. "Hello, is that Mrs. Lynch? This is Sharon. How did things go last night? What?! It didn't work? It's fine, everyone makes mistakes. Today is the perfect opportunity. Have your nephew come over right away. I have a way to get her drunk. I refuse to believe we can't ruin her engagement to your son this time. Don't worry. A girl with her background, even carrying the Ainsworth name, will never be worthy of Leon. Okay, let's do that."
The footsteps faded away.
Nora could hardly believe her ears. A chill seeped into her heart. 'Was this really her older sister, the one who was always so kind to her face?'
"Want to get your revenge on her?" a magnetic voice murmured beside her ear.