Yael glanced at Clarissa. Seeing that the woman was still keeping her cool, she chose not to interrupt.
The corner of Clarissa’s lips quirked up. “Since you’re still here too, you’re even more shameless than I am. Why can’t I be here then? Is D City yours? What right do you have to control my whereabouts?”
“Hmph! You’re indeed thick-skinned. How can you still hold your head up high when you’ve already been dumped? My goodness!”
“So what if he dumped me? At least I had been with him before.”
Clarissa didn’t bother to explain that she wasn’t the one who got dumped. They won’t believe it anyway, so I might as well just admit it. But I won’t give them a chance to feel smug about it.
As expected, a hint of jealousy flashed across Patricia’s face, and she unwittingly tightened her grip on her handbag while caressing it. In a split second, she recollected herself before her gaze fell on her handbag, and she stroked it carefully, feeling bad about scratching it.
Everyone could tell that the handbag was of utmost importance to her.
Helen’s eyes glinted with disdain. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t fond of her friend either.
But she liked the way Patricia brown-nosed her as it lifted her mood at times.
“Clarissa, she didn’t mean it. We all felt sorry for you. You and Mr. Tyson were a perfect match, yet you lost to Ms. Smallwood only because of her family background. What a pity! But I guess Mr. Tyson and you genuinely love each other. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you marry him. You two can still be together as long as you love one another. Since you’re still here in D City, I’m sure things are going well between the two of you.”
She was trying to hint that Clarissa was Matthew’s mistress.
Those words were even more hurtful than saying that she was dumped.
Clarissa’s expression turned grim as she said curtly to Helen, “Don’t judge me with your own logic. I know you’re willing to be a mistress, but that doesn’t mean that I want to be one as well.”
“What are you talking about? A mistress? Helen is officially married.”
“Oh, really?”
Clarissa emphasized her words deliberately as though she was implying something.
Those who heard it would surely be able to read between the lines.
Helen was mad and embarrassed. ”Clarissa, don’t take your bitterness out on us. We’re just concerned about you, so there’s no need for you to be so sensitive. By the way, there’ll be a gathering with all our ex-classmates this Saturday. They texted you in the group, but you didn’t reply. So I’m letting you know now since I ran into you.”
“I’m not going.”
“Back then, at my wedding, everyone already knew about your relationship with Mr. Tyson. Therefore, it’s fine if you don’t feel comfortable attending it. It’s understandable that you’re in a foul mood now, so we won’t mind if you don’t come. By the way, the gathering will be at the same restaurant in the hotel. Alright, I should get going.”
Right away, Helen fled the scene with her friend, leaving a troubled Clarissa.
Looking at her sullen face, Yael furrowed her brows and asked in bewilderment, “Why do you even take their words to heart?”
However, Clarissa didn’t feel the same way. Yael is so carefree. She doesn’t give a damn about what others think.
She pursed her lips. “I know I shouldn’t mind, but I just can’t let it slide. Although I know my classmate was trying to provoke me, there’s no way I can remain unfazed.”
“Are their opinions that important?”
“It’s not important, but I still care.”
“So are you going to the gathering?”
Clarissa was in a dilemma. “I don’t know. I’ll see how it goes.”
“Okay.”
Yael didn’t comment further, knowing that the woman had already made up her mind.
Previously, Clarissa had forgotten all about Helen. She was reminded that the latter knew about her and Matthew only when she bumped into her.
This was exactly why I wanted to keep the relationship in the dark, but many already got to know about it. Now that it has come to an end, I bet they’re laughing at me behind my back.
When Clarissa reached home, she opened the group chat, of which she had muted the notifications. Scrolling through the chat, she saw that many classmates were chattering about the scandal involving Shermaine and Matthew. Some sympathized with her, but some thought that she brought this upon herself, so she had to face the consequences of living off a wealthy man.
This world has always been more judgmental toward women. I was in a normal relationship like everyone else. It’s just that coincidentally, Matthew is well-to-do. However, in the eyes of the outsiders, I was hooking up with a rich man. Despite the fact that I’m the one who initiated the breakup, everyone says that I deserve to get dumped. That’s exactly the last thing that I want to see. How could these highly educated classmates of mine be so narrow-minded?
To make matters worse, those who defended her in the group chat were even accused of having a crush on her.
Annoyed, she chucked her phone away. Though she kept telling herself not to care, the indignation in her heart was unbearable.
Browsing through an online shop, she checked out everything in her shopping cart to make herself feel better.
She then called Ellie and told her about today’s incident. Hearing that, the hot-tempered woman couldn’t hold back her rage.
“Why not? You have to be there. Ask Uncle Matt to tag along. How dare they gossip about you like that?”
Clarissa’s heart skipped a beat at her words. “We broke up.”
“What?” Ellie squealed. She saw Matthew pick Clarissa up the other day, so she thought they had reconciled.
“Is it possible for you guys to get back together? Clare, I’ve misunderstood him. Uncle Matt seems like a trustworthy man. Are you really not getting back together with him?”
“No. We’ve already talked about it. Apparently, he has given up too.”
“Really?”
Then, Ellie remembered that she hadn’t met Matthew for a long while. With how things are going, it’s quite unlikely for them to get back together.
“Why don’t you ask someone else to attend the gathering with you? Let’s ask Damon to go with you. We can’t let those people have their way. It’s settled then. I’ll let Damon know about this. Pretend to be close to him during the gathering.”
Ellie was not taking no for an answer.
A few minutes later, Damon called Clarissa and said that he would be glad to attend the gathering with her as her boyfriend.
Before Clarissa could say no, he had already made up his mind, insisting on being her plus one.
On Saturday, Clarissa wore a long-sleeve floral dress with a trench coat. Her style was simple yet adorable.
Thanks to her gorgeous facial features, she looked great in any outfit.
Damon’s eyes widened and lit up in amazement the moment he saw her.
Walking into the hotel, Damon grabbed her hand and put it around his arm.
“Though it’s fake, we’ll still have to put on a good act, right?”
“Yup.” She smiled at him.
Afterward, the two strolled into a spacious private lounge. Sitting at two tables, all her classmates were still gossiping that she was Matthew’s mistress. They believed that she would certainly be unwilling to let go of such an outstanding man after he got married and that she would not mind being his mistress for her own benefits.
Much to their surprise, Clarissa showed up arm in arm with an elegant, dashing man. Everyone gaped at the two in shock, especially Helen.
She’s now with another equally outstanding man. He looks even younger than Matthew. Judging from his demeanor and outfit, he is surely no ordinary man.
All of them dared not say a word, despite their strong urge to spit out jealous-ridden comments. However, deep down, they all understood that, for someone as charming as Clarissa, she could always find another exceptional man. Undeniably, she was the envy of many women.
As expected, she had already found another man. While the class monitor ushered her and Damon to one of the tables, the rest of them couldn’t hide the awkwardness in their expressions as they plastered courteous smiles on their faces.
“I’m Damon, Clarissa’s boyfriend.”
Someone seemed to know Damon and asked enthusiastically, “Are you from the Wynter family? I once had the privilege to meet Mr. Wynter at a golf course. I remember that you were there as well.”
Here comes another high-status man.
Their gazes changed the second they discovered Damon’s identity. Unexpectedly, those who were making fun of Clarissa earlier turned into bootlickers in just a few minutes.
A mixture of jealousy, displeasure, and rage shot through Helen’s chest, but she could only bottle up her emotions secretly.
The woman appeared slightly hostile as she glared at Clarissa.
Meeting her antagonistic gaze, Clarissa trailed after Helen when the latter left the private lounge to the washroom so that she could vent her discontentment.
“Clarissa, I’ve really underestimated you. Your relationship with Mr. Tyson didn’t work out, so you turned to Mr. Wynter instead. You’re really something.”
“You’re right. Didn’t you know that? Even the man you like came to confess his feelings for me when I’ve done nothing at all,” she replied in an icy voice.
“You!”
That was Helen’s sore spot, and her expression hardened at once as a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
“Shut up, Clarissa. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’re trying to pick on me!”
“You’re the one who wants to humiliate me in front of everyone else. Why can’t you get off my back? My life is none of your business.”
“That’s because you refused to let me off. Why do so many men like you when you’re a promiscuous b****? Back then, I was the one who met him first, yet he abandoned me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been the laughing stock of the entire school. Many years had passed, but you still held grudges against me and humiliated me at my wedding, and you did it again today. Why don’t you go to hell?”
Clarissa was amazed by the woman’s ability to bend the truth and accuse others.
What the hell! Does she lack some brain cells or something?
Just when she wanted to clarify herself, she recalled that she had actually done it many times before. Nevertheless, Helen still put all the blame on her.
In the end, she decided not to explain anymore.
Letting out a snigger, she said, “Helen, what can I do? Men just adore me. Even if I ignore them, they still fall for me. If I want it, I can have as many men as I please, and I’ll always outshine you.”
This was the best way to provoke an envious woman.
With her fists balled up, Helen clenched her jaw and cursed under her breath. Suddenly, she darted toward Clarissa and gave her a shove.
Never had she expected that Helen would get physical with her. Unable to dodge the unexpected attack, she yelped in shock and fell backward heavily. However, instead of hitting the floor, she fell into a solid and familiar embrace.
