What love rival?
All they knew were rumors that barely scratched the surface of the real truth. Clarissa couldn’t be bothered clarifying back then, but these people had actually remembered that incident, which was out of her expectations.
Helen can’t possibly have called me over because she’s still holding grudge against me, right?
As Clarissa mulled over it, one of her classmates had already pulled her to a table to sit.
“Clarissa, you went back to your hometown right after graduating. What do you do now? Why don’t you ever talk in our class group chat? Is our beautiful classmate too busy pursuing her career?”
Clarissa smiled awkwardly but did not offer a definitive answer.
Her guarded behavior rubbed some people the wrong way and frustrated several others as well.
One of the female classmates piped up, “Time really does fly. We’re already at the age to marry. Can you believe it? I still remember that Clarissa was the campus belle last time. Even though she never dated in school, many boys couldn’t help but be obsessed with her.
“Speaking of which, Clarissa, are you still single? It’s actually better this way. I bet you don’t know this, but when Helen announced that you’d be attending her wedding, many of our male classmates put everything aside to rush back, even those who were abroad, and it was all for you, Clarissa. C’mon, tell us, will you give them a chance?”
The male classmates immediately perked up. Indeed, many of them had come here hoping to court her.
Everyone’s inquiring gazes fell on Clarissa. Although she didn’t like how her classmate had shone the spotlight on her private life, she remained cool-headed.
Under their expectant gazes, she gave a blunt answer. “I already have a boyfriend and we’re very close, but I appreciate your concern.”
Some were stunned, but most were disappointed.
However, those emotions morphed into curiosity in the end.
“Oh? I remember we had many outstanding boys in our school back then. Don’t tell me none of them managed to move you? Now I’m curious about the man who succeeded in capturing your heart. Who is he? I think besides a prince, no man can interest you, right?”
Clarissa lifted her lips into a bland smile. “No, he’s not a prince or as exaggerated as you made it to be. He’s just an ordinary man.”
“So, you accepted an ordinary man? Then, why didn’t you accept our classmates or seniors back then?”
“I don’t see how it relates. Naturally, I went with my feelings.”
“Haha. I find that hard to believe.”
Clarissa did not want to refute or defend herself, so the atmosphere turned stale in a matter of seconds, causing the others to feel slightly awkward.
But soon, they turned their attention to the wedding and started discussing it.
It was said that the wedding photos were taken abroad by a professional team, adding up to millions.
Some said that apart from being the president of some companies, Helen’s husband was from the upper-class and had a net worth of up to a billion.
Others said that Helen was gifted a villa worth millions in D City as her marriage settlement, and the juicy gossip went on.
The wedding banquet in this hotel was only held for the sake of the elderlies in their families and there would be an official one on an island later on.
All of these enviable statements were most probably true.
Solely based on the fact that the wedding was in St. Helix Hotel, it was apparent that Helen’s husband had superior standards.
“I’m so envious of Helen. She’s so lucky. Her life is just perfect.”
“Perfect? She needs to give them an heir. I heard that her husband is an only child. Helen’s going to have so much pressure on her. Marrying into a wealthy family is like venturing into uncharted waters. It may seem glamorous, but who knows what would happen in the future? How many women who marry into rich families end up living happily ever after?”
“Oh c’mon, you’re just jealous. Helen isn’t so bad herself. What matters is that the two of them are compatible with each other. This way, even if there’s a gap in status, they’d still be able to live happily.”
Clarissa couldn’t help but nod in agreement upon hearing this.
The difference in wealth wasn’t the real issue. The real issue originated from the two people’s frame of mind, values, vision, intellect, and so on.
Clarissa stayed silent for a long time and was later on dragged by a few classmates to go congratulate the bride.
In the lounge, they saw a beautiful and somewhat unrecognizable Helen in her wedding gown.
To be precise, she had probably gone under the knife. However, no one was stupid enough to voice out their guesses.
All of them showered Helen with praises, to which she accepted with a courteous smile.
Finally, Helen met Clarissa’s eyes. As she took in the latter’s simple style, a dark glint flashed across her eyes.
Clarissa went up to her with a smile. “Congratulations, Helen. I wish you and your husband a long and happy life together.”
“Thank you. It’s been a few years, but it seems like you haven’t changed at all.”
Her words were rather cryptic.
Someone next to her chimed in, “Yeah, Helen. Why is Clarissa dressed so plainly? She’s not even wearing makeup. Well, perhaps people from small cities aren’t so open-minded. They probably have low incomes too, so that’s why they don’t spend on such things. But Clarissa, women shouldn’t live so frugally.”
This was an obvious jab at Clarissa.
The person who spoke even looked at Helen, obviously seeking praise from her. “Don’t you agree, Helen? Oh, but you probably can’t relate to small city people with low incomes. I mean, you’ve always been in D City and even married into a wealthy family. Your standard of living surely exceeds ours by a wide margin.”
Helen was very satisfied with what this woman said, glancing at Clarissa with a smug and triumphant smile playing on her lips.
“Don’t make it sound like Clarissa is so miserable! She used to be our campus belle! Even if she doesn’t have money, there will always be people who’d be willing to spend on her. Isn’t that right, Clarissa?”
Clarissa did not show a trace of anger or embarrassment despite being insulted.
She remained impassive, just like how she was in school during those years.
“The money I make is enough to support myself. Also, people often say that I look good even without makeup.”
Her reply irked all the women present.
“Yeah, Clarissa is already pretty!”
Helen concealed her discontent and asked with a smile, “Since you’re so pretty, you must have a whole line of men waiting to marry you, right? Do you have a boyfriend? What does he do for a living?”
“She does, she does!”
That overly enthusiastic classmate answered on behalf of Clarissa. “Clarissa is being all secretive about it too, saying that he’s just an ordinary man. Haha… Maybe he really is a very ordinary man compared to your husband and she’s too embarrassed to talk about him. Am I right, Clarissa?”
Clarissa felt that it was really a waste of brain cells talking to these people.
“The wedding’s about to start. I’m going back to my seat first.”
Clarissa went back to her seat at the banquet right before the wedding began.
As the bride and groom went through the ceremony, Clarissa found it to be quite similar to the novels she wrote, but it was indeed a tear-jerking scene.
During the toasting session, her classmates engaged in an animated discussion about the people seated at the main table who were said to be either bosses in their own right or government officials. Hence, her classmates couldn’t stop marveling at the grandeur of this wedding.
Halfway through, Clarissa received a call from Matthew.
“Is it over yet?”
The impatience in his voice was apparent.
Clarissa walked to a far corner and coaxed him gently, “It’s almost over. I’ll excuse myself after the toasting session.”
“Mm. I’m upstairs. Just wait for me there and I’ll come to pick you up.”
“What? No, don’t come here. I’ll meet you at the entrance.”
Clarissa wasn’t sure whether Matthew would go along with her suggestion because the line had gone dead.
She stared at her phone and winced helplessly, planning to leave as soon as possible lest Matthew really made his way here.
Right after she returned to her table, Helen walked over with her husband.
Truth be told, the groom wasn’t all that interested in having a toast with this group of ex-classmates, but since it was Helen’s request, he followed her over, albeit reluctantly.
“Well, would you look at that? It’s the bride and groom! Wow! What a fine couple. Your husband is so handsome, Helen!”
“Congratulations!”
“I wish you both a happy marriage!”
When the groom saw Clarissa, he was inevitably stunned by her beauty.
However, it was simply a reaction. This groom knew his limits, averting his gaze to drink with the others.
“Helen, I’m sorry but I have to leave now. I really wish you and your husband a happy marriage. Thank you for inviting me…”
“You’re leaving already? No way, you must stay, Clarissa. We haven’t seen each other in ages, so this is a rare gathering for us!”
One of them was reluctant to see Clarissa leave, pulling on her arm to stop her from leaving.
Wearing a smile on her face, Helen added, “My husband and I will be having an after-party later. Nothing too fancy, just some friends and ex-classmates. You should stay and catch up with the others.”
“Thank you, but I really need to leave. My friend is waiting for me outside.”
“Friend? Is it your boyfriend?”
Everyone’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Clarissa hurriedly shook her head. “No, no.”
“Quit denying. That must be it. Did your boyfriend come to D City with you? Or is he from D City? Could he be working here?”
“No,” Clarissa contradicted.
However, her denial made them all the more curious. Hence, they turned a blind eye to the peeved look on Clarissa’s face and prevented her from leaving.
Watching the rowdy group of ex-classmates, the groom still did not fully grasp the situation, but he had the inexplicable urge to size her boyfriend up, whoever he was.
I wonder what kind of man managed to catch this gorgeous woman’s eye.
As for Helen, she naturally had her own selfish agenda. Because everyone at this table was young men and women, their boisterous behavior did not draw too much attention.
The groom’s friends, who had also noticed Clarissa’s beauty, came over with their glasses in hand, wanting to strike up a conversation.
Clarissa felt as though she was under siege by all these people and was on the verge of breaking down.
While panicking, her phone rang and she hurriedly answered it. Immediately after, someone beside her yelled into the phone, “Are you Clarissa’s boyfriend? Clarissa’s drunk. You should quickly come to pick her up from the wedding.”
“Yeah, yeah! Quickly come pick her up!”
There was nothing Clarissa could do to stop them from hollering. Before she could speak into the phone, it was snatched away by someone.
Anger and frustrations surged in her, but it did nothing to deter them.
Helen watched by the side with a subtle smirk on her lips.
She wanted to see Clarissa’s mask of indifference slip from her face and witness her being humiliated. It did not matter how far these people went because to her, this was the karma Clarissa deserved.
