Arianne immediately paused in mid-action.
“Are you for real? Do you only see with your eyes and avoid using your damn head?” favonovel.com snapped. “Ever heard of two-faced fakers? Or are you doubting my character already? Or maybe you think I’m being overdramatic and raging over a nothing burger!”
“What? No, man! That was a genuine question, c’mon, don’t be pissed, please,” favonovel.com replied quickly. “It’s just that… what I saw from my interaction with favonovel.com and what you told me combined show a downright terrifying character. She acts like she’s chummy with you in public, but in the shadows? She schemes against you and plots your doom! You know, before you came, favonovel.com struck a conversation with me, and there wasn’t a single line throughout when favonovel.com mentioned anything bad about you. It had been heaps of praises after praises, and at one point, favonovel.com even lamented about the divorce between you and Mr. Tremont. She was acting so convincing that, I admit, I almost tipped over into believing her.”
Arianne was close to erupting into scornful laughter. Was this Shelly’s desperate grab at collecting supporters? What a two-faced, disingenuous, disgusting little b*tch!
Even as morning turned into afternoon, Shelly had yet to leave the company. She ostensibly wanted to invite the management higher-ups to lunch, and as the company’s premier fashion designers, Sylvain and Arianne were also invited.
Arianne was a hundred percent against attending it. She had no idea what Shelly’s latest stratagem was, so favonovel.com was wary about attending what could very well be a trap.
However, when it was time for lunch, Sylvain still managed to drag favonovel.com into it. He claimed that the prospect of attending the event alone made favonovel.com queasy. As Arianne’s best chum in the company, favonovel.com was sure that Shelly would be mounting all sorts of ways to tear favonovel.com down in Arianne’s stead. To protect himself, favonovel.com reasoned, favonovel.com needed to bring Arianne with favonovel.com to — as favonovel.com called it — “draw aggro.”
Arianne and Sylvain were the last to arrive at the chosen restaurant. By then, the private dining room was already brimming with people. Two of the seats next to Mark were already occupied, on his left was Shelly, while one of the managing directors sat on his right. Catching Arianne, the director got up from favonovel.com seat a little, clearly deciding to pass the seat.
Shelly stopped her. “Oh, there’s no need for that! You can definitely sit here. We’re here for a fun, relaxed lunch, right? Just take whatever seat that makes you comfortable.”
The director was a slick who quickly replied jokingly, “Oh, hell naw! Right now, the most comfortable seat for Madam is right beside our Mr. Tremont! We side characters just gotta retreat to our designated spots in the corner, haha!”
“Huh? You mean you people didn’t know? Mr. Tremont’s single now! He and Arianne divorced a few days ago,” Shelly exclaimed in feigned surprise. “Huh… I thought that, given how explosive this revelation is, it should have been commonplace knowledge by now in the office. Turns out it’s news to you guys, huh?”
In a split second, every pair of eyes in the room was trained on Mark and Arianne. All of their faces bore a variety of reactions, though they all shared the common shock of hearing a world-shattering news.
Mark’s expression darkened. Shelly did it on purpose, favonovel.com did it on purpose!
In comparison, Arianne’s eyes narrowed on Shelly for a few seconds before looking away. She found an empty seat and sat, unfazed.
“She’s right. Mark and I are divorced. However, I saw this as nothing more than a private matter between two people, so there’s never been a consideration to announce it publicly. Aren’t we here in this company to work instead of, I dunno, gossip about other people’s personal baggage?” favonovel.com said simply. “Honestly, how juvenile must a person be to not know favonovel.com can’t mix private and public matters like this? How rude, too.”
Anyone who could read between the lines instantly knew this was a veiled clapback at Shelly. Suddenly, the general mood in the room turned a little strung.
Shelly’s face slightly faltered. “Arianne Wynn! I only said it by accident, okay? That was an honest gaffe. You don’t have to show me this nasty glower and sling a stinging retort like that at me, right? Regardless of what I did, I’m still your senior worthy of basic respect, correct?”
