Chapter 77: Chapter 77: This Circle’s Chain of Contempt
The chauffeur stopped the car at the entrance to The Snowfall Pavilion.
Cecilia Croft glanced out the window. Her gaze fell upon the sign for The Snowfall Pavilion, and a faint, thin smile touched her lips.
"If it weren’t for you, I doubt Wendy would have invited me to this party at all."
A line of security guards stood at the entrance of The Snowfall Pavilion, screening guests and turning away anyone trying to sneak inside.
Jasmine Vance reached out, took Cecilia Croft’s hand, and leaned in close, speaking affectionately.
"Didn’t she used to follow you around like a shadow, desperate to be your friend? Besides, I’m here. What’s there to be afraid of?"
At her words, Cecilia Croft smiled faintly and tilted her head, gently bumping it against Jasmine’s.
"I’m not afraid."
’The Croft Group’s current situation didn’t allow her the luxury of fear.’
Cecilia Croft and Jasmine Vance entered The Snowfall Pavilion together.
The staff at The Snowfall Pavilion recognized Jasmine Vance and let them through without any hindrance.
Once inside, Jasmine Vance led her through an artfully designed courtyard and down a quaint, antique-style corridor to their private room.
Arm in arm with Cecilia, Jasmine pushed the door open. Their view was obstructed by a decorative screen, preventing anyone from getting an immediate look at the people seated at the table.
Wendy Rhodes sat at the head of the table with a smile on her face. The two empty seats to her right were clearly reserved for Cecilia and Jasmine.
Wendy Rhodes saw them walk in but didn’t rise to greet them.
"You’re here?"
Her voice was gentle, her eyes landing on Cecilia.
"Cecilia? It’s been a while."
The moment she spoke, everyone at the table turned their gazes to Cecilia.
Cecilia wore a smile, showing no trace of intimidation. She was the picture of grace and composure.
"Yes, it has been a long time."
Wendy Rhodes brazenly looked her up and down, then arched a dismissive eyebrow.
"We were just talking about you."
Everyone was smiling, but there was an undercurrent of awkwardness, a clear sign the topic of conversation hadn’t been pleasant.
Cecilia smiled politely. "Is that so? After so long, I’m sure everyone must have missed me dearly."
At these words, Jasmine Vance’s eyes swept over the others at the table.
Everyone else pointedly avoided her gaze.
"Hah..." Wendy Rhodes let out a soft laugh. "Have a seat, don’t just stand there. I saved these seats especially for you."
The moment she finished speaking, someone stood up to pull out a chair for Jasmine.
"Jasmine, please, sit."
Wendy Rhodes could afford to disregard Cecilia, but the others didn’t dare.
Jasmine didn’t rush to sit down. Instead, she pulled out the other chair and said to Cecilia.
"Cecilia, sit."
Cecilia didn’t stand on ceremony with Jasmine and took the seat.
Only after Cecilia was seated did Jasmine sit down herself. The expressions on the faces of the others at the table were a study in nuance.
Wendy Rhodes glanced at them but said nothing, merely a smirk playing on her lips.
"Now that you’re back in Karthus, Cecilia, are you planning to stay with the Croft Group?"
It sounded like polite small talk, but the contempt in her eyes was unconcealed.
People like them were perfectly aware of the Croft Group’s current situation.
For the past two years, the Croft Group hadn’t even been on the invitation list for the Rhodes family’s banquets.
Cecilia sat up straight, meeting Wendy Rhodes’s gaze without flinching.
"Barring any surprises, I probably won’t be staying with the Croft Group for the time being."
Wendy Rhodes nodded in agreement.
"It’s a good idea not to stay with the Croft Group. One must always secure a way out for oneself, so you’re not left without options when the company finally goes under."
She said it with a look of feigned sympathy for Cecilia, but her words were dripping with sarcasm.
Jasmine turned to glare at her, about to erupt, but Cecilia discreetly squeezed her hand under the table.
’This level of provocation was nothing. It didn’t even sting.’
Wendy Rhodes glanced at Cecilia’s unruffled expression, a smirk tugging at her lips. Assuming the air of a gracious host, she raised her wine glass.
"Come on, everyone, let’s raise a glass to Cecilia. A toast to welcome her back into our circle."
As soon as she spoke, everyone raised their glasses.
Cecilia pressed her lips together and picked up the wine glass in front of her.
Jasmine didn’t move. She turned to look at Wendy.
"Wendy, what is the meaning of this?"
Wendy put on an innocent face. "Meaning? There’s no meaning. Aren’t we just welcoming Cecilia back to Karthus?"
Jasmine’s brows knitted together, fury about to boil over, but Wendy just tilted her head slightly and looked at Cecilia.
"Cecilia, did I say something wrong just now? Did I offend you?"
Before Cecilia could speak, Jasmine cut in coldly, "Don’t you know perfectly well whether you did or not?"
Wendy Rhodes set down her glass and chuckled, a hint of feigned exasperation in her eyes.
"Oh, Cecilia," she sighed, "if anything I said just now offended you, then I apologize. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to."
She was apologizing, but there wasn’t a trace of remorse in her eyes. Her words were laced with a superior, disdainful tone.
"I suppose my memory of you is still stuck on that bright, dazzling image from ten years ago. I forgot that time changes people. With the Croft Group fading away over the years, it’s only natural that you’ve become so sensitive and insecure."
With an icy expression, Jasmine swiped her wine glass off the table. She stood and took Cecilia’s hand.
The others at the table exchanged glances, not daring to even breathe.
But Wendy just smiled as she looked at Jasmine.
"Jasmine, I’ve already apologized. What more do you want?"
Jasmine looked down at her, returning the same condescending, head-to-toe scan that Wendy had given Cecilia earlier.
"Nothing. But no wonder ’they’ all say those things about you. This meal’s on me. You all enjoy. We’ll be leaving."
With that, Jasmine started to leave, pulling Cecilia along by the hand.
But that was when Wendy’s composure finally cracked.
"Who is ’they’?"
Her voice was sharp and shrill, completely devoid of her earlier smug, calculated composure.
Jasmine’s lips curled into a smirk. She gave an ambiguous answer, "Who do you think?"
After they left, the sound of a shattering wine glass echoed from the room.
A waiter stationed outside rushed in.
Jasmine Vance flashed Cecilia a victorious smile and got them a separate private room.
"Who does she think she is? Just because her aunt succeeded as the other woman and she got to bask in the Golding family’s glow, she thinks she’s some kind of princess who climbed her way to the top."
Alone in the new private room with Jasmine, Cecilia’s lips curved into a genuine smile, the tension finally leaving her body.
"So, who exactly were the ’they’ you mentioned earlier?"
Jasmine grinned mysteriously and whispered, "I made it up. She probably thinks I meant those daughters of high society she’s so desperate to cozy up to."
Cecilia paused for a second, then broke into laughter as well.
"She’s probably going to be tossing and turning all night."
Wendy Rhodes’s aunt had clawed her way up as the other woman. Even though the Rhodes family had gained status and a foothold in their social circle because of it, Wendy’s resources were nothing compared to someone like Jasmine Vance, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
In their circle, people were ranked, and there was always a pecking order of contempt.
’Today, she had only faced a tiny bit of mockery.’
’But her older sister... for years, she must have been silently enduring their disdain.’
