It’s been a while since Arwen saw Emily. But she got to hear that she had desperately begged to get herself accepted as the adopted daughter of the Quinn family. However, her father, Idris, didn’t let her. Not just at the party, but he also refused to take her as a daughter when the Brown couple sought him for that.
In the end, Emily had beco the subject of ridicule in high society —mocked and scorned.
Arwen never adored Emily, but she never hated her either. So, when she heard so much happened to her, she felt sorry for her. However, she never reached out to talk to her about it. Their relationship had always been distant —more by circumstance than intention.
"How are you, Emily?" Arwen asked softly now, her tone laced with genuine concern.
But hearing her ask that, Emily’s lips only lifted into a scoff. "You still have the nerve to ask that?"
Gianna didn’t like her arrogance and at once pointed out, "Hey, watch your tone. You lost it all, yet you haven’t learnt your lesson. Don’t tell your parents can’t teach you well, and you really need adoptive parents?"
"You —!" Emily’s fingers curled tightly, her face darkening.
"What?" Gianna challenged, her eyes glinting. "Did I touch a nerve? Because I can go on —I am sure you have plenty more sore spots that’re itching to be poked."
Arwen’s brows also furrowed at Gianna. She turned to her and mildly rebuked, "Anna!" She then shook her head at her, and Gianna simply huffed and looked away.
"Don’t act like an angel now, Arwen," Emily sneered. "If you really had been the angel you pretend to , you wouldn’t have deliberately ruined my happiness."
Arwen frowned when she heard her. "Blaming wouldn’t help you, Emily, because whatever happened was never my fault. I never took away your happiness. If I had, then I would still have been called Quinn’s heiress. But that’s the title I have long given up on. And I have no plans on taking it back."
"Exactly!" Gianna spoke with a smirk. "If you really want to bla soone, bla yourself for coveting sothing that was never ant to be yours. Heh! You wanted the title of rich heiress, and now you aren’t even seen as a rich girl in society. Isn’t that quite an irony?"
"You—" Emily’s jaw tightened. But then she suddenly rembered sothing and laughed. "Really? Is that what you think?"
Gianna stared at her, amused. She watched her for a mont before whispering to Arwen to ask, "Don’t tell she has completely lost it. She is laughing at her own situation."
"Anna!"
"What? I am not being an, she is asking for it," Gianna defended herself.
And right before Arwen could say more, Emily’s voice cut in, "Who said I am no longer rich?" She scoffed again and then lifted her hand up to show. "I might not be a rich heiress now, but I am definitely a rich lady of society."
Arwen stared at the big, gaudy ring shining on her finger. "You got married?"
"None of your concern," Emily snapped, almost losing her calm. However, she was able to compose herself back soon. "You just need to know that I am not stuck in a situation where you can get to laugh at . I have enough money to flaunt. And that’s exactly what I am going to do here."
Arwen didn’t say anything, and Gianna only looked at her uninterested. And seeing them acting so nonchalantly, Emily was only feeling like they were looking down upon her.
"You don’t believe ?" she asked through the grit of teeth. "Fine, then I will prove it to you."
She brushed past them, shoving between Arwen and Gianna. Arwen stumbled slightly, but Giuanna imdiately caught her arm.
"Careful, Wenna! Are you fine?" Gianna asked, glaring at Emily. "Have you lost your ability to see? How dare you push her?"
Emily turned back, her smile venomous. "If she needs to be careful, then maybe she should stay at ho. Honestly, with that heavy bump, she is starting to look ugly already. Instead of parading around showing off her miserable phase, it would be better to lock herself away. Less humiliating, don’t you think?"
Gianna’s fury flared instantly. "You —!"
Even Arwen’s expression hardened, a rare flash of anger glinted in her eyes. But before Gianna could explode, Emily already sauntered off towards the racks of dresses, her laughter echoing faintly.
Gianna rolled up her sleeves. "Wait here. I am going to teach her so good manners myself."
But Arwen caught her wrist, shaking her head gently. "Let her be. Arguing with her won’t change anything. Let’s just do what we ca for."
Gianna wanted to argue, but when she saw the exhaustion on Arwen’s face, she relented with a sigh. "But one day, soone will put her in her place."
Arwen simply nodded.
Gianna then turned to the attendant and said, "We will start with bridesmaid dresses."
"Bridesmaid?" Arwen frowned. "Let’s decide your wedding gown first, Anna. Mine will be figured out later."
"No," Gianna refused. "You are already looking tired. "Let’s decide on yours first, and then later, you can sit and rest, while I show you trying different styles."
Arwen pursed her lips, but then, knowing how stubborn Gianna gets over things like this, she agreed. "Fine, then let’s be quick in deciding it."
Gianna smiled at her and then turned to the attendant.
"Please co with , ma’am." The attendant said with a smile and then led them to the section where the dresses for the bridesmaids were showcased.
They thought the selection would be simple —but Emily had other plans. Each ti Arwen reached for a dress, Emily appeared out of nowhere, snatching it up with a sharp look of triumph.
Gianna’s patience thinned visibly. "You have got to be kidding ."
But Arwen only smiled faintly and let go of the next dress without protest.
Finally, after the third ti, Gianna’s restraint cracked. She turned to Emily and snapped, "What are you trying to do, Emily?"
"What?" Emily asked as though she couldn’t understand. "Don’t tell that even this store is yours, and you would kick out of here. I am just grabbing the dresses that I could obviously afford. Is there a problem with that?"
"You —" Gianna took a step forward, but Arwen held her back, shaking her head again.
Emily smirked at them victoriously and walked away with another dress, Arwen had put her hands on.
"What’s wrong with you, Wenna?" Gianna frowned, turning to look at her friend. "She is clearly doing that on purpose. Don’t tell you are going to let her do it!"
Arwen pressed her lips. "Let her take them if that makes her happy. I am, anyway, not liking anything here. We will decide sothing for later."
"No, we are not going without deciding sothing for you," Gianna stubbornly said.
But Arwen truly wasn’t in the mood for choosing sothing for herself. So, she insisted, "Trust , Anna. I am really not liking anything."
"Fine," Gianna said, clearly not happy. "Since you just want to cater to that stupid woman, I won’t argue. Do as you wish."
Before Arwen could say anything, Gianna turned to the attendant and said, "Show us the bridal designs." And then she walked with the attendant to try on a few styles.
Arwen looked at her and sighed. She then turned and looked around. Finding a couch nearby, she went and took a seat. Even though she liked each and everything about her pregnancy, she didn’t like how easily she had started feeling exhausted.
Sotis, even taking a few steps feels like a big task. It tires her out like no work has ever done.
"What? You accepted the defeat already?" Emily’s voice made Arwen look up.
She smiled and replied, "We weren’t competing for anything, Emily. How can I accept the defeat?" Her tone wasn’t bitter —it carried a quiet strength that made even Emily pause.
However, the very next second, she huffed, "Who said we weren’t? I took each and every piece you selected. And this ti, you couldn’t even humiliate . Though I so wanted you to do, so that I could show you that it’s no longer an easy task."
"If you were able to take it, it only ans I never wanted it," Arwen again said with the sa quiet smile. "I never thought of competing with you, Emily, trust . For if I had to compete with soone for sothing that desperately, I wouldn’t simply want it."
"You —" Emily sneered.
But Arwen didn’t mind. She simply looked at her and said, "If taking those few dresses makes you happy and content, take them. I don’t mind. Anyway, those weren’t my kind of style."
"Your kind of style?" Emily laughed, her tone laced with mockery. She pointed at her with her finger and said, "Even looking like this, you think you deserve a style. Arwen, stand up and look at the mirror. I am sure you will realize the problem isn’t in the dress style, it’s in you."
Arwen didn’t respond. She just let her speak and watched her.
"I really want to know how your husband is now, even bearing to look at you. Your re small look must be hurting his eyes. Tell , did he already leave you? If he hadn’t then he would leave you soon, I am sure of that," Emily said mockingly, enjoying the mont most.
Arwen let her complete her laugh. She didn’t look at all offended. If anything, she looked most calm in that mont, as though Emily’s words hadn’t even touched her. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.
And before Emily could speak, a voice made her pause.
"Moon!"
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