Chapter 3The Sweet-Talking Friend

The effect was instantaneous.

The smile froze on Claire's lips. I had just made up the asparagus thing, but she bought it completely, believing Julian had ordered it specifically for me. Her lips thinned into a pale line, and her fingers dug into his shoulder, knuckles white.

After all these years, I knew that look. It was the quiet simmering of rage.

After finishing the bite, I turned to her with deliberate concern. "Honey, are you feeling alright? You look so pale. Should we get you to a doctor?"

Her expression flickered through a storm of emotions. She was seething but couldn't show it, forced to swallow her anger and maintain her magnanimous facade.

"No, I'm fine, Sienna. If you like it, have more," she said, her voice tight. "My hands were just full a second ago, that's why I asked him to help. Julian is always so thoughtful, looking out for my friends and me. Don't get the wrong idea, though."

The ghostly comments were rolling their eyes so hard they could have powered a generator, repeating that last phrase: Don't get the wrong idea, though.

[YES! This is what I'm talking about! Sienna should have been calling her out like this from the start!]

[That two-faced little princess. Weren't you the one who just told her to eat it?]

[Oh dear, why isn't the little princess smiling anymore? I thought you didn't mind? What happened to that happy face?]

[She only ever pulls these petty tricks on people who care about her. If Sienna ever decided to actually fight back, Claire wouldn't stand a chance.]

[Look, look! The male lead's expression shifted! I think his opinion of our girl is changing. He used to think her hesitation was a ploy to seduce him, but now that she's being so open and direct, he's the one who's flustered.]

Following the comments’ cue, I glanced at Julian.

The face that had always been a mask of icy disdain toward me now showed the faintest crack. For years, he had never given me a single pleasant look. After every one of Claire’s tests, he would flash his girlfriend a weary but indulgent smile, then turn to me with a cold warning. "Sienna, whatever your goal is, I suggest you stop. Claire is sensitive. As her friend, you should know where the line is."

His words were always blunt, painfully clear. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a manipulative social climber. But faced with Claire's silent, pleading eyes, I had swallowed my pride time and time again. I even lost a promotion I had earned because Vice President Julian was prejudiced against me.

That being the case, there’s nothing wrong with me taking back what’s mine, right?