Furious, Mabel grabbed everything from her plate and hurled it at me. A mix of jam and soup splattered across my clothes, staining them instantly.

"Celia, am I supposed to thank you now? Are you saying my fiancé isn't even good enough for you? Let me tell you something. Harland's family has deep roots in Yorkdale City.

"This is a power match—a merging of strengths. Even if you stripped naked and threw yourself at him, he still wouldn't want you!"

Oh, so, that was what this was about. I had been wondering why someone as stunning as Mabel would settle for a slob like Harland. Turned out, it was about business interests.

She was panting heavily, her chest rising and falling with rage.

Harland, looking a little uneasy, stepped forward to calm her down, gently rubbing her stomach. "Sweetheart, don't get upset. Think about our baby."

I raised an eyebrow. Pregnant? That was why they were rushing into an engagement, huh?

After soothing Mabel, Harland turned to me with a dark expression. "Celia, if something happens to Mabel because of you, you won't be able to afford the consequences! You're not leaving until you explain yourself!"

I was this close to revealing my true identity, but I didn't. Even if I told them, they wouldn't believe me.

"My meeting is extremely important. If I miss it, the losses would be way more than you can afford to cover. Move. I'm leaving," I said.

I had been patient—for Sky's sake and to avoid ruining the engagement party. But the moment I stepped forward, one of Mabel's bodyguards grabbed my shoulder, holding me in place.

Mabel let out a sharp whistle and strutted toward me, an arrogant smirk decorating her lips. Then, without warning, she slapped me across the face.

"And how much money is this so-called meeting of yours worth? What a joke! This is the funniest thing I've ever heard.

"You were always running your mouth to the teachers back in school, talking trash about me every chance you got. You're the most despicable person I know!

"Do you think you're so powerful? Go ahead and call someone! I'd love to see if someone as lowly as you has anyone who would come help you!"

I gritted my teeth and glared at her. "Mabel, this is my final warning. In college, you skipped classes, got into fights, and ran with street thugs. You had multiple abortions.

"By telling the teachers, I was trying to help you. Now, you're about to become someone's wife. For the sake of your family and your fiancé, you'd better think about the consequences."

The moment I mentioned her abortions, Harland visibly froze.

So, he didn't know.

Mabel hadn't expected me to air her dirty laundry in front of everyone. Her face twisted with rage, and she stomped on my foot, as if that would somehow make her feel better.

"You still dare to spout this nonsense? Looks like you've got a death wish!" she bellowed.

I slowly lifted my head, forcing down the fury bubbling inside me. "You'd better watch your mouth, Mabel. Silver Key Holdings isn't the only power in Yorkdale City.

"There are people out there you can't afford to offend. You should let me go right now, or you're going to regret it."

The words had barely left my mouth when Mabel let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Oh, my God, listen to yourself! I'll regret it? You're a joke, Celia.

"In Yorkdale City, everyone treats me with respect, and no one would dare talk to me like this. And you? A lowly office worker? With just one word, I could make you disappear from this world."

Laughter erupted from the classmates around us, their faces full of ridicule.

Only Sky stood there, anxious and desperate. "Celia, please, just apologize. We're just normal people. We can't afford to offend them!

"Silver Key Holdings is insanely powerful. You've made her this angry. One phone call from her, and you'll be out of a job!"

I looked around at the faces I had once known so well, now twisted with mockery and scorn.

So, this is what our so-called friendship was worth? Did none of them have a shred of loyalty? Were they all this spineless?

All I had done was try to leave early because I had something important to do, yet they humiliated me again and again.

I didn't care if they called me poor or mocked my clothes.

But Mabel? She was so arrogant that she threatened to erase me from existence. Was this what wealth did to people? The richer they got, the colder their hearts became.

I had always worked hard, gotten good grades, and treated people with kindness. Even when someone provoked me, I usually just laughed it off.

But I never thought that my humility would one day become the very reason these people thought they could walk all over me.

Mabel assumed I was scared because I wasn't responding. She pulled a thick stack of dark green bills from her purse with a smug smile.

"This is ten thousand dollars. Take a good look. Ten grand. That's probably a few months' worth of your salary.

"All you have to do is get down on your knees, bark like a dog, and say you're my pet. This money will be yours. But if you refuse? Well… you might need it for your medical bills."

My gaze turned ice-cold. "Mabel, it looks like the one with a death wish here is you. Do you even know who you're talking to?"

Instead of backing down, she threw her head back and laughed, her arrogance growing. "Oh, please. You still don't get it, do you? You're nothing but a low-level worker, just another wage slave at the bottom of society!"

She looked me up and down, clicking her tongue in exaggerated pity as she mocked, "Just look at those rags you're wearing. The jacket on my back could buy you a lifetime's worth of clothes."

I nearly burst out laughing.

My outfit was a luxury and custom-made by hand, the only one of its kind in the world. Just one piece from the ensemble could buy her entire mansion—no, even more than that.

And yet, in her eyes, it was worthless.

Ignorance wasn't the scariest thing. What was truly terrifying was not realizing you had already dug your own grave.

Her arrogance only made the others admire her more. One by one, they looked at her with envy.

"Mabel, you're amazing! That jacket is a limited edition this year. Money alone isn't enough to buy it."

"Oh, my God! I'm so lucky to be a former classmate of Mabel!"

"Celia, just kneel already and be Mabel's most loyal dog."

Their laughter grew louder, and their words grew bolder, feeding Mabel's ego.

Mabel was drunk on their praise, completely blinded by her arrogance. She soaked up the attention, basking in every second of their admiration. But even as she enjoyed being worshipped, she hadn't forgotten to humiliate me.

"What's wrong, Celia? Weren't you acting all tough just now? Are you scared now?"

She jabbed my shoulder with her sharp nails. "You've got two choices. Either kneel and be my dog, or I'll ruin your clothes. Not that it matters… They're trash anyway."

My fists clenched on their own, and my temples pulsed with anger. "You wouldn't dare."

Mabel hadn't expected me to still refuse. Her expression twisted into something ugly, her patience snapping.

Without hesitation, she grabbed a glass of red wine and dumped it on me.

But that wasn't enough. She picked up handfuls of meat from her plate and hurled them at me.

Within seconds, my hair and clothes were completely soaked—wine, broth, and oil staining every inch of fabric. Not a single clean spot remained.

Mabel casually pulled out a napkin, wiping her hands like she had just finished a chore. Her voice oozed arrogance and triumph as she stated, "This is what happens when you mess with me, Celia. You were getting way too full of yourself, so consider this a lesson."

The classmates who had been kissing up to her whistled and cheered. "Mabel, you're amazing!"

I didn't stop her. The only sound in the room was my phone, which was ringing nonstop on the table.

Without a word, I picked it up and answered, "Sorry. I won't be able to make it on time. Have the business partner come to me instead. I'm at the Silver Key Business Club. Yeah, the one under Silver Key Holdings."

The moment I hung up, Mabel was still admiring her handiwork, staring at the mess she had made of my clothes.

"Celia, that rag is completely ruined. You might as well just take it off."

Honestly, I wanted to laugh.

She wasn't wrong. It was ruined. This kind of fabric couldn't be washed. The oil stains had destroyed it.

I let out a slow sigh, then spoke, "You have no idea, do you? This outfit was handmade by Vixen himself. It's one of a kind. Just this one piece alone could buy your entire wardrobe."

Mabel still looked completely unbothered. "Oh, please. Do you think I'd believe that? Look at how plain it is. How expensive could it possibly be?"

But before I could answer, someone in the room suddenly shouted, "Oh, my God, look outside! This is insane!"

Everyone immediately turned to the window.

Outside, more than a dozen world-class luxury cars had pulled up. One after another, men in sharp suits stepped out and strode directly toward us.