SMR | Chapter 54

~Chapter 54~

“Really? She thinks of the other person first? That’s surprising. Did she really come out of the monastery a changed person?”

 “I’m not sure exactly, but she definitely seems extremely careful about getting involved with men.”

 “She was hurt by love and even got cast out by her family… Oh! That was a slip of the tongue! Haha!”

Bella was horrified that people were starting to feel sorry for Harriet.

 She had worked so hard to make Harriet seem like a pitiful, ugly loser who didn’t deserve sympathy—but now, just a year later, they were treating her like a tragic heroine with a broken heart.

 And now they’re even saying she was ‘abandoned’ by the Listerwells?

 Bella clenched her fists in frustration.

Why does Harriet have to be the center of attention—at my party!?

Pretending she had something urgent to do, Bella left the room and found Caroline.

“Caroline. Go bring out the gifts.”

 “Huh? Already? Weren’t we going to give them out at the end when people leave?”

 “Just do what I say, okay?”

 “Oh… okay.”

Caroline, sensing Bella’s sour mood, quickly headed for the prep room.

Soon, the servants of the Cheslow family began handing out gifts to the guests.

 Since the party was still in full swing, it felt a bit sudden and out of place.

After confirming that everyone had received a gift, Bella lightly tapped her wine glass with a silver spoon. A clear chime rang out.

“These are small thank-you gifts to express my appreciation for everyone who came tonight. They’re bestselling creams from Labonaze, a brand famous for luxury skincare.”

“Ohh!” Admiring voices rang out here and there.

 Labonaze creams were not only expensive but also notoriously hard to get.

Bella smiled with satisfaction.

“Gentlemen, you’ll earn big points if you give this to your mother, sister, or girlfriend. And ladies—you all already know how amazing this cream is.”

The cream cost 500 dirams per jar, and Bella couldn’t afford to give everyone a full-size version.

 So she made a deal with the president of Labonaze: they would make special half-size versions for gifts at a reduced price, and in return, Bella would include a promotional pamphlet in each gift pouch.

This way, she could save money and look generous at the same time.

“I’ve been using Labonaze for a long time, and I really love their products. I just had to recommend it to all of you. I hope you enjoy the gift!”

Applause followed.

Bella was sure that now everyone would forget all about Harriet and her cheap soap—and start talking about her and her fancy Labonaze cream instead.

But then she sensed an unwelcome shift in the mood.

“Are we supposed to carry this around for the rest of the party?”

 “Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient…”

Harriet had also handed out gifts during her tea party, but at that time, everyone was seated and could simply place the gifts on the table.

But this was an evening party. Guests couldn’t just set things down anywhere—there was a risk of losing them.

 And walking around carrying a gift all evening was annoying.

In the end, Bella had to send the servants around again to collect the gifts. They would be redistributed at the exit when guests left.

James chuckled awkwardly next to her.

 “Why did you give the gifts out so early?”

 “I thought some people might leave early. I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Bella forced a smile at James, who had unknowingly scolded her.

 Of course she knew giving out gifts mid-party was a bad idea.

But how else was I supposed to stop people from talking about Harriet!?

Handing out gifts was the only way she could think of to redirect everyone’s attention.

 She had been willing to endure this little embarrassment—as long as it stopped the talk about that soap.

But then she overheard Viviana speaking to another young lady nearby.

“If you like Labonaze, you can have mine. It doesn’t really work for me.”

Bella shot a sharp glare at Viviana, but Viviana didn’t notice.

I used to spend a fortune on Labonaze, thinking I’d end up like Bella… but it never helped with my acne.

The only thing nice about the expensive product was showing it off to others. Looking back now, Viviana wondered how many people must have laughed at her behind her back.

Now that she’d found a product that truly worked for her skin, she had no regrets about giving away that pricey Labonaze cream.

While Viviana was thinking this, someone poked her in the side.

 It was Caroline, who had quietly come up next to her.

“Still, it was a gift Bella gave to show her thanks. Do you really have to say that kind of thing now?”

Viviana frowned at the comment.

“If not now, then when? I’m not going to use it, so isn’t it better if someone else does? It’s not like I said anything bad…”

“Ha… Viviana. I’ve thought this before, but you really don’t have much consideration. Like when you went to Harriet’s tea party.”

“It wasn’t just me. Other girls went too.”

“Whatever.”

Caroline looked at Viviana like she was pathetic, and that made Viviana furious.

‘She always acts like this—as if she’s better than everyone else.’

Viviana decided she had something to say to Caroline.

 But when she turned toward Bella, she was startled.

 Bella’s eyes—cold and sharp—sent chills down her spine.

 Was this really the Bella I knew?

There was no way to call it a misunderstanding.

 Bella had stared coldly at her, and the moment Viviana tried to speak, Bella sharply turned her head away—as if she refused to even acknowledge her.

Suddenly, Viviana remembered something Harriet once said:

“Why is Bella acting like she cares what I think? She never did before. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

And it was strange.

 Bella had never cared about anyone else’s opinion—not Harriet’s, not even her friends’.

Bella always did what she wanted, and people like Viviana had been the ones to make her seem charming for it.

 But… was Bella really such a good person?

That doubt brought up an old memory.

Back when Viviana had a crush on Adam Hofner, Bella knew about it.

 But she still put the flowers he gave her on the refreshment table for everyone to see, and bragged that Adam liked girls with good skin.

Everyone else seemed to watch Viviana awkwardly that day—but not Bella.

 Back then, Viviana told herself Bella didn’t mean to be hurtful.

But… did she really?

Suddenly, something inside her snapped.

 Viviana couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“So what—if we upset Bella, it’s a disaster or something? Are we here as her guests, or just as props to make her look good?”

Everyone turned to look at her in shock—Caroline, the others—but Viviana kept going.

“Oh, right. We’ve always just been her backup dancers, huh? And now I’m the villain because I didn’t do my job. Shame on me!”

“Viviana! Do you even hear yourself? That’s incredibly rude!”

But Caroline’s scolding didn’t scare Viviana one bit.

“You’re the rude one, Caroline! Saying I have no consideration? Seriously? Fine, let’s say I don’t. But why should I tiptoe around you or Bella?”

She snapped, finally letting out all the resentment that had built up inside her.

The truth was, all of Bella’s friends came from decent families.

 Sure, people called them “a group of pretty and well-mannered young ladies,” but that reputation wasn’t all thanks to Bella.

Viviana, who was often called “the least pretty one in Bella’s group,” didn’t want to live like Bella’s servant anymore.

Seeing that Viviana wasn’t backing down, Bella finally came over, her expression now soft and worried.

“What’s going on, Caroline? Why is Viviana so upset?”

Viviana laughed bitterly.

When we locked eyes a minute ago, you looked at me like I was a bug. And now you’re acting sweet?

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen through Bella sooner.

No, that wasn’t it. She had noticed before—there had been many moments when Bella’s attitude made her feel uneasy.

She just kept brushing it off:

 ‘I must be imagining things. I’m overthinking. It’s probably a misunderstanding.’

Then one of the other girls poked Viviana.

“Viviana, what’s wrong with you? You’re going to make Bella cry.”

 “This is Bella’s party. Don’t make a scene. Just apologize already.”

Viviana looked around at them all—Caroline hugging Bella protectively, the others glaring at her, the nearby guests whispering and watching.

And suddenly, it all felt strangely familiar.

‘When was the last time I saw this kind of scene?’

She thought back… and then she remembered.

‘Ah! Back then… it was Harriet standing where I am now.’

About a year and a half ago—at one of Bella’s tea parties.