The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Lauretta gave a soft laugh. "Of course not. If Aurora ever took anything seriously, she'd be unstoppable. It would be a crime against her reputation as the queen of high society."

Katrina couldn't help glancing at her, curiosity piqued. "Lauretta, you've actually seen Aurora get serious?"

Lauretta's eyes grew distant as she recalled, "It was years ago. There was another socialite who was quite famous back then-Valery Irving.

Valery had a childhood sweetheart, her fiancé. They were supposed to be deeply in love, practically engaged already.

But everything changed after Valery invited Aurora to her birthday party. After that night, her fiancé fell head over heels for Aurora.

It got so bad, he actually called off the engagement. The whole thing blew up into a scandal-the two of them went from inseparable sweethearts to bitter enemies.

From that moment on, Valery hated Aurora. She started picking fights with her over the smallest things."

Wendy, who'd been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "So, how did Aurora handle it?"

"At first, Aurora ignored Valery completely. But Valery just got worse. She spilled red wine all over Aurora's dress, even pushed her into the swimming pool one night...

Petty stuff, really, but eventually it pushed Aurora too far."

At this point, Lauretta paused, her tone turning sly. "You girls know how the Irvings made their fortune, right?"

Katrina, always impatient, waved her hand. "Come on, Lauretta, don't keep us guessing! Just spill it already."

Lauretta grinned. "The Irvings built everything on their perfume business.

One year, they threw an extravagant fragrance gala, inviting all the social elite.

At that event, Aurora humiliated Valery in front of everyone-completely outshined her as the most promising young perfumer in the room. Valery never stood a chance."noveldrama

Lauretta paused, a subtle smile touching her lips.

"That was ages ago. Back then, Aurora was already well-known, but she didn't quite have the crown yet.

After that night, though, her legend was cemented."

Katrina and Wendy both glanced over at Aurora, who stood across the room.

Even though Aurora had never

actually done anything to them, nor said a single unkind word, they couldn't help but feel a deep-seated resentment toward her.

Katrina frowned, worry creeping into

her

"No matter how you look

at night's party is all abou

Aurora. Star barely even registers.

And once Star finally shows up, people will start comparing her to Aurora all over again."

She'd already overheard guests making snide comments-using Aurora's reputation as a stick to beat Star with.

Lauretta, however, seemed unbothered. She smiled lightly. "Don't worry. Aurora's impressive, but our Star isn't exactly second best.

Sure, Aurora can outshine most girls in the room-but she'll never eclipse Star."

Katrina shot a glare toward Aurora, who looked positively radiant and self- assured, and felt her irritation spike.

"It's infuriating. The Williams family throws this lavish party—who is it really for, Star or Aurora?

Just a while ago, people were tearing Aurora apart. Now, here Star's party, she's the one getting all

the praise... It's like she's usin et

as à stepping stone!"

Star

Before Lauretta could respond, a deep male voice sounded from behind them.

"Ms. Chapman."

Lauretta turned to see Jonathan standing there.

She straightened politely. "Mr. Williams, can I help you?"

Jonathan nodded. "Could I speak with you for a moment? There's something

about Star I'd like to discuss."