Zoe never expected Zara to actually bring someone.
Zara's usual crowd consisted of useless trust-fund babies who were exactly like her.
People who had done nothing since childhood but eat, shop, and coast through life.
A bunch of lazy parasites waiting to inherit their wealth.
She figured this new friend was just another one of them.
Another brainless pretty face.
"Yep, this is my roommate, Claire."
"I always thought Zara was the prettiest girl around, but who knew your roommate would be even more stunning than you," Zoe said, covering her mouth with a delicate laugh.
She immediately followed up with a faux-innocent look. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Zara. I didn't mean it like that, it's just..."
Zoe deliberately let her sentence trail off, her attempt to drive a wedge between them painfully obvious.
"Just what?" Claire had zero intention of letting her off the hook.
She loved getting to the bottom of things.
Back in the day, whenever Shirley tried to start trouble, she had never managed to
get the upper hand. Did Zoe really think she would be the exception?
"Ms. Zeller, please finish your sentence. I absolutely despise people who leave their words hanging just to make others guess."
"It's not like half your tongue was cut off. Why can't you speak clearly?"
Zara was stunned by Claire's venomous bite.
She was practically speaking Zara's innermost thoughts out loud.
She had lost count of how many times Zoe had screwed her over with this exact manipulative tactic.
Seeing Zoe completely dumbfounded by Claire's bluntness made Zara want to clap and cheer.
Zoe had thrown passive-aggressive shade at countless people, but she had never encountered anyone who threw out the social playbook quite like Claire.
She was at a total loss for words.
Besides, she had clearly just praised Claire while putting Zara down.
Why wasn't Claire taking the compliment?
Zoe didn't get it. She was used to toxic, fake friendships.
She assumed everyone operated the same way.
"I apologize. It's my fault."
"If I've upset you, Claire, I'm truly sorry."
The moment Zoe played the victim card, her friends predictably jumped to her defense.
"Zoe, you didn't do anything wrong! Why are you apologizing?"
"Actually, don't you think you're being completely out of line, Claire?"
"You're a girl too. How can you speak so viciously?"
Claire was genuinely amused that these people thought her words were too harsh.
Claire
moed them a razor-sharp
smile. "Right. Maybe I should more like Zoe and phrase
be
delicately content belonet
FindNovel.net
"That me of the absolute e room wouldn't be abbet
idiots
to tell she's actively trying to turn us against each other"
"Pfft-" Zara burst into a loud, unapologetic laugh.
"Oh my god, Claire, you are so right."
The defensive friend's face instantly darkened.
Taking a moment to think about it, Zoe really had been trying to sow discord.
But Zoe was her friend-she couldn't exactly turn around and call her out in front of everyone.
"I think I held back," Claire noted, feeling like her comeback had only been mediocre.
She hadn't actually planned on tearing into Zoe.
But somehow, she had gone full throttle.
"It seems my cousin's friend doesn't like us," Zoe said, finally dropping her innocent
act.
"Weren't your the one who tried to pit
us against each other first?" Claire furrowed her brow. "How do you have the nerve to play the victim after starting the fire?"
"You really have the whole 'whoever cries first is right' act down to a science."
Claire couldn't care less how good Zoe was at playing the tragic heroine.
She was going to absolutely obliterate her.
Zoe was left completely defenseless against the verbal onslaught.
She couldn't fathom where Zara had found a friend like this.
Her combat power was insane.
"Do you just... not like me, Claire?"
Zoe asked softly, falling back on her signature move.
"If you're having those doubts, then your instincts are completely spot on!"
Claire replied, not hiding her disdain in the slightest.