Zara's mother let out a cold scoff.
She genuinely couldn't fathom why she had ever thought Preston was a decent guy in the past.
Looking at him now, he was completely oblivious. Even if this kid inherited the Dalton family business, he'd run it into the ground eventually.
Any man who could be so easily manipulated by a little actress like Zoe wasn't exactly a genius.
While her mother stayed silent, Zara simply watched the show with a smug grin.
Preston was burning with frustration, but Zara just lifted her chin defiantly. "I know exactly what you're trying to figure out, and for the record, we didn't lay a finger on her."
"As for why she was sobbing her eyes out? It's because she got brutally rejected by the man of her dreams."
"She is absolutely heartbroken!"
Preston's expression shifted drastically.
The man of her dreams? What was she talking about?
Zara's mother perked up, her curiosity piqued. "Wait, what happened? Isn't Preston supposed to be the man of Zoe's dreams?"
"Preston blew up your engagement just for her, and she doesn't even want him?" That was simply too hilarious!
Zara's mother almost burst out laughing right then and there.
Hearing her mother's deliciously sarcastic tone, Zara grinned. "Mom, I told you, she
made it clear forever ago that she isn't into Preston."
"She was just stringing him along until she found someone better."
"And now, she finally found her target."
"Unfortunately for her, the guy isn't interested. He's already got a girl he's crazy about."
Preston refused to believe a single word.
He was convinced this mother-daughter duo was just mocking him and throwing dirt on Zoe's name for fun.
In his eyes, Zoe was purely focused on bettering herself. She was a perfect angel, and these two were just malicious gossips trying to tear her down.
"Don't tell me you really don't know?"
Catching the look on Preston's face, Zara knew exactly what was going through his head.
He definitely thought they were just smearing Zoe's flawless reputation!
"Look, I know you think we're lying. If you don't believe me, go ask Zoe's friends, or ask the other guests who were standing nearby."
"They all saw the whole thing go down."
Those people were only casual acquaintances of Zoe's anyway.
Zara felt she was being quite generous by not sending him straight to Tessa.
If he asked Tessa, the girl would probably give him an earful he'd never forget.
Right now, Tessa was probably itching to broadcast Zoe's manipulative tactics to the entire social circle.
Not to mention the fact that Zoe had publicly thrown herself at Dane and gotten shot down.
Someone had probably already filmed the rejection and shared it in their private group chats.
Dane's merciless dismissal was the kind of thing that got looped into savage reaction memes.
Of course Videos would only
circulate within their elite inner
one would ever dare post
them publicly online
If anyone broke the unspoken rules and leaked it, they'd be instantly blacklisted by
the entire community.
Plus, they'd risk facing Dane's wrath.
Everyone knew Dane wasn't exactly the forgiving type.
Seeing Zara confidently tell him to
very the
finally
story with others Preston
started to doubt himself
Gontent
Could Zara be telling the truth? Did Zoe actually confess to another man?
Was she really crying because someone else rejected her?
Preston wanted to go ask around, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
And he definitely didn't want to confront Zoe directly and pour salt on her fresh wounds.
In the end, he had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs and walk away. Whether Preston actually went and investigated, Zara didn't know or care.
Zara's mother was still mostly in the dark about the details.
Once Preston was out of earshot, Zara gave her mom the full rundown of what had happened.
"Wait, are you telling me your friend is Melissa's daughter?"
Her mother was visibly shocked.
She had assumed Melissa had passed away, which was why she
had always accepted that shet
her husband's lingering sweetheart
She had even used Melissa's name as ammo during their arguments.
But if the woman was still alive, dragging her name into their marital spats felt completely inappropriate.