"Why is it always you guys!"
They were like lingering ghosts; she couldn't seem to shake them!
Speaking of which, Rose's family had recently come into some money.
Shirley had no idea whose coattails they were riding.
Look at how arrogant she was acting now.
Shirley tugged on Claire's arm and whispered, "Why do I find her current attitude so incredibly obnoxious?"
"And oddly familiar, too."
Claire glanced at Lucinda, who wore the smug expression of a sycophant reveling in a temporary victory.
She chuckled at Shirley. "Of course she's obnoxious. She acts exactly like you used to."
Shirley's smile completely froze. "..."
She really had been that insufferable back then.
Even though her uncle's family controlled the company, she had foolishly tried to compete with Claire, the revered heiress of The James Family.
That realization struck Shirley right in the chest.
It also caused Lucinda, who had overheard their "whispers," to scowl.
What did they mean she was like the old Shirley? Was she really that pathetic?
"Claire, how could you say that about us?"
"And you even called Shirley obnoxious."
"She only ever bickered with you in the past. It's not like she did anything truly malicious."
"It was just childish jealousy."
"Look at you two now-aren't you best friends?"
Rose was far more manipulative than Lucinda.
Listen to that calculated rhetoric. What a masterful attempt at sowing discord!
Both Claire and Shirley were internally rolling their eyes.
Had Rose taken a masterclass in manipulation? Her passive-aggressive act was getting out of hand.
She wasn't just a basic mean girl anymore; she was an advanced-level hypocrite. "You're quite good at stirring the pot, aren't you?" Claire called her out directly.
The smile on Rose's face instantly stiffened.
"But that trick won't work on us."
"We never had a good relationship to begin with," Claire reminded Rose.
"Have you forgotten? You used to pull this exact same nonsense in front of me back then, too."
"Did I ever give you the time of day?"
Rose completely lost her composure.
She remembered how much of a clown she used to look like around Claire.
Claire had indeed ignored her existence.
And now, with her transparent attempts at drama, Claire was even less likely to entertain her.
"What gives you the right to act so arrogant, Claire?"
"You're nothing but a washed-up nobody now."
"You're a fake heiress! Forget about
The James Family's dowelet
if they were still on top, you'g one getting kicked to the curb!"
the
"Oh, and what about your fiancé? Didn't Cindy steal him from you?"
"And now he belongs to someone else."
"Why don't you try begging for him back?"
Claire shot her a cool glance. "You might enjoy digging through the trash for
leftovers, but I certainly don't share that hobby."
Claire despised dealing with Rose. As soon as the elevator arrived, she and Shirley quickly stepped out.
To their annoyance, Rose and Lucinda followed right on their heels.
Shirley spun around in disgust. "Why are you following us?"
While Rose was trying to come up with an excuse, Lucinda snapped back, Who says we're following you? We're going to SUNNY to buy clothes!
"Don't tell me you two are heading to SUNNY as well?"
"One of you was kicked out, and the other's family is bankrupt. Can you even afford anything at SUNNY?"
"I heard SUNNY is running a holiday promotion-buy clothes and get free accessories."
"How about this: Rose and I will do our shopping, and if we don't like the free gifts,
we'll just hand them over to you two."
It was a blatant insult!
Even though Shirley couldn't
of
casually drop tens of thousands dollars on SUNNY's premium line
anymore, she could still comfortably
afford the mid-range items.
Especially after hearing Lucinda's taunts, she wanted nothing more than to buy out
the entire store.
Just to have those two bitches barred from entry!