Chapter 4

"What are you looking at?" Brielle looped her arm through Victor's as they entered, following his gaze.

When she spotted the familiar figure, her brow furrowed immediately.

Sophia!

What was she doing here?

Brielle studied the dress Sophia was wearing, then smirked knowingly.

Her mind raced. She tugged on Victor's arm affectionately and looked up at him with a sweet smile. "Victor, I haven't seen Sophia in so long. I miss her. Should we go say hello? She must be here because she knew we'd come. She probably wants to see us."

Victor's expression darkened with disgust. He scoffed. "She probably couldn't handle living with those poor relatives of hers. Bet she wants to come crawling back."

"Let's go check on her. If she's not doing well at home, she can always come back to us." Before Victor could respond, Brielle was already pulling him toward Sophia.

She couldn't wait to watch Sophia humiliate herself.

"Sophia!"

Sophia had been enjoying a slice of cake, waiting for her brother and parents to find her, when a familiar voice rang out behind her.

'Just my luck.'

She set down the cake and turned around, her face expressionless as she faced the siblings.

The moment Sophia turned, Brielle's eyes lit up. She couldn't hide the smirk creeping across her face.

Just as she'd thought—Sophia couldn't possibly be living well with her biological parents.

The dress had no visible brand label. Sure, there were a lot of diamonds on it, but they were obviously fake.

And that necklace around her neck? Probably bought for a few bucks online.

With that kind of outfit, she had to be a waitress at best.

After sizing Sophia up, Brielle asked sweetly, "Sophia, are you working here as a server?"

A server?

Sophia almost laughed.

She was wearing a custom-made gown. Sure, it was understated—but the smallest diamond sewn into the fabric was over a carat, and the entire dress was hand-stitched with mother-of-pearl.

As for the necklace? Elysia had bought it at auction years ago for tens of millions. It was one of a kind.

What kind of waitress dressed like this?

Before Sophia could retort, Victor's cutting remark came first. "Looks like leaving the Russell family didn't work out so well for you. Regretting it now? Want to come back?"

"Go back for what?" Sophia's gaze swept coldly over both of them. "To watch you two play the clown?"

"You—" Victor clenched his fists, sneering. "You came here to work as a waitress just so we'd pity you and take you back home, didn't you?"

"Victor, don't say that." Brielle tugged on his arm, smiling gently at Sophia. "Sophia said she wanted to go back to her parents to be a good daughter. Maybe she's just earning money to help support her family. She's so filial—I'm sure she doesn't want to come back to the Russell family. Right, Sophia?"

Before Sophia could answer, Brielle added, "But Sophia, the Russell family will always be your safety net. If you can't get used to living with your biological parents, you can come back anytime."

First, she placed herself on a moral high ground. Then she made sure Sophia had no way out.

Classic Brielle.

Too bad Sophia wasn't falling for it anymore.

People nearby started glancing over, curiosity piqued.

Sophia had no intention of engaging with Brielle. She took a sip of water and turned to leave.

How dare she ignore her?

Brielle's temper flared.

"Stop right there." Victor, seeing his sister upset, stepped forward and grabbed Sophia's arm. He gritted his teeth. "Apologize to Brielle. Now."

Sophia glanced at Brielle, whose eyes were already reddening with fake tears. She let out a soft laugh. "Why should I?"

That was the final straw for Victor.

He raised his hand to slap her—but before he could, Brielle gently stopped him. "Victor, forget it."

Then Brielle's eyes brimmed with tears. She lowered her head, looking deeply wronged. "Sophia is still family, after all. But… that outfit really isn't appropriate. Sophia, I have a backup dress. I'll have someone bring it over right now."

She pulled out her phone, ready to make the call.

"No need." Sophia refused without hesitation.

She'd fallen for this trick in her past life.

At one party, her dress had been sabotaged. Brielle had swooped in to "help", lending her a gown. At the event, it was exposed as a knockoff, and Sophia became the laughingstock of high society.

After that, the Russell family forbade her from attending any social events. Even when they hosted parties at home, she wasn't allowed to show her face.

And now Brielle was clearly trying the same move again.

Brielle stepped closer, grabbing Sophia's wrist affectionately. "Sophia, you don't mind, do you?"

Sophia yanked her hand back, her gaze growing colder. "I—"

Before she could finish, the onlookers began whispering.

"Ms. Russell is so kind-hearted. Too bad the other one has no manners."

"So that's the Russell family's fake heiress? No wonder she can't compare to the real one."

"A counterfeit will always be a counterfeit. How could she ever measure up to the real daughter? I can't believe the Douglas family let someone like her sneak in as a waitress."

Sophia's eyes flashed coldly.

They could insult her all they wanted—she could ignore that. But the moment they insulted the Douglas family? That crossed the line.

"Since Ms. Russell has so kindly prepared a dress for me, of course I'd love to try it on."

Brielle's smile widened. "Great! Just wait here. I'll have it sent over right away."

"Fine." Sophia scanned the room, her gaze landing on a woman standing in the corner, watching the scene unfold.

She gave the woman a subtle nod before walking away.

Half an hour later, the dress arrived.

The moment Sophia changed into it, Brielle eagerly dragged her into the main ballroom.

She turned to Victor smugly. "Victor, I have great taste in dresses, don't I?"

Victor nodded absently, his eyes scanning the ballroom for Ms. Douglas. He'd heard she'd arrived, but with so many women here, he couldn't figure out which one she was.

Seeing that Victor wasn't paying attention to Sophia, and with someone inviting her to dance, Brielle let go of Sophia's arm.

"Sophia, take the night off from waitressing. Enjoy yourself in that dress." And then be humiliated and cast out of high society forever.

Brielle was so pleased with herself that she didn't even bother hiding the malice on her face.

Sophia grabbed Brielle's wrist, feigning gratitude. "Brielle, you're so kind. Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me. Go have fun." Brielle was already accepting an invitation from a wealthy young man. She just wanted to get rid of Sophia as quickly as possible.

But Sophia refused to let go.

Just then, a boldly dressed, fashionable woman walked over. "Isn't it a bit inappropriate for Ms. Russell to give her this dress?"

Brielle frowned, irritated. "Who are you? What gives you the right to say that?"

The woman sneered. "My name is Vivian. I'm a fashion designer. I happen to have seen the original version of this dress. You gave your sister a knockoff. What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's a lie!" Brielle's voice shot up sharply.

Noticing people turning to look, she quickly softened her expression and her tone. "Please don't slander me! How could I possibly do that to my sister?"