Chapter 393

Chapter 393:

Janice’s face clouded over, her expression mirroring the gravity of Nina’s reflections.

The question lingered in her mind, echoing her own thoughts.

Why was destiny so keen on casting her among the opulent rather than the ordinary?

In a more humble upbringing, she could have escaped the twisted web of deceit and betrayal.

“Hi, Leonie.”

“Leonie, your presence has been sorely missed.” The ladies’ voices interrupted Janice’s thoughts.

She glanced up just in time to see Leonie enter, her demeanor unruffled, a picture of grace under pressure. Sierra was right behind her.

Typically, Leonie would have Nellie by her side at such gatherings.

However, given Nellie’s recent troubles, it made sense to Janice why Sierra was accompanying her today.

Sierra seemed tense, her eyes shadowed by dark circles—a clear sign of sleepless nights likely spent tending to her sister and coping with the weight of familial expectations.

“Leonie, without you, this cocktail party simply lacks its usual sparkle,” a lady said, her flattery thick in the air.

Leonie’s response was a smile, cold and measured, her gaze sweeping across the room with the poise of a monarch assessing her court.

“You flatter me unduly,” she replied cautiously, as if on guard.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, stopping as they landed on two familiar faces tucked away in a corner.

Recognition flashed in her eyes—one was a witness to her past embarrassment, and the other, the mother of a person she dreaded: Janice and Nina.

She mustered a strained smile. “Isn’t Nina the one in charge here?”

The ladies exchanged looks of confusion.

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“We haven’t caught a glimpse of Nina! Besides, she tends to shun these functions. What brings her here, then?”

“Exactly my point!”

The ladies shared knowing looks, confirming that none had spotted Nina.

Leonie’s patience thinned, exasperated by their obliviousness. Could they really be unaware of the two people lurking in the corner? At such a prestigious cocktail party, not everyone was granted admission.

Suddenly, Sierra’s eyes lit up as she noticed the two in the corner. However, she quickly composed herself, casting a wary glance at Leonie by her side.

She recognized them as Janice and Nina. Yet, with her mother around, she kept silent, unsure of why they were disguised in such a manner.

“Nina, you’ve arrived quite early,” Leonie remarked to Nina.

Realizing she had been spotted, Nina stood promptly, no longer concealing herself.

“I did come early, and the wait is becoming tiresome. Had you delayed much longer, I might have departed.”

Leonie felt a sudden jolt of unease, baffled by Nina’s cryptic words.

“Could you clarify what you just said?”

“Simply put, I came to this cocktail party with the sole intention of slapping you.”

Color drained from Leonie’s face as her hands balled into tight fists.

The disgrace she had endured at Green Group lingered painfully, marking it as the most humiliating day of her existence.

Forced to kneel and apologize to a young man in full view of an audience—the memory haunted her relentlessly, night after restless night.

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