Chapter 722

Chapter 722:
Taking a deep breath, she put on a bright, welcoming smile and walked up to Stella, carrying herself with the confident air of a host.
“Ms. Gilbert, what a surprise to see you here today,” she announced loudly, making sure everyone nearby could hear.
She moved as if to hug Stella but suddenly slipped, stumbling forward. The glass of red wine in her hand tipped over, pouring straight toward Stella’s chest.
The room went completely quiet, and a victorious gleam sparked in Nina’s eyes. She already pictured the shame Stella would soon feel. Trying to climb the social ladder? Stella was about to find out where her place really was.
However, the splash and gasps she had expected never came.
Just as the red wine was about to soak her, Stella quickly stepped back with her left foot and smoothly turned her body about forty-five degrees to the left.
The movement was flawless, and the glass Nina had tipped missed Stella’s right shoulder by inches.
Instead, the wine spilled over the shiny marble floor, creating a big, bright stain. Some droplets flicked onto the edge of Stella’s dress and the tips of her shoes, leaving only a few small marks and nothing more.
Nina’s eyes went wide. This wasn’t the disaster she had planned.
Stella stood her ground, her expression calm, though a brief flicker of frost passed through her eyes.
Not once did she look at the shattered wine glass lying in pieces on the floor. Her attention remained fixed on Nina, whose complexion shifted from pale to flushed with fury.
When Stella spoke, her voice carried a quiet sharpness. “Miss Carter, you ought to watch your step. It’s a shame to waste such fine wine.”
The words weren’t delivered like an accusation, yet they struck with the sting of an unseen slap.
A moment of stillness passed before the surrounding whispers began, and curious glances turned toward Nina.
No one at an event like this could be easily fooled. The cause of the little accident was plain enough to everyone.
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Heat rose to Nina’s cheeks as humiliation settled in, smothering her with shame.
Her eyes moved to Stella’s dress, barely touched by the spill, and a deeper resentment festered in her chest. This couldn’t end here. Stella needed to be put in her place, and Nina would see to it.
Forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she let sarcasm drip from her voice while looking Stella up and down. “A shame? I’d say you’re just bitter about your bargain-bin outfit. Sylvia, have you even looked at yourself? Clothes that are cheap have no place in the Carter family’s home. A little dirt almost improves them—saves us from having to look at something so pathetic.”
The air in the room seemed to sink again, and a heavy stillness swept over the crowd. Eyes flickered between Nina and Stella, as if everyone was silently asking the same question—was Nina implying that Stella’s dress was a fake?
Without moving from her spot, Stella bore the weight of Nina’s insult and the probing stares surrounding her.
Rather than fire back, she simply regarded Nina with a calm, steady gaze.
A moment later, her eyelids dipped, and her long lashes cast a faint shadow over her cheeks, concealing whatever emotions she held beneath the surface. To Nina, that small gesture was proof enough that she had struck a nerve.
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