Chapter 723

Chapter 723:
Nina’s mouth curled into a victorious smile. In her mind, there was no way Stella could own such a gown legitimately—it had to be counterfeit.
Nina was preparing to deliver another cutting remark when Stella’s hand moved toward the buffet table. Her fingers closed around a porcelain plate splashed with streaks of thick, dark-brown sauce left behind by someone else.
With her eyes fixed on Nina’s self-satisfied expression, Stella gave her wrist a sharp flick. In an instant, the entire plateful of sauce came down hard on Nina’s dress.
Gasps erupted around them, and several people raised their hands to their mouths.
The gown Nina wore—custom-made by a foreign designer—was worth more than most would dare to spend.
In that frozen moment, the glossy fabric lost all of its pristine beauty. The dark sauce oozed downward in slow, sticky streams, soaking into the silk and leaving an ugly, spreading stain.
Nina stared down at her chest, her face etched with disbelief, the tacky weight of the sauce pressing cold and nauseating against her skin. A sharp, ear-splitting scream ripped through the banquet hall.
The noise died instantly, replaced by an almost eerie stillness as all eyes turned to witness the spectacle.
Every gaze landed on Nina’s ruined gown, making her look absurd.
Stella lowered the now-empty plate onto the table with a quiet clink.
Her fingers reached for a fresh napkin, and she wiped away the small trace of sauce that had touched her skin. Every movement was unhurried, deliberate, and dripping with composure.
When she finished, her eyes lifted to meet Nina’s. The other woman’s shoulders shook with fury, her face pale from rage and humiliation.
A faint smile ghosted across Stella’s lips, her gaze capturing every detail of Nina’s disheveled state.
“Miss Carter,” she said, her voice carrying clearly through the hush, “would you say my so-called bargain-bin dress now holds its own against your designer gown?”
Stella tilted her head ever so slightly, as though genuinely awaiting an answer.
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The silence cracked with a soft laugh from somewhere in the crowd, and like a spark in dry grass, the tension in the room shifted. Conversations began to hum again, low and brimming with amusement.
Those who had once regarded Stella with scorn now studied her with fresh eyes, their expressions shifting to intrigue, surprise, and even a trace of excitement at the spectacle unfolding before them.
“She’s out of her mind, splashing Nina like that. But that look on Nina’s face—absolutely priceless.”
“Finally, someone gave Nina a taste of her own medicine. Who would’ve guessed this woman had the nerve?”
“Nina’s run into a wall this time. Couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
“Who is she, anyway? I swear I’ve seen her before, but her name’s not coming to me. There’s no way she’s just some nobody, not if she’s bold enough to stand up to the Carter family.”
The muffled laughter and murmured remarks swirled around Nina, each word striking like a slap, until the weight of disgrace threatened to crush her.
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