"Are you scared, or just jealous that I have his attention and you don't? What a pity. Your awful makeup couldn't do the trick. So fake like you've undergone plastic surgery." She countered in a mocking tone.
Their condescending smile faded instantly with their eyes blazing in rage.
"How dare you mock us? You lowly, ugly woman!" The middle one growled through gritted teeth.
Selina looked away from them. She didn't want to embarrass herself, her family and Zane.
Instead of engaging further, Selina picked up her purse and present as she spun around, intent on finding a quiet spot away from them.
The women exchanged mischievous yet furious glances.
In a swift motion, one of them shoved a hand against Selina's back. The impact caused her to stumble uncontrollably as she fought to regain her balance.
It was too late; she lost her footing and crashed onto the table's surface.
Shatter!
The sharp clang mixed with a thud pierced the lively atmosphere, drawing curious and confused glances from everyone in the room.
For a second, the entire room seemed to freeze. But the ruthless whispers of the guests cut through.
"Who is she?"
"Can't you tell? She looks like a kid from a lower class,"
"Is she drunk or just desperate for attention?"
"You have eyes so watch out," the middle girl taunted.
The air thickened with the mocking whispers from the guests, their disdainful gazes fixed on Selina's hunched figure on the floor amid the commotion.
Her fingers tightened on the fabric—not for comfort, but to keep herself from giving them the scene they wanted.
She didn't cry. She looked expressionless, staring back at the girls.
Without further delay in shrinking in the humiliating air, Selina rose up on her feet and quietly brushed off her dress. But her dress was ruined, not her composure.
Just then, Selina heard her father calling her name urgently.
"Selina!" Hudson called out.
Selina lifted her gaze and saw him storming in her direction, with Leah and Clarissa trailing behind.
"What happened? How did you end up in this state?" Hudson asked, his voice dripping with concern as his eyes scanned her body for a bruise. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that she was unharmed.
Selina adjusted her nerdy glasses as she observed the young women now looked neutral, as if clueless about the humiliation they had just put her through.
"It's nothing to worry about Father. I strip," she replied.
Hudson narrowed his brows, looking unconvinced. "You're not a clumsy type. Tell me what happened," he persuaded softly, sensing something was amiss.
While Selina was hesitant to create a scene, Clarissa answered instead.
"I saw these girls pushed her," Clarissa revealed.
The girls straightened their expressions into something serious.
"What do you mean, we pushed her? You're lying," the middle girl retorted, glaring at Clarissa as if that would make her swallow back her resolve.
But Clarissa shot her a death glare instead.
Hudson's expression changed in an instant as he scowled at the girls. "What is wrong with you? Were you raised this way? Apologize to her. Now."
"What?" the girls exclaimed in unison.
"We won't apologize to her. We did nothing wrong," the middle girl said defiantly.
"Don't accuse us when you weren't even here."
"Is there proof we pushed her?" another added.
"After all, she doesn't belong here," the middle girl mumbled.
Hudson raised a finger at them. "You little brats…" he trailed off, holding back his rage as he clenched his fist. "I will make you pay for humiliating my dau—"
"Hudson." Leah quickly interrupted, stopping him from proclaiming Selina as his child. "You can't act and speak recklessly in public."
Leah wouldn't let that happen, no matter what, not even a slip of the tongue out of anger.
Leah swept her gaze across the room, noticing the guests now casting curious glances about Hudson's connection to the girl. Everyone knew Hudson to be calm and reserved. No one had seen him this furious before over something.
"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. No one will be interested in humiliating Selina because she has no face to save publicly." Leah said coldly.
Selina's chest burned at the weight of her stepmother's bitter remark, cutting more deeply than that of the girl's condescending attitude.
Seeing Leah on their side, the girls nodded in agreement.
"You're right, ma'am. We barely touched her."
"She slipped just like she said."
Leah held her head high, shifting a grim expression toward Selina. "Must you always be clumsy? Since you lack etiquette, you shouldn't be in places like this and disrupt others' happiness."
Selina just stared at her in silence.
Leah approached closer to Selina with a handkerchief in her hand. Brushing off the trace of wine stain on Selina's white dress without a trace of concern.
"Sometimes you're so dreamy and forget your true place in the world. You're an illegitimate child—nothing more. Always remember that." She paused before adding in a threatening tone. "Right now, things are still fine. Leave quickly before your identity gets exposed."
Selina wore a slight smile on her lips, whispering back. "If you've taught me well and stood by my side, Mother, I wouldn't have been in this situation,"
Leah gritted her teeth, feeling rage boiling in her veins at Selina calling her mother. She had warned her several times yet the child never listened.
Leah retreated, trying to stay composed as she shoved the handkerchief into Selina's hands, unwilling to hold onto anything that had a trace of Selina.
Leah turned to the young woman. "You should leave since there's nothing to worry about,"
Just as the young women turned to leave with a satisfying smile lingering on their lips, a familiar, calm yet chilly voice with an air of authority cut across the room.
"Stop there."
They instantly froze in their tracks.
Everyone turned to see Zane approaching the scene purposefully, two men trailing behind him.
Zane drew closer, meeting Selina's indignant eyes. He could see the unspoken, buried emotions lingering in there like something she had likely endured in silence.
He looked away, letting his intimidating gaze settle on the troublesome women.
"Do what you were supposed to say," he commanded.
"Mr. Zane, we can only apologize if we were the ones who pushed her," the middle one answered.
Zane had not the slightest interest in their vague story because his eyes had never left Selina the entire time, even when he had been with his business partners. He lifted his phone before them which had CCTV footage of the incident.
The troublesome women widened their eyes in shock.
"Were you girls just having casual fun? Perhaps you did intentionally push her?" Zane asked.
"Why would they push her?"
"They look so innocent. But that look is only masking their mischievous hearts!" murmured some guests.
The crowd's tone quickly shifted as they hurled condescending remarks at the girls.
A wave of embarrassment cut through their pride, and the girls scrambled to save face in the sudden turn of events.