Chapter 2 No Longer on the Same Side

I focused on her as she walked toward me. Now that I'd gotten a better look at her, an inexplicable sense of unease stirred in my chest.

Five years had passed since we last saw each other. Brooke's style had changed significantly, but there was something oddly familiar about her now. It truly felt like I was looking into a mirror.

Was she… imitating me?

Before I could dwell on the matter any further, she had already stopped before me. She took the initiative, extending her hand and greeting me with a gentle smile. "Grace, it's been a while."

I returned the smile, our hands touching briefly before separating. "It has."

Still, I had no desire to reminisce under the watchful, expectant gazes of the surrounding crowd.

"I'm afraid I have to go. We can catch up another time."

So, I turned to leave once more. Alas, Brooke grabbed my hand, her voice turning soft and aggrieved. "Grace… Do you still blame me?"

My steps halted, and I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

"This again? You used the same trick five years ago. Haven't you thought about updating it? The 'angelic bitch' trope is so last decade," I snarked.

Someone in the crowd couldn't hold it in and let out a snort of laughter, and it quickly spread into a ripple of suppressed chuckles.

Brooke said nothing. She only clenched her fists, her face flushing red as she lowered her head.

Not far away, Adrian noticed the commotion and hurried over. "Grace, why are you picking on Brooke the moment you arrive? I'll apologize to you on her behalf for what happened five years before. But you two are still sisters. Do you have to make things this ugly every time?"

I looked at Adrian's face, feeling a strange sense of dissonance.

I remembered how I'd always fought to protect her years ago. At the time, I had just been brought back into the fold. Brooke, who had been labeled the "mistake heiress," had been bullied at school.

Back then, Adrian would stand firmly on my side, come hell or high water.

"What do you mean she's unreasonable? As far as I'm concerned, Grace is the reason itself."

Time had passed, and now here we stood, on opposite sides.

I shook my head as a faint, bitter smile appeared on my lips. "Adrian, be reasonable. I haven't laid a finger on her, not even for a second. I didn't even spare her a word. She was the one who was stopping me from going home.

"If you refuse to believe me, then we can always pull the surveillance footage."

As I spoke, I raised my hand and called over a server, asking him to pull up the footage.

Simon stepped in to stop me. "Grace, it's just a misunderstanding. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it."

I ignored him, my fingers continuing to tap on the tablet.

Only after I clipped the relevant footage and handed it to Adrian did I finally turn my head, casting Simon a cold glance. "Mr. Lent, stop taking sides if you're always going to pick the wrong one. I'm not the one trying to cause trouble."

I stood there quietly, waiting for the three of them to finish watching the footage.

When they finally looked up again, I let out an impatient sigh. "You've seen how it actually went, yes? Can I leave? Don't worry. I have no interest in competing for anyone's favor. Treat whoever you want well. As far as I'm concerned, what you do with your life is your own prerogative.

"I have a life of my own now. If I'm not being clear enough, then just listen to this." I gestured at them and said, "I stopped caring about all this a long time ago."

I didn't know whether my words had finally sunk in, but I saw how the complex expressions on their faces dimmed under the shifting lights the moment I finished speaking.

Jace, as the representative of his family, stepped onto the stage to give his speech. As it would be improper to leave while the host was speaking, I had no choice but to find myself a quiet place and sit down.

After the speech ended, I stared blankly at the wine glass in front of me, my thoughts drifting. My mind was a mess, filled with fragments of memories from five years ago.

To be honest, I could no longer remember exactly when we had become like this.

By the time I snapped back to my senses, Jace had already walked over to my side, with the other three following behind him.

He sat down beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. After a brief hesitation, he picked up his glass and lightly clinked it against the one resting on the table in front of me. "Something bothering you?" he asked.