[Elena's POV]Jessica stopped at the edge of the pool, and the garden went quiet around us.She looked at me the way you look at something you scraped off your shoe. Her wine glass tilted in her fingers, careless and deliberate."I've been watching you all evening," Jessica said. Her voice was polished, almost pleasant. The Upper East Side accent came through clean and practiced."You really do commit to the performance, don't you? The dress, the diamonds, the wounded little shoulder."She tilted her head. "How is your mother, by the way? Still in that public ward? I heard the waitlist for decent cardiac care can be quite... lengthy. For people without connections."The garden chatter dropped to nothing."You latched onto Jake the second you smelled his family name," Jessica continued, swirling her wine slowly. "And then, when he upgraded, you simply moved one generation up. Very efficient. I have to admire the strategy, honestly. Most girls from your background settle for the nephew.
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