The Villainess rewrites her fate
Ferris didn't approach a second time, though she caught sight of him once more near the end of the evening, deep in unhurried conversation with a guest she didn't recognize, his eyes finding hers briefly across the room before he looked away, entirely unbothered, as though the whole exchange had been nothing more than idle small talk after all.
She knew better. Whatever game he'd been playing, she'd only seen the opening move of it.
It was, Chloe thought, watching Sophia's expression settle into something protective and entirely sincere, further proof of exactly how wrong the novel had gotten this particular character, and further reason to trust the people actually standing in front of her