Chapter 30 - A Good Show (2)

Something is… wrong.

Ayami thought as she felt cold chills running down her spine, her palms getting sweaty with her fingertips slowly turning cold.

"Miss Gardner, is something wrong?" A petite woman in front of her spoke, looking up to her. This woman in front of her was one of their business partners.

She shook her head and spoke. "No, it's nothing."

Just as she finished speaking a shrill scream resounded throughout the hall, making her turn her head towards the source.

A crowd was forming towards the source, making it the center of attention.

"What's happening over there?" The petite woman asked as she looked over the crowd.

"I wonder…" Ayami said but inside she somewhat knew what was happening.

That sister of hers…! She clearly told her to just intimidate Yanna, not cause a scene!

"I'm going to check it out." Ayami said to the petite woman.

Clack, clack, clack.

Ayami was almost running towards the crowd, with her heart beating fast, feeling nervous even though she didn't know why.

Tick.

[…You… Can… not…]

Tock.

Ayami immediately stopped as she heard a faint whisper in her head, it was so faint that she felt like it was just a hallucination. Her head throbbed a little bit for a second and disappeared.

A warm touch on her shoulders brought her back to reality.

"Sis! I finally found you!" Allina said to her in a hurry.

"What are you doing here? What happened? What did you do?" Ayami continuously asked Allina questions like a machine gun. Allina quickly told her what happened.

Apparently, Allina accidentally tripped someone before she could approach Yanna. Then Yanna had a misunderstanding that they planned it and argued to the woman. Allina even told her that it was an accident and apologized to the woman but Yanna didn't believe her. Yanna stated some believable facts like how they approached her in a group and she was feeling some hostility from them, making the people somewhat believe her.

'Why is it always like this? My plan always goes awry whenever they are involved. Do the heavens favor them that much?'

Ayami hurried to the scene. It was supposed to be a good show and now it was ruined.

When she went near, she could hear women's voices loudly arguing. Ayami could tell that Yanna was winning the argument with words that hit right where it hurts the most.

But something is wrong? Was Yanna really that smart at this time? If Ayami remembers correctly, at this time, Yanna was still a pure and naive girl whose head was always in the cloud.

Maybe she's overthinking.

Ayami sighed, she didn't want to step in right now. She was planning on having others act on her behalf, but it looks like she has no choice.

It's fine. She could still turn this around.

"Y-Yanna?" Ayami spoke a bit loudly and interrupted the two women arguing over a pointless thing.

"Miss Gardner!" The woman smiled at her like she was happy to see her. She approached Ayami and spoke amiably. "Good timing, you see, this girl over here…"

"Ayami, don't listen to her." Yanna said, her face a little bit pale. Ayami wondered why.

"Hmph, how dare you order Miss Gardner you lowly commoner!" The woman shouted back at her.

"Please don't be like that, she's my friend." She said while gazing at Yanna, observing her from head to toe.

The audience whispered to each other after hearing that the two were friends. One wouldn't be able to be friends with the eldest young miss of the Gardner family that easily, and yet that girl looked quite close to the young miss.

Yanna was fidgeting and looked nervous. Weird, this wasn't how she was supposed to act. Why does she look anxious? Where did the fierce tigress go?

"Oh my, your friend? Gosh, then do you know who she came with?" The woman took out a fan from who-knows-where and hid half of her face with it.

"S-Stop…!" Yanna paled even more. Ayami knew something was weird, it felt like she was trying to hide something to be guilty about.

"Your fiance! She came with your fiance!" The woman looked at Yanna with scorn on her face.

"Hm? That can't be. My fiance told me that he wouldn't be able to come as he was busy." Ayami blinked her eyes as she rubbed her chin.

"Perhaps you have not seen him earlier when he arrived, but I saw him enter with this girl earlier."

"Even if he did, I'm sure he did with pure intention. Yanna doesn't really know my fiance, but I trust…" Ayami looked at Yanna's expression, she looked guilty.

It was weird. Yanna should have just known by now, but why does it feel like she knew it way before?

"Y-You knew…?" Ayami covered her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes, with her voice trembling.

"No! I-I-I…" Yanna paled even more, the color of her face was drained, like her life was sucked out of her. She couldn't speak clearly, as if her voice was taken away from her.

"Miss Gardner, you should stay away from her. Gosh, who knows, she might have hidden intentions. Those social-climbers are like that."

"W-What? Did you approach me because of that? I can't believe it! I thought we were friends!" Ayami's whole body trembled as she spoke.

"N-No… I-It is not like that!" Agitated, Yanna screamed as her eyes roamed, looking for someone. "I…"

Just as she found the person she was looking for, her savior, she heard whispers all around her. She then noticed the disdain on the gazes that fell on her.

"I can't believe it, she betrayed her friend."

"The eldest young miss doesn't easily befriend someone, but look at that shameless woman, she had the audacity to trick her."

"Shameless! Her whole body stinks of shamelessness. Ugh, who even let her in?"

"Shh… Mr. Filburn is coming."

All noises ceased as soon as Cole arrived. He calmly approached Yanna.

"What happened?" Yanna quickly calmed down after he asked that.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you wouldn't come?" Earlier, she sent him a text message asking him if he would come and his reply was 'I'm not going.'

The crowd whispered again. Their gazes were not friendly anymore.

"Sigh, if he is gonna pick a mistress, at least hide it. He is so bold to do it so openly. And he even picked a woman with unknown origins?"

"Poor Miss Ayami, she was tricked by her friend."

"I wonder what the elders would think of this."

Discussion from left and right, but the topics were the same.

Ayami smiled beneath her covered mouth.

Yanna had to face all the scorn from all sides while Cole had to protect her.

Even though this wasn't her intention, Ayami thanked this woman for making a greater scene than what she had in mind.

'Thank you woman whose name I can't remember!'