Chapter 92
Chloe froze at Belle's sudden command, unsure how to react. Her gaze darted toward the cup on the table.
Belle's brow furrowed, her eyes sharp with irritation. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me? I said throw that cup away! Now!"
Startled, Chloe nodded frantically and scrambled over, picking up the cup with trembling hands and hurrying to dispose of it.
Belle watched Henderson's retreating figure through the office window, her expression cold as ice. "Look at yourself. Do you even deserve to chase after me? Acting like you're somebody with all your 'Belle this' and 'Belle that.' How disgusting."
She sneered. "Does he really think someone as insignificant as him can win over someone like me?"
Chloe stood rooted to the spot, staring at Belle in shock, as though she didn't recognize the person in front of her.
"But but Belle," Chloe stammered, "Isn't Mr. Khan a true heir of the Kisan family?"
Belle let out a cold laugh and shook her head dismissively. "The Khan family has plenty of heirs. What makes him special? He couldn't even muster the courage to gift me jewelry without hesitation. He's clearly not in charge of anything important—a useless nobody in the family hierarchy.
"I've only been tolerating him because I don't want unnecessary trouble. And yet, he thinks flashing the Khan name gives him the right to try and seduce me? Always ogling me like a lecher Does he really think I'm that easy to get?"
Belle turned her gaze toward Chloe, her eyes narrowing with a sly glint. "But you, Chloe—you seemed quite eager to please him, didn't you? How about this? I'll help you doll yourself up. He might not refuse you.
"Though I can promise you'll never mean anything to him," she added with a mocking smirk.
Chloe's face flushed red with suppressed anger, though she masked it well. Inside, she was boiling with humiliation.
Belle found Henderson so repulsive that she couldn't stand to keep a cup he had used, tossing it away immediately. And yet, she had the nerve to suggest dressing Chloe up to introduce her to Henderson! She even added that it was hard to say if Chloe could hold a place in Henderson's heart. It was obvious she looked down on Chloe. What did she think Chloe was? Some kind of object?
And to say Chloe needed to dress up just to approach Henderson, only to end up as a plaything?
Though Chloe kept her expression calm, the deep resentment in her eyes was enough to devour Belle alive. There were limits to how much someone could be bullied, and Belle had clearly crossed them. She was simply too much.
Belle had humiliated Chloe plenty of times before. Despite their public facade as best friends, Belle had always treated Chloe like a subordinate, dispensing clothes, jewelry, or favors as though bestowing alms. But Chloe had no power to fight back. She couldn't afford to offend Belle and risk being cast aside.
Even after being humiliated, Chloe could only respond calmly. "You've misunderstood, Belle. I wasn't trying to ingratiate myself with him. I was only being warm to help you. After all, he's from the Khan family, and we can't afford to offend them."
Belle wasn't fooled. She could see right through Chloe's act. Smirking, she replied coldly, "Whether I've misunderstood or not doesn't matter. You've been single for so long—tell me, is it because no one's interested, or because you're too picky? You know the answer better than anyone.
"And don't think I haven't noticed. You're always trying to compete with me, aren't you? You think you're better than me in every way, yet you don't have what I have. It eats you up inside, doesn't it? You'd love to take my place, wouldn't you?"
Belle rose abruptly and walked toward Chloe, as if ready to confront her head-on.
Seeing Belle approach, Chloe's face turned pale with panic. Her eyes darted around, unable to meet Belle's gaze, filled with guilt and tears. Shaking her head frantically, she stammered, "No, no, it's not like that, Belle! You've really misunderstood me! I've never thought that way, you have to believe me!"
Belle stopped right in front of Chloe and casually ran her fingernail down Chloe's cheek. "What a beautiful face. It would be such a shame to ruin it." Though Belle didn't cause any real harm, the sharp scratch made Chloe wince, hissing softly in pain. But worse than the sting was the sheer humiliation.
Belle's gaze was icy cold, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "Misunderstanding or not, it doesn't matter. This is how life works. People need to learn to accept their lot in life. You've been by my side for so many years, you should understand that by now. Whatever you're thinking, I couldn't care less."
She leaned closer, her voice calm but menacing. "But I do understand ambition—everyone wants to move up in the world, and I can respect that. I can even help It really doesn't matter to me, but let me warn you—if you so much as think about touching what's mine, don't blame me for doing what's necessary. After all, "