“Denise, seriously, you have no shame. This entire reunion, you’re the one causing trouble. You claim to know the Morrison heiress? She’s right in front of you, and you don’t even recognize her!”
“She can’t possibly be the Morrison heiress!” Denise still clung to her defiance, demanding proof.
“It doesn’t matter whether I’m the Morrison heiress or not.”
Khloe’s voice cut through the noise. The room fell silent. She walked toward Denise and raised her hand.
Expecting a strike, Denise instinctively shielded her face-but Khloe simply reached behind the sofa and retrieved the old bag she had brought with her.
“Denise, the circles you’ve been so desperate to squeeze into mean nothing to me. What I value are the times we were equals-when we fought and worked together.”
Her gaze swept across the silent room. There was no emotion in her eyes, only a quiet, unshakable authority.
“Status, identity, wealth-these are not standards to divide people, nor excuses to trample on others’ dignity.
“If a single phone call from the Morrison family can make you flip from arrogance to obsequiousness, then what you fear isn’t a person-it’s the price tag others wear. Such flattery diminishes you and desecrates the meaning of our friendship as former classmates.”
Her eyes returned to Denise.
“Remember your promise. I hope you keep your word. If you don’t, I have ways to make sure you do.”
Denise’s defiance faltered. The sheer presence and authority emanating from Khloe left her trembling.
Everyone else, too, blushed and looked down, their courage to ingratiate themselves entirely gone.
Khloe stepped to Tina and patted her shoulder.
“It’s getting late. I’ll head out now. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Khloe…” Tina hesitated, words failing her. She regretted inviting Khloe out today. Though Khloe had helped her, the gap between them now felt impossible to bridge. She couldn’t relate to her as she once had.
Khloe walked out of the private room, and almost immediately, a manager arrived.
After her phone call to the Morrison Group, an assistant had been dispatched to meet her without delay.
The bar’s upper management, knowing the Morrison heiress had arrived, would have loved to greet her in person -but they were out of town. All they could do was have the manager wait outside.
“Miss Morrison, our boss wasn’t aware you’d be visiting tonight. We may have fallen short in hospitality, so we’ve prepared a small token of appreciation… and, oh, a special VIP membership card for you and your guests.”
The card had been tailored for Khloe: essentially an unlimited, lifetime pass, granting priority access to any VIP room at any time. (1)
Khloe frowned slightly as she noticed the neatly stacked envelopes in the manager’s hands.
“They’re not my friends. You don’t need to give them the cards. Someone else is hosting tonight-if the expenses are too low, it’ll offend them…”
A small, mischievous smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the sycophantic, backstabbing faces from the private room. Before she could finish speaking, the manager nodded knowingly.
“Don’t worry, Miss Morrison. I know exactly what to do.”
Khloe inclined her head, then left the bar without another glance. Outside, a waiting car was ready. Once inside, she called Tina, advising her to leave the reunion early.
Not far away, another luxury car slowly pulled away. Inside, someone checked the time and called Ethan.
“Mr. Morrison, it seems Miss Roswell attended a reunion, but left early. We’re unsure what happened.”
“Go check on it. Handle any issues thoroughly,” Ethan said calmly.
After hanging up, he looked respectfully toward his mother, Clarice, with a faint curve at the corner of his mouth.
“Mom, you were right. Khloe is such a show-off. With her current status, she even dares to meet those classmates … and she’s helping others secure doors at Morrison Group. If left unchecked, she may start to think she owns Morrison Group.”
Clarice stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at her reflection against the city’s neon glow. After a long pause, she snorted softly.
“She thinks she can run the Morrison Group? She’s still a million years too green for that!”
Ethan smiled and nodded. “Mhm.”
Meanwhile, in the bar, the night’s extravagant bills left everyone but Tina bleeding financially.
Denise became the laughingstock. By 1 a.m., she posted an apology video.
In the video, her head was bowed, eyes red and swollen, voice hoarse. She confessed to a long-standing jealousy of Khloe, apologized sincerely, and vowed to change her ways before leaving Goldmont City.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.