“What are you staring at?”
Charlotte crouched beside the pool, her bright red fingernails hovering inches from Elena’s face.
“Adrian was just messing around with you. Did you really think this was serious?”
“Hmm…” Elena looked up at her.
“Were you the one who pushed me?”
Charlotte gave a cold laugh.
“Yeah. So what?”
She glanced around the estate.
“I was just trying to make you understand something. You don't belong here, Elena. This is the Sterling estate. Do you have any idea who the Sterlings are? They're the most powerful family in the city. They're the richest family in the country.”
She gave Elena a dismissive look.
“If Victoria hadn't invited you, you wouldn't even get through the front gate.”
A few people around them chuckled.
Elena nodded.
She placed both hands on the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. Water streamed from her clothes.
She slipped off her soaked shoes and walked a few steps.
“There you go,” Charlotte said, assuming Elena was finally leaving.
“See? That's all you had to do. Just—”
Elena stopped beside the long table.
She bent down, grabbed a crystal pitcher filled with juice, and threw the entire thing straight into Charlotte's face.
Charlotte screamed.
The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the ground.
Thick juice mixed with chunks of fruit poured over her head. Her carefully styled curls were drenched, and her expensive dress was covered in juice.
Fruit pulp clung to her hair as liquid ran down her face.
For a moment, she stood there in complete shock.
Then—
“Ahhhhh!”
Charlotte frantically wiped at her face, but the juice had gotten into her eyes. She could barely see. Her foot slipped beneath her, and she nearly went down.
“Elena! You bitch!”
By then, Elena was already standing at the edge of the pool.
Charlotte lunged toward her.
Elena simply stepped backward.
Splash.
She landed back in the water.
The rippling surface only came up to her chest.
“Get out!”
Charlotte was furious, but the moment she looked at the pool, she stopped.
She couldn't swim.
She had always been afraid of water, even though the pool was only about 1.6 meters deep.
“You guys!”
Charlotte turned toward the others.
“Are you seriously just going to stand there? Get her out!”
The others exchanged uneasy looks.
Then they heard engines outside.
Not just one.
Several.
“At this time?”
One of the young men glanced at his watch.
9:30 p.m.
A long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce pulled into the estate.
One of the young men sucked in a breath.
“That’s Richard Sterling’s car.”
“Uncle Sterling?”
Charlotte froze.
She hurriedly wiped the juice from her face, panic flashing across her eyes.
“Why is he here? Victoria said…”
“Maybe he was meeting someone at the golf estate and decided to stop by.”
“Come on. Inside. Now.”
The air seemed to freeze.
Then a series of disciplined footsteps broke the silence.
The massive wrought-iron gate swung open, and several bodyguards in matching suits entered the courtyard first.
Their eyes swept across the gathering before they quietly took up positions around the property.
Two technicians carrying silver equipment cases followed.
Then came three assistants carrying document folders, moving quickly but efficiently.
Finally, a tall, lean man stepped into the courtyard.
Richard Sterling.
He was strikingly tall, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit that emphasized his powerful build.
He didn't need to announce his authority.
Years of power and experience had given him a presence that seemed to fill the courtyard without effort.
His eyes swept over the group of pale-faced young people beside the pool.
His brow tightened slightly.
His chief assistant quickly stepped forward.
“Sir, they're Miss Sterling's classmates. It looks like Miss Sterling was hosting a small academic gathering here…”
Before he could finish, Richard's gaze had already moved past the frightened group and settled on the middle of the pool.
Elena was leaning against the pool wall.
Her wet blonde hair clung to her pale cheeks and slender neck. Water droplets rolled from the ends of her hair and down her chin.
The cold water made her shiver slightly.
Her soaked white dress had become translucent, outlining the curves of her figure.
Richard's gaze lingered on her.