“Who is that girl?
I can’t believe someone would dare wear knock-offs to an event like this.”
“That’s the ‘other’ Johnson heiress,” Chloe Hughes sneered, relishing the chance to explain.
“The ‘other’ one?”
“Precisely. Spent over a decade buried in the countryside. You can dress her up, but you can’t take the bumpkin out of the girl,” Chloe said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Oh, wait, I know who you mean—Sabrina’s sister, right?”
Chloe nodded vigorously.
“That’s the one.”
“Poor Sabrina, having to put up with that embarrassment all the time.”
“Why on earth would Damien Taylor choose her to open the dance?” another voice wondered aloud.
“She must have her tricks,” Chloe hissed, jealousy coloring her tone.
“The first thing she did after crawling into the Johnson family was steal Sabrina’s fiancé.
Don’t let the country mouse act fool you; she’s cunning.
Want to know how she ‘met’ Damien?”
“How?”
“She ‘accidentally’ dropped her invitation right at his feet.
He picked it up, and just like that, they were ‘acquainted’,” Chloe elaborated, weaving a much more dramatic tale than reality afforded.
“How utterly shameless.”
“And that’s not even the worst of it,” Chloe continued, warming to her theme.
“Her invitation was a forgery.
But the staff, seeing Mr. Taylor involved, didn’t dare question it.”
“Disgusting.”
“She’s trash.
If she were my sister, I’d have slapped the pretensions out of her long ago.”
Just as the gossip peaked, Ethan Collins and Sabrina Johnson entered the hall, their eyes instantly drawn to the couple on the central stage.
Sabrina had changed into a new dress and pair of heels. This story is hosted at g.com.
After waiting fruitlessly in the restroom for Ethan, she had ventured out to find him, only to be whisked away on a hurried shopping trip.
“Ethan,” Sabrina whispered, tugging gently on his sleeve, “is she really going to open the dance with Damien Taylor?”
There was no reply.
She turned to see Ethan completely captivated, his gaze fixed on the distant figure of Amelia.
Under the brilliant spotlight, Amelia carried herself with a surprising poise and grace, like a swan gliding effortlessly across a lake, commanding the entire stage.
A sharp pang of jealousy shot through Sabrina, though she comforted herself with the certainty that a humiliating misstep was imminent.
She tugged his arm again.
“Ethan, this is absurd, isn’t it? She’s going to humiliate herself.”
Snapping out of his trance, Ethan frowned.
“She can’t dance.
Why would she agree to this?
Is she that desperate for attention?”
“What should we do?” Sabrina asked, her voice a perfect mimicry of concern while inwardly she was thrilled.
Then, the soft, elegant strains of the opening waltz began.
Amelia was initially tense, but as she locked eyes with Damien and followed his lead, her movements gradually relaxed, flowing into the music with genuine enjoyment.
Sabrina stood frozen, disbelief washing over her.
This wasn’t possible.
Not only was Amelia dancing, she was dancing well.
Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line.
He had never expected this.
Why had she hidden this talent?
“She deliberately deceived us,” Sabrina muttered, feigning hurt.
“And we were genuinely worried for her.”
Ethan only offered a noncommittal grunt, his attention once again completely captured by the scene on the dance floor.
Sabrina shot a look of pure venom toward her sister.
“Ethan, may I have my phone back? I think I’ll go chat with Chloe for a while.”
Phone in hand, Sabrina made her way over to Chloe Hughes, a sly, calculating smirk curling her lips.
Let’s see how long your luck holds out, Amelia.