Chapter 100: I Don’t Like The Sound Of This
As expected, the exclusive book club gathering took place at Charlotte Bloom’s elegant townhouse, nestled just a few minutes from the city center.
The setting was carefully curated, just like everything else in Charlotte’s carefully constructed life. Anna had planned her arrival with equal precision, choosing to come early in order to prepare personalized welcome gifts for each of the club members.
On the sun-drenched terrace, she neatly placed copies of the month’s selected read—Greek Lessons—on the glass coffee table, their soft covers catching the light. She offered a polite nod of thanks to the maid who handed her a tall glass of something cold and citrusy, the condensation already beading along the glass in the summer warmth.
The other members began to arrive one after another, fashionably late, their heels clicking against the wooden floors as they floated onto the terrace like butterflies drawn to honey.
Each of them eyed Anna with a mix of curiosity and veiled admiration. She was Chloe Dumas, after all—the foreign socialite who had not only captivated the city’s upper crust but had also built an impressive web of powerful acquaintances in record time.
What charmed them even more than her reputation, however, were the exquisite gifts she had prepared for her very first meeting.
"Leather-covered notebooks and jeweled Tiffany pens," Charlotte noted aloud, her voice honeyed yet sharp, as her eyes swept over Anna from head to toe. "You’re incredibly generous, Miss Dumas. And so thoughtful, too—such appropriate gifts for the book club ladies. No wonder Marienne found you so... unforgettable."
Once the meeting wrapped up and the guests began to filter out, Charlotte made no effort to hide her intentions. She leaned in slightly, resting her manicured fingers on the armrest of Anna’s chair.
"Would you mind staying a little longer?" she asked, her tone sweet with underlying calculation. "I’d love the chance to get to know you better."
Anna smiled gracefully, as though the invitation had caught her by pleasant surprise—though in truth, she had anticipated it all along.
"My fortune teller always emphasizes the power of generosity," she said, her voice calm and charming, her lips curling into a practiced, disarming smile. "The more I give, the more I receive. I’ve always believed in karma."