Chapter 123: Defending Our Own
The voice sliced through the tension like a whip.
A tall lady with sharp cheekbones and an equally icy smile came to the first lady— Clara, I’d learn — side.
She took one sharp look at me and Aria, narrowed her eyes, and tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Clara, who are they?"
Clara’s perfectly arched brow lifted as she turned to face her friend, her smile tightening into something sharp and frosty.
"Oh, just some... unfortunate interruptions," she said, voice dripping with disdain.
Her friend, a statuesque woman with a cold glint in her eye, stepped forward, folding her arms.
"Well, if they’re going to be a problem, maybe we should teach them some manners."
Aria squared her shoulders, stepping subtly between me and the woman, eyes burning.
"Manners? You mean barging into a conversation like a bulldozer in heels? That kind of grace? Sorry, but that attitude doesn’t impress anyone."
The laday—Victoria, I’d learn—recoiled slightly, like Aria had slapped her with a velvet glove soaked in vinegar. Clara’s smile vanished, her eyes flashing with undisguised rage.