Chapter <b>97 </b>
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With her arms crossed, Yannie teased Reba, “So, you’ve turned into a wimp ever since you split from Jeffrey? That’s not the bold Reba Alexander talked about.”
“Says the famous Yannis–aren’t you nothing like your reputation either?” Reba shot right back.
Yannie stepped in closer and asked, “Oh? And what’s my reputation supposed to be?”
Reba shot back, “Wouldn’t you know better than anyone? Weren’t you the one who started most of those rumors yourself?” After all these years married to Jeffrey, Reba knew pretty much everyone in this circle.
Yannie paused, caught off guard by Reba’s reply. She asked, “Did Jeffrey tell you that?”
“Do I really need him to?” Reba retorted.
Yannie asked, “Am I really that easy to read?”
Reba replied, “Not at all. If people didn’t actually get to know you, they’d really think you’re just that spoiled, entitled heiress everyone talks about.”
Yannie asked, “Then what was the point of everything you just said?”
Reba said, “I just happened to see you once–you were all high and mighty, throwing water at someone, and then you turned around and had someone pay them off big time.”
If Reba hadn’t seen that, she’d never have realized Yannie was simply acting. It baffled her that Yannie would go to such lengths to maintain the fa?ade, given the affection and privilege she received at home.
Yannie asked, “Who did you tell this to?”
Reba said, “Oh? You really care about that?”
Yannie rubbed her brow, feeling exasperated. She thought, ‘Seriously, why is it that every time I’m around her, I can’t keep a secret to save my life?‘
Reba said, “If you promise not to make a fuss about that incident at the party two years ago, I’ll tell you exactly who I’ve talked to. And I swear I won’t tell anyone else.”
Reba’s main worry about Yannic picking a fight was that Jeffrey had once publicly humiliated Yannie to stand up for her.
Yannie asked, “Are you threatening me?”
Reba admitted, “I am.”
Yannie closed the distance between them, now close enough to practically count Reba’sshes. She said, “You think I’m scared of you? Don’t forget, Jeffrey’s not here to cover for you anymore<b>.” </b>
Reba shrugged,pletely unfazed. She said, “But I’ve got Jessica.”
14:58 Mon, <b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
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55 vouchers
Yannie’s lips curled into a half–smirk, and for a split second, she actually felt a twinge of jealousy for that lifelong bond Reba had with Jessica.
Reba honestly didn’t need another person gunning for her–especially right now. She tried to reason with
Yannie.
She said, “Look, I get that Jeffrey was pretty intense with how he dealt with things, but you did throw the first punch.”
“So what?” Yannie shot back, tilting her chin, her spoiled heiress attitude fully switched on.
Reba said, “How about I just say sorry and we wipe the te clean?”
Yannie said, “I came here with those spoiled brats. If they see you walk out looking totally untouched, they’ll think I’m turning soft.”
Reba immediately scooped up water and started wildly sshing it onto her own face and clothes.
Yannie asked, “Seriously, what are you doing?”
Reba said, “I’ll walk out drenched, and even if I don’t say a word, they’ll know it was you. That way, your tough–girl image won’t take a hit.”
Yannie froze for a beat, shock written across her face. She studied Reba; for a split second, she swore she caught a glint of unshakable resolve buried deep in that soft gaze.
Yannie thought, ‘Bankruptcy hit the Jensen family, and Jeffrey dumped her.
‘She went from Mrs. Hanson, living in thep of luxury with all the designer goods and endless spending she could wish for, to just another nine–to–fiver scraping by on a paycheck.
‘After such a dramatic fall from grace, how does she manage to keep her head held high?‘
When Yannie still didn’t answer, Reba pressed, “So, what do you think?”
Yannie whipped out her phone and aimed it at Reba. She said, “Alright, but let me take a few pics first. If you ever rat me out, I’ll st these embarrassing shots of you everywhere.”
“Deal, Reba replied, shing a peace sign without batting an eye.
Yannie swatted Reba’s hand down and snapped several quick photos.
After that, she asked, “You’re just letting me take all these photos? Aren’t you worried I’ll st your embarrassing pics everywhere?” She couldn’t figure out what was going on inside Reba’s head.
Reba said, “I don’t mind–just a few photos. If you want to post them, go ahead. No matter what you write with them, I trust you have your reasons.”
Yannie couldn’t deal with that attitude. She spat, “Insane,” and then stalked off.
Though Yannie feigned disgust, she couldn’t deny the impact of Reba’s words: her long–numbed heart
<b>14:58 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
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quivered, warmth seeped into the hollow of her chest, and a faint spark stirred back to life.
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55 vouchers
Reba finally rxed a bit, relieved that Yannie had stopped her relentless grilling. She figured she’d cleared this hurdle–but the real pain was still toe: Sterling and Bary were way more vicious than Yannie.
If it weren’t for the fact that leaving the anniversary party halfway through would definitely get her marked by the higher–ups and make her life miserable, Reba would have ditched this ce in a heartbeat.
Yannic suddenly stopped and turned back to look at her. She called out, “Reba.”
Reba asked, “What?”
Yannie said, “Sterling and Bary are here, too. They’re way tougher than me, so just watch yourself.”
“Thanks,” Reba replied softly, genuinely grateful.
Yannie muttered, “Stupid.” With that, she turned and walked away without another word.
The moment she stepped outside, theplicated look on her face disappeared, reced by a cool confidence.
The rest of the group spotted Yannie and strolled over. Sterling asked, “So, did you have your fun in there or what?<b>” </b>
Yannie smirked and replied, “Gave her a full–on soaking. She couldn’t have looked more pathetic if she tried.”
Bary asked, “And where’d she go?”
Yannie replied, “She was still in the restroom when I left. Not sure where she is now. What, you guys want a piece of the action too?”
“None of your business,” Sterling said, sharing a knowing look with Bary, barely able to hide their grins. He asked, “We’ve got some stuff to talk to Jason about. You heading out now or waiting for us?”
Yannie didn’t buy what he said, but she didn’t call them out on it. She said, “We’ll see.”
Stanley caught every word of their conversation from his perch on the second floor. He kept an eye on everything happening below and flipped through the security feeds to get the full story.
Just as he was racking his brain about how to get Sterling and Bary out of the way, one of the monitors showed Reba stumbling down the hallway, drenched from hair to clothes. She looked like a total mess- about as miserable as it gets.
Stanley nearly lost it for a second. He grabbed a screenshot from the camera and shot it straight to Jeffrey.
He added a message: [Reba just got bullied by Yannie so bad in the restroom–should we just let this slide or step in and do something about it?)
<b>14:58 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>