Chapter V

Over the next few days, Ariana kept herself busy. Her father called her in a number of times to review the other proposals which came in and she spent at least three days doing so. The rest of her time was spent at her secret job. Since her days were busy, it kept her distracted from reality but the second she set foot into her lonely apartment, she would be instantly reminded of everything which went wrong in her life.

Between her constant plague of nightmares, she barely managed to get a wink of sleep and when she finally did, she found herself sitting in her father's jet on her way to London for her sister's birthday party.

The party was expected to start at 7:30 p.m. and Ariana had arrived in London at 6:15 p.m., meaning she had an hour and some to get to the venue before she was considered late. The flight was quite lengthy so her father made arrangement for a team of personal stylist to accompany Ariana. The glam team got to work three hours before they were expected to land in Heathrow Airport and by the time they landed, Ariana was fully dressed for the night ahead, somehow managing to fit into her dress in the tight space in the mini bedroom of the jet.

Ariana cleared through private immigration before settling in the back seat of the limousine her father arranged to pick her up at the airport. While she made her way to her destination, her father was seated at the head of the table engaged in a business meeting in Sydney. Ariana had tried to convince him to attend the banquet but her father dismissed the idea stating that his company's future was much more important than a pretentious party for a sixteen year old who didn't know the first thing about the real world — his words, not Ariana's.

Ariana turned away from the window and picked up her clutch, taking out her phone. Quinn had sent her a text just as she was leaving her apartment. Talon had gone to France on business and as such, he was unable to fly back to Melbourne to pick her up. He was flying over to London and he agreed to meet up with her before she arrived at the venue so that the two could make an entrance together. His absence during the flight however, meant that Ariana had to endure the past 22 hours on a flight straight from Melbourne to London on her own.

Oh, how incredibly delightful!

Smoothing out the small crease on her dress, Ariana recalled how panicked she had been yesterday when she discovered she had nothing in her closet to wear. She had been so invested in her company that she forget about the birthday banquet until early that morning when her father called to inquire about her travel details.

Ariana didn't want to look like a coward. The past year, she skipped multiple social banquets and gatherings in addition to going ghost on all her social media platforms. Several of the online blogs called her out for being a coward, unable to face the socialite circle after her unceremonious fall from grace. By not attending Seraphina's birthday party, she was adding fuel to the fire, and the last thing she needed was the media having a field day.

Ariana went through half of her wardrobe before concluding that she had nothing to wear. She was about to fetch her laptop to go online shopping when help came in the unlikeliest of forms. Her door bell had rung and she had opened it, greeted with the sight of the familiar male attendant who had been hand delivering her packages over the past few days. Ariana signed for the box, thanked the attendant, closed her door and set the box on the table before proceeding to open it.

Inside the white box was a gorgeous lavender-colored dress with a card marked 'LM' resting on top the paper wrapping. When she took the dress out of the box and lifted it to have a better look, she immediately felt lost for words. The dress had one shoulder and was made to hug the upper part of the body before flaring out gradually after the waist and dropping to the floor. The dress was made of ridiculously sparkly fabric and whenever it caught the light, it would shine in a brilliant hue. Ariana felt her breath being stolen away by the breathtaking dress but for some reason she had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.

She brushed it off with the decision not to dwell on it. She finally had a dress and that was really all that mattered. She made a mental note to thank her father for the dress. He had left the day before for his meeting so even if she sent him a text, it would be unlikely that he would see it much less respond.

"Miss Montmorency, we'll be arriving at the venue soon," The chauffeur's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Thank you,"

Seeing no new messages, Ariana replaced her phone into her clutch and turned her attention to the window. A strong surge of nostalgia had hit her when second she stepped off the plane, her nerves had sky rocketing the closer she got to the venue. She hadn't been home for so long and she didn't know what to expect. She sighed in resignation and waited until she arrived at her destination.

Once she arrived, the first thing that greeted her when the car pulled into the driveway leading to the main entrance, were the bright flashes and clicks of the cameras that lined either side of the large red carpet which ran from the drop off to the front door. It was the large extravagant red carpet often frequented by A-list celebrities — well, in this case, it was A-list socialites whose wealth was significantly higher than celebrities — so it wasn't a surprise this banquet would be a big outing.

Ariana noticed the swarming paparazzi behind the large velvet ropes, all of them yelling to whoever was on the carpet to turn for a photo. A few media platforms were also present. They stood closer to the main entrance and after the guests had their pictures taken while they flaunted on the red carpet, the reporters took their chance to question the distinguished guests.

"Dear God," Ariana muttered to herself as she nervously looked at the crowd.

Being absent from the limelight for a period of time, she had almost forgotten how intense it was to face such a pressing crowd. She sucked in a big gulp of air to calm her rising nerves. Another car was in front of her, giving her a brief moment to gather her thoughts in preparation to step out. When the car in front finally drove away, Ariana knew it was her turn to take the floor, all eyes would be on her.

The minute her car came to a stop at the start of the red carpet, the cameras turned and zoomed onto the expensive car. Everyone was curious to see who would be the dazzling man or woman that would step next. Ariana could see a few of them craning their necks in anticipation when the chauffeur stepped out of the car to open her door. A buzz of excitement spread across the crowd.

"Ready Miss?" The chauffeur used his body to block the people's view as he opened then opened the door to a small crack.

Ariana took another deep breath then nodded. "Ready."

The chauffeur gave her a firm nod before stepping aside and widening the gap of the door. Instantly, the cameras started flashing, the shouting which had quieted down previously started up again in a fury, a gasp of astonishment echoing as Ariana stepped out, one slender leg at a time.

"No way! That's Ariana Montmorency?!"

"How was she able to get her hands on that dress?! It's custom designed!"

"Wait a minute...that dress—"

"Forget about the dress, look at the earrings on her ears! They're worth 20 million!"

"And her shoes. Isn't that a pair of limited edition Frankie Moore's?"

"What?! Are you kidding me!"

"Did she come without a date? Ariana, look here! Where's your date?"

Ariana stepped out with her head held high and a dazzling smile on her lips, the people could not believe their eyes. Dressed in a beautiful color which enhanced the green color of her eyes, paired with stunning diamond earrings, Ariana looked like a goddess straight from the heights of Olympus. She smiled and waved elegantly like a prestigious royal and the paparazzi scrambled over themselves to capture it.

"Ariana! Turn this way!"

"Look here! To the left."

"Ariana, can you look to the side? Here? Yes thank you!"

"Over here!"

"Ariana, give us another smile!"

The photographers pressed forward, all of them whispering excitedly among themselves. They knew that quite a few A-list socialites would be present at the banquet, but they didn't expect the former Queen of the Socialites to step out so elegantly, and in a stunning dress with her hair elaborately styled. For goodness sake, she was disgracefully kicked off of her throne but she walked like she still held the crown!

Despite the fight for her attention, Ariana could hear a few of the interviewers shooting snide comments at her. Ignoring her haters, she smiled and continued her confident strut down the carpet. Even if she looked absolutely perfect, without a single flaw in sight, people would talk. In the world she lived in, no matter how perfect and expensive one's outfit, someone would always point out the imperfections.

How predictable, Ariana thought to herself.

Once upon a time, she was also like those people. When she held power, she was merciless with her words. She didn't understand just how throat-cutting and cruel her words and actions had been until she experienced it first hand. She learned to accept the harsh, bitter sting of reality.

Paying no mind to the loud chatter, Ariana gave a final wave before walking up the stairs to the front door. The hostess who was responsible for collecting the invitation at the doors was a little taken aback by the sight of the fallen British heiress. It took her a minute to realize Ariana was holding out her invitation and patiently awaiting her to check it.

"I'm so sorry," The woman apologized hastily and took the invitation from Ariana's waiting hands.

"It's quite alright," Ariana smiled and proceeded towards the hall where the banquet was going to be held.

The hostess was left in quite a daze. She had heard rumors that the British heiress was a cruel, haughty woman, yet, the person who had been in front of her a moment ago was the exact opposite of what was being said. If it had been any other guest, the hostess knew she would have been scolded for her small slip up, but Ariana brushed it aside with a smile.

When the door was pushed open, Ariana felt hundred pairs of eyes turning in her direction. The lively chatter died down to soft mummers. The music from the live orchestra was still playing, the people were still mingling and greeting each other with flutes of expensive champagne in their hands, the men dressed in immaculate suits and the women dressed in nothing but lavish and elegant dress, but many eyes were trained on the former Queen, the Heiress of the Montmorency dynasty.

"She's actually here? I can't believe she came,"

"That's a surprise. I saw her name on the list and I thought she wouldn't show up,"

"Interesting."

Ariana could see the surprise written on the faces of the other guests. That was, until they took a better glance at her dress. Ariana ignored them and picked up a flute of champagne from the server near the door, walking into the center of the room and heading towards the table filled with gifts for the birthday girl. She pulled out the small rectangular box she had prepared beforehand, setting it down among the other expensive items. The minute she placed her gift box down, a group of girls walked towards her. Ariana sighed and rolled her eyes.

It was too early for drama! For goodness sake, she had just arrived less than five minutes ago and people were already picking a fight with her!

"Well, well, if it isn't the abandoned heiress. I'm surprised you have the guts to show up after all that has happened." A high pitched, snobby voice taunted from behind.

Ariana turned around, not surprised to see her former best friend. Years ago, Quinn and Ariana were part of a quartet and one of the members was Kerry Matthews, the daughter of an architect who rose to fame after designing a mansion worth millions for a wealthy celebrity couple. Kerry was, in many ways — apart from the crucial elements of influence and power — a socialite of her own. Like Sophia, her pretty looks made up for the key elements she was missing to be considered a 'high-classed socialite' and after her betrayal, Kerry became the unacknowledged queen bee of the 'anti-socialite crowd'.

Every system of socialites had them and they varied in how annoying they were. This group consisted of the socialites who made every effort to show that they didn't care about wealth and fame, definitely did not approve of cliques, expensive parties, and designer collections of handbags, shoes, jewelry and just about anything women of money and status bought and collected to their heart's content.

The ironic thing was, those people were infinitely more cliquey, judgemental and insular than the most shameless of plastics in the industry. Their clothing was top of the line, their collections were never ending, they were always at the most extravagant parties and they were just as shallow-minded and airheaded as a Malibu Barbie.

Kerry didn't hesitate to show her true colors when Ariana was stripped of her title — in fact, she was one of the first ones to switch sides. It became clear to Ariana that Kerry's real reason for hanging around Quinn and herself was for Kerry's own interest. The Navarros and Montmorencys had the wealth and influence which pushed them to the top. Their parties were A-list, their collections consisted of mainly limited editions and custom designs, their social media had over 200 million followers and they were rivaling the Kardashians.

Standing before Ariana, Kerry held a snobbish expression on her face, looking at Ariana from head to toe with a disgusted look on her face. Behind Kerry, a posse of beautiful women behind her, all of them ranking between low and middle classed socialites. Ariana stifled a laugh when she looked at the faces of the women. These women were the very sames ones Kerry would bad mouth whenever she was alone with Quinn and Ariana.

"Hello Kerry," Ariana drawled lazily, like she was already bored with the woman before her - which she actually was. "How unpleasant to see you again,"

Kerry scowled. One of her groupies was quick to respond in defense of her leader. "Just as unpleasant as it is to see you. Are you here to leech off from your sister?"

Ariana raised an eyebrow and looked over Kerry's shoulder to the woman who had spoken. Her mother only invited her because there was a chance her father would have shown up. A small chuckled tumbled out of Ariana and a dangerous spark appeared in her emerald orbs.

"Is that this the best you could do?" Ariana chided, handing off her empty flute to a passing waiter. "The way I see it, aren't you the one leeching off of popularity since you barely have a status of your own?"

"What did you just say?!" The woman who spoke up first fumed as she stepped forward.

Ariana looked at her in amusement as she found her to be quite petty. One poke and she was already brandishing her claws, how pathetic. Ariana ignored the woman and turned back to Kerry.

"I find it incredibly amusing how you surround yourself with these useless women." Ariana laughed. "One jab and they're ready to scream bloody murder. I may have fallen from grace but it's pretty evident that you fell from class."

"How dare you—"

"Save it. You're in no position to provoke someone you can't afford to offend." Ariana cast a sharp glance at the women behind Kerry, the warning in her words quite clear despite the pleasant smile on her lips.

Kerry stiffened at the warning. She may have rank as a socialite, but Ariana would always be on a different level, no matter how hard she had fallen. Looking over her shoulder, she felt a wave of embarrassment hit her when she noticed the hesitation and hanging heads of her friends. They were suppose to stick up for her.

Kerry thought she would be able to show off just how much she had changed in the past year. She used to be the shadow of Quinn and Ariana and not that she had broken away from them, she wanted to prove that she was just as high-classed and prestigious as they were.

Kerry stumbled over her words and searched her brain to think of a snarky insult to spew out. She couldn't come up with anything, and was just about to shrink away in embarrassment when she caught sight of two people coming closer over Ariana's shoulder.

"Hmph...you talk like such a big shot but you're nothing more than an attention seeking slut. Even after Stephan disgraced you, you're still vying for his attention, going as far as to wearing the dress Sophia wore for Vogue magazine!" Kerry smirked at her accomplishment to deliver what she thought was the final blow.

Ariana stiffened at the revelation, a burst of anger surged through her veins. It finally clicked. She remembered qhere she had seen the dress before. A few days ago Sophia was the cover of that month's edition of Vogue magazine, and coincidentally the dress Ariana was wearing was a replica of what Sophia was photographed in. Ariana felt her fingers curl into a fist.

It suddenly hit her what the nagging feeling was. If her father had to send her a dress he would have sent it with the glam team instead of sending it to her. She had told him that she had everything organized so there was no need for him to even send a dress in the first place. That meant that someone had spitefully sent her the dress to wear that night and with her name on the guest list, it could have been anyone.

Someone had set her up and she felt right into the trap!

Secretly fuming on the inside, Ariana maintained her impassive exterior. Women of Kerry's status found joy in cracking the facades of women who were above them. It gave them a sense of power and they wouldn't hesitate to tear her down. Ariana was sharp and her tongue had long been fine-tuned to defend herself when the thorns started to show in the roses.

"The pot calls the kettle black. Aren't you the one mimicking Sofia's style?" Ariana innocently pointed out. "Same hair, same jewelry, same make up, you should try harder to hide it."

By deliberately pointing out Kerry's hairstyle and accessories for the evening, Ariana was bringing attention to everything Kerry had copied from Sofia.

"Hey, do you see what she's wearing? Isn't that the necklace Sofia wore two weeks ago to the Beach Club luncheon?" One of the girls standing quite close to hear the conversation leaned in to the group she had been conversing with and instantly started to whisper.

"Now that you mention it, it does look familiar." One of the guys added.

"And her bangs are styled the same way too! She's copying Sofia!"

Kerry's face lit up in embarrassment. Just like that, Ariana found the perfect opportunity to shift the attention from herself. She used that chance to move away from the table and lose herself in the crowd.

She gritted her teeth and glanced down hatefully at her dress. "Bloody hell, I knew it was too good to be true!"

She should've doubted the dress the minute she opened the box. Ariana walked towards a corner of the room, pulling her phone out of her small clutch to text one of her father's men to bring her a new dress. Landon had sent security with her and she knew the stylists were on stand by in case of an emergency and it really was an emergency!

Seeing three text messages from Quinn, Ariana tapped on the iMessage icon to open them, paying attention to where she was going causing her to bump into someone.

"I'm so sor—" Ariana felt the words die in her throat as she looked up, realizing exactly who she bumped into.

"Oh, my apologies." The woman hurried apologized, her voice as sweet and innocent as Ariana remembered it.

It took the two women a moment to register the other's presence and when they did, one could instantly feel the air shift between them. Sophia looked stunned to see Ariana while Ariana's emerald eyes grew a layer of frost, a hint of mockery appearing in them as she viewed the woman before her like a clown putting on a performance.

"Ariana, it's you." Sophia broke out of her stupor and gave Ariana a warm smile.

When the two had originally collided, they had both taken a step back. Sophia made an attempt to take a step forward but she was frozen in her tracks by the cold look in Ariana's eyes. Believing that she was the main female lead, Sophia automatically felt that her docile and innocent demeanor could win anyone over to her side. Like in a fairytale, no matter how bad the villain was, the male female lead always believed in seeing the good in someone and trying to be on friendly terms at all times.

"Ariana, were you the one who came in earlier? I almost didn't recognize you. It's been a little over a year, how have you been?" Sophia plastered a cheerful smile on her face in attempt to pour sunshine over the snowstorm surrounding Ariana.

"Well being away from the back stabbers and the two-faced wannabes has been a good experience," Ariana answered with a gentle smile. "So ultimately I've been good, really good."

"Ariana I..." Sophia trailed lightly with a hurt expression, not missing the insult aimed at her.

"That's enough!" Stephan finally spoke up in defense of his woman.

He had been standing to the side engaged in a conversation with a few business colleagues who were specially invited to the banquet when he caught sight of Ariana. At first, he didn't recognize her but upon noticing her coldness at the sight if Sophia, his suspicions were confirmed. 

"Ariana, there's no need to speak to Sophia maliciously." He wrapped an arm around Sophia's waist and pulled her to his side, an action which didn't go unnoticed by Ariana.

Hurt flashed in her eyes but she quickly masked it. On the outside, she appeared to be well put together, but on the inside she was a wreck. For the first time in a year she was seeing the man she had given everything to. The man who had stomped her heart to dust, humiliated her for the entire world to see and tossed her out like she was trash was standing in front of her and at his side was the woman who brought her entire perfect world to a disastrous halt.

Anger. Sadness. Hatred. The emotions flowing through her veins overwhelmed her. She wanted to cry because of how much it hurt her to see him standing there with her, but at the same time she wanted to rip his heart out and stomp it to dust like he had done hers. Her emotions were in chaos and she didn't know how much longer she was going to hold it together.

"Whatever happened in the past is between you and I, Sophia has nothing to do with it." Stephan went on.

Ariana blinked, not believing the words which came out of his mouth.

"Nothing to do with it?" Ariana scoffed disdainfully. "This bitch was the reason we broke up in the first place! She has everything to do with it! Stop defending her like she's the Virgin Mary. She's a heartless, pretentious woman who throws her innocent acts and pretty face around to get whatever she wants. In all my 20 years of living, I've never met someone so blind to the obvious facts like you are!"

Her outburst caught Stephan was surprised by her change of behavior. Stephan expected her to apologize and drop her head. He didn't remember her being so defiant in the past. When she was younger, she played the roll of a trophy girl to perfection. Her mother ensured she was properly trained to be his future wife. She was forced to attend countless etiquette lessons while she was taught how to act like a dutiful wife who would assist him in whatever he desired.

She had done all of it without putting up a fight and she acted the part to perfection. After a year of not seeing her, it amazed him just how dramatic her transformation was. The fire he had watched slowly die out of her eyes over the years had sparked again and something inside him screamed at him to out it before it turned into a full blown fire which would be difficult for him to control.

"But then again, a cheating man would always chose the trash!" Ariana hissed out with a disgusted look on her face.

Stephan gritted his teeth at her new burst of confidence. She was never this outspoken and brave before, he hated it. He released Sophia and took a step forward with a menacing expression. He had never raised his hand on Sophia and he never thought he was the type to ever hit a woman. But something about Ariana would always irk him and in the moment, he had lofted his hand to slap her when a voice halted him.

"If you value your life, I suggest you think your actions through very carefully,"