Chapter 113 The Best Is Yet to Come
At 7 PM, Reese freshened up in the restroom, applying makeup and changing into a new outfit before hailing a cab to the M Hotel.
She hadn't even stepped in when she overheard a rambunctious group inside discussing her.
"I swear, the sole purpose of our reunions these past few years has been Reese. But she's never shown up."
"No kidding. Back in school, she stood out alright. While others were known for their beauty, Reese was famous for quite the opposite."
"She doesn't act ladylike at all, always cussing like a street thug or something," one girl remarked with a tinge of contempt.
"I heard Reese's dad disowned her," another chimed in, "probably a result of no fatherly love, which messed her up personality-wise."
Reese didn't care in the slightest about their mean-spirited gossip. The words of people who meant nothing to her, about things she cared nothing for, might as well have been spoken to the sky.
The reason these people only saw her ugliness was that her grandmother had advised her to keep a low profile. If she were to reveal her true self, she'd likely be a target of envy and hostility from most of the girls at school.
It was sometimes impossible for women to be friends, especially in college, where there was so much competition to stand out.
That was why Reese had purposely dressed down during her college days, adopting a tomboyish look to ward off any troublemakers.
Ironically, being unattractive just gave those same people more to gossip about, turning Reese into a subject of ridicule behind her back.
Growing up in such an environment didn't faze her, though. She didn't blame them; in fact, it was their actions that forged the resilient Reese she was today.
Sofia, overhearing the derision, couldn’t hold back her defense for Reese. "Come on, we were all classmates. Can't you guys stop trashing Reese?"
The first to bristle was a woman dressed to the nines, covered in designer labels with hair in glamorous waves.
Reese remembered her from college – always flaunting her popularity to bully the goody-two-shoes Sofia until Reese herself put a stop to it.
During her college days, Reese sported a cool, short hairstyle and dressed casually. Her confident, headstrong aura combined with her tall stature made her a favorite among students from other grades, too.
Some people value presence over looks. Even when Reese downplayed her beauty, her innate poise and aloof demeanor couldn't be hidden.
Holly, with her striking wave-topped hair and a reputation true to her vibrant name, sneered, "Sofia, why are you defending Reese so much? What, are you like those girls with 'alternative' preferences?"
Sofia clenched her fists, which were on the plump side, and shot back at Holly, "What are you implying? Reese is a friend; don't spit out nonsense!"
"And why defend her like this?" Holly challenged. "I'd advise you to go with the flow. Tell me, which one of our classmates actually likes Reese?"
Another classmate piped up, "Speaking of Reese, why isn’t she here yet? She’s probably too embarrassed about her looks to show up."
"Maybe she's at home, tending to her husband," someone else speculated. "I heard she got married. With her looks, she must've begged someone to marry her."
"Sofia's totally covering for Reese, right? Have her give her a call to hurry her along. It just won't be the same without her," complained one of the classmates at the reunion.
Holly nudged the visibly upset Sofia with her elbow, "Come on, make the call."
Sofia had always been a pushover since college, easily bullied by anyone, and it seemed some things never changed.
Under the relentless prodding of Holly and the others, Sofia begrudgingly dialed Reese's number.
Her voice catching as the call connected, she asked, "Reese, when... when are you coming? Everyone's asking about you. We're at..."
"Cut the chatter; are you on your way?!" Holly snatched the phone from Sofia's hand with impatience, her tone heavy with sarcasm as if fearing Reese wouldn't catch the ridicule, "Reese, you're not hiding because you got hit with the ugly stick, are you? Relax, we're all old friends here. No judgements, right?"
"I'm already at the door."
Reese's reply was as cool and assertive as ever, even more commanding than back in the day.
Holly was momentarily stunned, only the beep of the call ending buzzed in her ear.
Then, the door swung open and all heads turned in unison—some with smirks, others ready with critical comments, all eager for the drama to unfold, to satisfy their vanity.
But Reese’s entrance was a showstopper—some gaped as if they'd seen a ghost. Their synchronized reactions were a sight that Reese found quite satisfying.
She even whipped out her phone, capturing the spectacle of their astonished faces, with a sneer curling at the edge of her lips, "Nice formation."
Wesley, a classmate who often bullied Reese despite always ending up worse for wear, was incredulous, stuttering out, "You... you're Reese?"
Reese raised an eyebrow coolly. "You were all so busy talking about me. Now I'm right here. Don't you recognize me?"
"No way, you can't be Reese." Wesley shook his head with stubborn certainty.
Holly couldn't believe that the elegant, fine-featured, stunning figure before her was Reese. They all remembered Reese's old looks all too well.
The girl in front of them, from her graceful build to her delicate face, stood out as top-tier. Holly had to admit that with such looks, had she been at their school back then, she would've been the uncontested queen bee, with countless guys falling over themselves to win her heart.
Her voice, and that unmistakably chilled gleam in her eyes, were just as Holly remembered. It was the same piercing stare that Reese had locked her with back in their school days, a look Holly would never forget for as long as she lived.
It was that very gaze that had repelled her, that had made her taste fear for the first time.
Holly's face drained of color as she stepped back with a mocking sneer. "Even if you are Reese, you must've had some work done. With all the plastic surgery these days, it's like people are swapping faces."
Reese let out a disdainful chuckle, her sharp eyes leisurely sweeping over the unsettled Holly. "Still the same, aren't you? Is it really so hard to admit that someone might be prettier or more accomplished than you?"
Reese's arrival had instantly turned the room's vibrant atmosphere to ice; the previous buzz of conversation fizzled out as everyone was left in shock, with some not even having a chance to recover.
Little did they know, Reese's agenda went far beyond mere mockery. The real spectacle was yet to unfold.
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