Chapter 52 Sofia and Her Friends Giving Me a Hard Time

Elena Garcia POV:

"Maybe hitting up the party with you guys isn't such a bad idea," Albert grinned.

So, Albert and I grabbed Amos's hands and made our grand entrance at the party.

As soon as I walked in, all eyes were on me.

I could hear the snickers and whispers.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up? The selfish one from the Garcia clan. Seriously, Sofia, how is your heartless sister still living in the Garcia Mansion?" someone sneered.

The girl had long, wavy red hair, a dark green mini dress, and was dripping in gold and ruby jewelry, looking super smug.

She swirled her wine, took a sip, and smirked at me.

I had no clue who she was.

Sofia, standing next to her, tried to calm her down, "Laura, don't say that."

She was holding a glass of wine too.

I recognized a few faces from the last party, all Sofia's friends.

"Looks like they've been waiting for you," Albert raised an eyebrow at me. "Need a hand?"

"Using your connection with Sofia?" I shot back sarcastically.

As expected, he said he couldn't get involved in a catfight because it would put him in a tough spot.

Yeah, right. He just wanted to sit back and watch the drama.

"Who's this kid? Your sister's?" Laura asked.

I didn't want to deal with them, so I signaled Amos to follow me to the food table.

But before I could move, someone blocked my way. I had to signal Albert to take Amos away.

He wasn't thrilled about it, but he wouldn't let a kid get caught up in this mess.

"If you're here to mock me because of Sofia, you can leave. I'm just here for my dad's guests," I said.

I put on a brave face, thinking they wouldn't dare do anything in public.

I had learnt my lesson from the last party to stay on guard.

"Listen to your sister," Laura said with disdain. "She sounds like a chirping bird. Who can understand her?"

She seemed to be the ringleader, as the other girls looked up to her.

After she spoke, they all laughed.

Someone sneered, "Didn't Sofia say she was bought back from gangsters by Mrs. Garcia?"

Another one mocked, "Did she work for gangsters before?"

They were hinting that I might have been a prostitute.

I felt exposed under their stares.

"Is this how your family teaches you to treat the host's family?" I asked, my face burning with anger.

Laura walked up to me. "Of course not. But why should we be nice to someone who betrayed their family?"

Then she splashed her wine all over me.

"Oh my God! What are you doing!" I yelled, trying to push her away.

But before I could, Laura shoved me to the ground.

"Wake up. Don't think you can bully Sofia just because you're Mrs. Garcia's biological daughter," Laura said coldly.

I sat on the floor, a mess, trembling.

I couldn't tell if it was from sadness or anger.

I glared at Laura, Sofia's friend I'd never met. Their bond was obviously strong.

She thought she was being a hero for Sofia.

"Laura, I appreciate you standing up for me, but if Elena complains to my parents, it could get messy for you," Sofia said, stepping forward and grabbing Laura's arm, pretending to be all concerned.

"Let her try. The Sterling family isn't scared," Laura said arrogantly. "I heard she got into Boston University's medical program?"

A chill ran down my spine.

"That's interesting. She better hope she doesn't run into me on campus," Laura added.

Seeing Sofia's smug look, I remembered her fake well-wishes for my college life.

Laura's words hinted she was also in Boston University's medical program. I couldn't imagine what she'd do to me there!

Sofia set this up! She had Laura come after me on purpose!

Sofia invited Laura to make my life hell at school!

Sofia helped me up in front of everyone, whispering in my ear, "Elena, the Sterling family is not someone you can mess with, and Laura is their only daughter."

She was reminding me that even if Laura humiliated me in public, I couldn't fight back. My resistance could even bring trouble to my family.

I heard someone quietly praising her fake act, saying, "Sofia is so kind. Even though her sister treated her that way, she still doesn't want her sister to be humiliated at the party and helps her up from the ground."

It was sickening. I pushed her away hard. "I don't need your help!"

The murmurs around grew louder. I was trembling all over, wishing I could cover my ears to block out the accusations.

Sofia didn't back off. Ignoring my resistance, she pulled me up and continued whispering in my ear, "Did you hear that, Elena? If the Garcia family only needs one princess, it's obviously me, not you."

Her triumphant tone was like a knife to my heart.

"Look at you now, you've lost the family's trust, you have no friends, you're all alone," Sofia mocked.

She was too cunning and scheming.

She was telling me that her perfect facade allowed her to do nothing, and everyone would believe her lies.

She could easily deal with me.

After Sofia pulled me up from the ground, Laura, looking dissatisfied, dragged her away. I heard Laura quietly complaining to Sofia that her kindness towards me would only backfire on her as they left.

The others around them also left, leaving only a few people watching me stand there in embarrassment, laughing secretly.

Lily, who had been staying in the corner and hadn't had the guts to come close, brought a towel. Her eyes were wet as she apologized to me. I knew why she was apologizing. She was sorry for not being able to help me, but that was reasonable. Her status didn't allow her to conflict with anyone here.

I comforted her, and then went back to my room to change clothes.

After I changed and returned to the party, Albert was holding Amos, waiting for me.

"Amos has been very worried about you because you left midway. I told him you had some personal matters that you had to leave," Albert said.

Amos used sign language to ask me what was wrong. He could tell I was feeling down.

"I'm fine, dear. I'm just a bit tired," I lied.

I tried to keep a smile on my face. Amos was a guest, and I didn't want him to worry about me.

I asked him what foods he had enjoyed at the party with Albert and told him I was very hungry, asking if he had any recommendations.

Amos was quickly distracted by my questions. He jumped down from Albert's arms, took my hand, and led me to the table with food.

His thoughtfulness brought some healing to my wounded heart.