Lauren Shaw entered the venue through the VIP entrance, invitation in hand. After finding her seat, she sat down. It wasn’t a bad spot—right in the front rows.
Behind her was a row reserved for the celebrities.
Claire Xu was seated directly across from her, leaving a considerable distance between them.
"Sheng Sheng." Hearing her name called from behind, Lauren Shaw turned to see Chloe Shaw.
"Qiu Chi-jie!" Her face lit up with surprise. "Weren't you filming lately? How'd you find time to come to the show?"
Chloe Shaw had been busy on set, so it had been a while since they last saw each other.
Chloe Shaw smiled, her typically cold expression softened at the sight of Lauren Shaw. "The brand sent me an invitation."
This show gathered a who's who of influential figures—no surprise, given the international designer behind it. The event’s grandeur was second to none.
Someone slid into the seat beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren Shaw saw who it was and her expression instantly chilled.
"What? Surprised it’s me?" Eva Snow shot her a stare, eyes sharp with resentment.
Not only was Eva Snow there, but so were Yvonne Sung and Mandy Snow. All their seats were right next to Lauren Shaw’s. Who could stand this? It felt like she was surrounded by a haze of their animosity.
Lauren Shaw let out a cold laugh. "Surprised is one way to put it."
"Are you looking down on me?" Eva Snow’s voice rose a notch.
Lauren Shaw didn’t even glance at her. "Why would I? You’re the honored Snow family heiress—how could I possibly look down on you?"
Her words carried more meaning than was said, jabbing right at Eva Snow.
"Cut the act," hissed Eva Snow. "You won’t stay on top forever. The higher you climb, the harder you’ll fall."
She thought she'd rattled Lauren Shaw, but Lauren Shaw just looked at her with outright ridicule.
"You’ve repeated that to me at least three times," Lauren Shaw sneered. "And yet I keep getting better. What about you? Where are you now?"
Lauren Shaw’s self-assured smile stood in stark contrast to Eva Snow’s frustrated glare.
Eva Snow clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, fury barely contained. But what could she do? Lauren Shaw was right here—no matter how much she hated her, she couldn't actually do anything.
Yvonne Sung, seated to the side, couldn’t help but interject. "Lauren Shaw, maybe just lay off—"
Lauren Shaw cut him off with a sarcastic laugh. "What does what I say have to do with you?"
She felt nothing but thorns when confronting Yvonne Sung now; no matter what he said, she had no patience for him.
Yvonne Sung pursed his lips, swallowing his words, but his eyes lingered on Lauren Shaw—gentle, almost suggestive.
"Want to switch seats with me so you can stare to your heart’s content?" Eva Snow snapped at Yvonne Sung, eyes blazing.
Yvonne Sung looked away in silence.
"Eva Snow, watch your mouth—this isn’t the place for it." Mandy Snow finally couldn’t hold back. Given the Snow family’s current reputation, Eva Snow’s temper wasn’t doing them any favors.
Eva Snow took a deep breath, clearly unhappy being seated so close to Lauren Shaw; her face seemed to droop all the way to the floor.
Seeing this, Mandy Snow helplessly offered to swap seats with her.
Lauren Shaw, all the while, remained impassive.
From behind, Chloe Shaw gently patted her shoulder. "Sheng Sheng, didn't Yancy Shaw come with you?"
"No, I came with Claire Xu."
Overhearing their sisterly exchange, Eva Snow couldn't help but mock, "Birds of a feather flock together, huh?"
And Chloe Shaw heard it too. In the entertainment world, her reputation was one you didn't mess with. For Eva Snow to say something like that—it was like walking right into the muzzle of a gun.
Chloe Shaw stared her down, cold as ice.
"Lauren Shaw and I have nothing to hide. Unlike some people who are all underhanded tricks and darkness. Seriously, how disgusting."
Chloe Shaw never pulled her punches, especially with someone like Eva Snow.
"Who are you calling dark and underhanded?" Eva Snow snapped.
"Whoever’s feeling poked."
Eva Snow’s glare could have burned a hole through her. Mandy Snow tugged her away, gesturing for her to take her seat, and moved over herself.
As more people arrived, Mandy Snow behaved herself in contrast to Eva Snow’s earlier bluster. But she kept glancing at Lauren Shaw when she thought no one would notice.
Lauren Shaw didn’t shy away, meeting her eyes directly.
"Ms. Xue, if you’ve got something to say, say it. No need to play games."
Her gaze was so direct, it left no room for pretense. Lauren Shaw wasn’t one for beating around the bush.
Mandy Snow curved her lips in a sly smile, gaze lingering on Lauren Shaw. "I used to underestimate you. Never thought you’d be capable of manipulating the entire Shen family."
After all her years in the Shen household, Mandy Snow had failed to win their trust, but Lauren Shaw pulled it off in just a few months. Even Mandy Snow had to acknowledge it.
Lauren Shaw regarded her lazily, casual as ever—yet somehow making Mandy Snow feel inexplicably inferior.
"I’m not like you," Lauren Shaw replied lightly. "I don’t scheme for my own benefit. I never had any intention of winning anything from the Shen family—or, like you, calculating every move for profit. I just want a good life with Yancy Shaw."
"Those who cross the line too often will end up paying the price." (A Chinese idiom: 'Too much evil brings disaster.')
Mandy Snow’s expression changed as the show was about to begin. The room was full, and she held her tongue at the last minute.
The runway show began. Models strutted out onto the catwalk in time with the music…
After the fashion show ended, the crowd began to leave. Chloe Shaw and Lauren Shaw walked out together, while Eva Snow stared daggers at Lauren Shaw's back.
"What are you looking at?" Mandy Snow asked.
Eva Snow smirked. "Did Lauren Shaw come alone?"
Realizing something, Mandy Snow reprimanded her in a low voice, "You’d better let it go. Do you really think you can go up against her now, with the leverage you have?"
Eva Snow laughed at herself. "I never said I was going to do anything to her. Why are you so jumpy?"
"I’m just worried you’ll do something reckless. You know what a mess the Snow family’s in. Lauren Shaw had no small part in putting us here. I can’t even win against her—do you really think you can?"
Mandy Snow’s words sounded like a warning, but she was actually trying to provoke Eva Snow into making a move on Lauren Shaw.
But Eva Snow wasn’t sharp enough to pick up on Mandy Snow’s real intentions.
At the mention of Lauren Shaw, the anger in Eva Snow surged, ready to erupt. Yet, in front of Mandy Snow, she tried her best to hide it.
"Just wait and see, Aunt. We’ll see if I can or not."
She raised her chin in feigned arrogance and strode from the venue.