Chapter 236: The Reason She Came

The effect was immediate.

Selene had not directly called Isobel a social climber.

She didn’t need to.

With a few carefully chosen words, she reminded everyone in the room that the woman standing beside Kristoff was once an orphan.

An orphan who had somehow climbed her way into the highest circles of society.

And she made sure to say it loudly enough for everyone within earshot to hear.

The murmurs began almost instantly.

"An orphanage?"

"I didn’t know she grew up in one."

"Really?"

Several heads turned.

Some guests looked at Isobel with curiosity, others with surprise.

And a few looked at her with the kind of quiet judgment that could cut deeper than an outright insult.

Isobel felt the weight of their gazes settle over her. But her smile remained perfectly composed.

She had nothing to hide. Nothing to be ashamed of.

If anything, she was proud of how far she had come.

Beside her, Selene appeared completely oblivious to the sudden attention.

She reached for Isobel’s hand and clasped it affectionately, as though they were truly the closest of friends.

"Do you remember those days?" Selene asked with a nostalgic laugh. "We used to share everything."

Her fingers tightened slightly around Isobel’s hand.

"Sometimes, we even fought over the smallest things."

She laughed again.

"We were so poor back then. Remember how excited we would get whenever someone donated clothes? Getting a new dress was practically a dream."

Her tone was warm. Her smile was sweet. But every word landed like a needle.

Selene wasn’t reminiscing.

She was putting Isobel’s past on display.

She wanted everyone to picture the shabby orphanage, the donated clothes, the girl who had once owned nothing—and then compare her to the elegantly dressed woman standing beside Kristoff tonight.

Isobel quietly withdrew her hand.

Her smile never disappeared.

"I don’t remember fighting with you."

Selene blinked.

Isobel tilted her head.

"You were always the one taking what belonged to me."

For a fraction of a second, Selene’s smile froze.

Then she let out a light laugh.

"Ah, that was so long ago. You might remember it differently."

She waved the matter away.

"Besides, we were only children."

Then she looked at Isobel with an expression of exaggerated innocence.

"But I’m genuinely happy for you, Isobel. You’ve come so far."

Her gaze drifted deliberately over Isobel’s gown.

The elegant fabric.

The sapphire at her ears.

The expensive details that announced her place in the room without requiring a single word.

"From the orphanage to a dress like this..."

She paused.

Her eyes shifted toward Kristoff.

"...and now standing beside Kristoff."

The murmurs grew quieter. But somehow, the silence that followed was even worse.

Several guests exchanged knowing looks.

Isobel could feel the atmosphere changing around her.

Selene hadn’t insulted her. Not technically. She had simply stated facts.

That was what made the attack so vicious.

She had dragged Isobel’s past into the middle of a ballroom filled with people who measured worth by family names, wealth, and influence.

And she left everyone else to draw their own conclusions.

Kristoff’s expression darkened.

He stepped closer.

His arm slipped around Isobel’s waist, drawing her subtly against his side.

The gesture was protective without being possessive.

"Isobel doesn’t need to explain her past to anyone."

His voice remained calm but the warning beneath it was unmistakable.

Selene’s eyes widened.

"Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it."

She immediately gave a small, apologetic laugh.

"Isobel is an old friend. I was only reminiscing."

She turned toward Isobel again, her expression almost painfully sincere.

"Besides, you should be proud of yourself."

Her lips curved.

"Not everyone gets the chance to escape their circumstances."

Escape. The word lingered.

Isobel’s eyes cooled. There it was. The real insult.

Selene wasn’t congratulating her.

She was reminding everyone that Isobel had once been an orphan—and implying that everything she had now was something she had clawed her way toward.

Something she didn’t truly belong to.

Across the ballroom, Mary watched the exchange over the rim of her wineglass.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Perfect.

This was exactly what she had wanted.

She had chosen Selene for a reason. Selene knew Isobel’s history.

She knew exactly which memories to bring up and which wounds to press.

More importantly, Selene knew how to do it without appearing cruel.

An obvious enemy could be dismissed.

A jealous rival could be condemned.

But a smiling "old friend" reminiscing about the past? That was far more difficult to fight.

If Isobel became angry, she would look defensive and petty.

If she denied it, she would appear ashamed.

And if she remained silent, the whispers would do the damage, and she would fall into Selene’s trap.

Mary took another sip of wine.

Tonight was only beginning.

...

Isobel reached for a wineglass from a passing waiter.

The delicate crystal caught the chandelier light as she slowly swirled the wine inside.

She took a measured sip, then she looked directly at Selene.

"I am not ashamed that I came from an orphanage."

Her voice was clear, and it carried across the hall.

The nearby conversations gradually faded.

One by one, people turned toward her.

Isobel lowered her glass.

"I don’t deny it."

There was no embarrassment in her expression. No defensiveness. Only calm certainty.

"My origin is part of who I am. It reminds me of where I came from, what I endured, and the person I chose to become."

Her gaze swept across the surrounding guests.

"So no, I don’t consider my past something I need to hide."

She paused.

"And I certainly don’t consider it something that makes me less worthy than anyone in this room."

Silence.

A few guests lowered their eyes.

Isobel smiled faintly.

"Besides, there’s a very simple reason I attended tonight..."

She lifted her glass slightly.

"St. Marianne’s Orphanage was chosen as one of the beneficiaries of this gala."

Her voice carried clearly through the room.

"I came because I wanted to support the place that gave me a home when I had nowhere else to go."

The words struck the room differently.

The awkwardness that had surrounded her moments earlier shifted.

Several guests exchanged glances. The judgment in their eyes began to disappear. Some even looked embarrassed.

They had been so quick to believe the implication Selene had planted.

And now Isobel had exposed it without ever raising her voice.

Near the edge of the gathering, a man in golden-rimmed glasses slowly began to clap, each measured clap drawing attention to him.

"Well said."