Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 95

The moment I caught Alice’s gaze, I knew she was up to no good, especially with that glass of red wine dangling from her fingers. Before she could make her move, I reached her first and tapped her hand, tipping the wine right onto myself. The rich red liquid soaked through my dress, dark and dramatic.

I didn’t miss a beat. I gasped, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. “Oh my god, Alice, why did you do that?”

“I know you don’t like me. But seriously, why?” My voice trembled just enough. “All these years, I’ve never once tried to compete with Garrison. Why are you treating me like this?”

Alice stared at me, frozen and wide-eyed. This was supposed to be her big moment, but I’d stolen it before she could even begin.

What I didn’t expect was Halley showing up right behind me. He fixed Alice with a glare, his face turning stormy. His voice was low and furious. “Alice, do you even realize where you are right now?”

Of course, Alice knew. She’d wanted to set me up, but I’d flipped the script on her, and she had nowhere to run.

“It wasn’t me! He did it to himself!” Her voice was shaky, trying to sound innocent. She always played the perfect lady in front of Halley.

Halley’s expression just got colder. “Are you telling me I can’t see straight? The glass was in your hand. The wine’s all over him. So what, did it fly out on its own?”

Alice’s plan had been to spill the wine and get me thrown out, but with my back to Halley, he hadn’t seen my quick move. Now she couldn’t explain her way out of it.

“No, that’s not what I meant, I just…”

Halley cut her off, clearly done with the drama. “Enough. This isn’t your house, and it’s not some street corner. Watch how you act.”

Alice clamped her mouth shut, realizing another word would only make things worse. Halley shot her a final glare. “Go find your friends. And stop trying to stir up trouble.”

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