She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 517

"If I were you, I would have stayed home. Bankrupting their biggest project and then showing up to freeload off their resources? The audacity is staggering!"

"Right? She was so arrogant about shooting down Aria's proposals. Now everything is in ruins, and Aria has to clean up her mess. Where does she get the nerve!"

Melanie turned around, unsurprised to see a clique of socialites known for orbiting Aria.

Her manufactured rumors had clearly given these women plenty of ammunition.

Aria floated over, practically glowing with smug satisfaction.

"Please, don't be so harsh on my sister... She meant well, she just wanted to help Stellaris modernize..."

"Her? Help Stellaris? She really thinks she's somebody, doesn't she?"

"Do you know the caliber of scientists in that R&D department? She's just an undergrad pharmacy student, she doesn't belong here!"

As the socialites relentlessly tore into Melanie exactly as planned, a triumphant smirk pulled at Aria's lips.

She hadn't expected Melanie to show her face tonight.

Even as COO, Melanie was the laughingstock of the industry for tanking Stellaris's deal.

Walking into their territory, she was a walking target.

Aria had specifically weaponized her social circle, instructing them to humiliate Melanie until she broke down in tears.

She wanted Preston to watch Melanie crumble and realize how pathetic she truly was.

"Oh, don't say that, my sister didn't even finish her pharmacy degree. Calling her an undergrad is giving her too much credit."

Her fake defense was perfectly calibrated cruelty.

The women erupted into vicious laughter.

She was family!

She was a Whitmore.

If Gabriel was anything, he was fiercely protective of his own.

While Gabriel was losing his mind with anxiety, Melanie stood perfectly serene, completely unbothered by the verbal assault.

Mistaking her silence for weakness, the socialites escalated.

"I don't know what Stellaris was thinking, trusting a college dropout..."

"Maybe she went to that private seminar to sleep her way through the executive board, and then worked her way through the R&D directors until they agreed to rubber-stamp her trash formula."

Aria basked in the viciousness, utterly delighted.