REBORN AS A RUTHLESS HEIRESS

Sophia's POV I just stood frozen near the dessert table, the chill glass of champagne in my hand slowly warming up against my clenched fingers. Worse off, Aunt Estina can't stop looking at me like I had a hand in the humiliation; I just have to hurry over to her and explain what I know because Madam Lancaster can be something else. The way she grabbed my wrist, her nails digging into my skin, seemed like she believed I knew something. She doesn't know I'm as blind as she. Immediately, she turns and leaves; I hold my hand, trying to relieve my wrist from the pain. I stare at the ballroom stage where, just a moment ago, Celeste had detonated a bomb with nothing more than a few cold, precise words. "I am not shy! I simply don't want to marry you, Noah." Those words echo again in my head, over and over like a cruel joke stuck on repeat. The gasps, the stunned silence, the sound of the ring box dropping to the floor... It's all a blur now, like a dream turning into a nightmare I can't wake up from. She actually did it. Celeste?? Walking away? Walking away from the spotlight, from Noah especially. Wow! This is the life that should have been mine in the first place. But.... Not like this. My throat burns with disbelief and fury, my lips part open but nothing comes out, not even a whisper. It's not supposed to go like this. And Noah... Noah!-is just standing there, stunned like a fool with the ring box still open, while Celeste walks away with a smirk that looks evil. I'm supposed to be the happiest person now if things go according to plan, but of course not! That witch decides to destroy the perfect plan. Simple, marry Noah and I stay close. The strains under pressure of marriage... I comfort Noah, the marriage cracks, and boom!! I step in either as the mistress or savior, whichever way the media prefers to put it. Eventually, Celeste falls out, and I... I, Sophia, rise as Noah's wife, taking my place just beside him but above her. But now... The plan is erased, I'm not even the footnote in the drama. Celeste is supposed to be the stepping stone. Not the executioner. The thought only makes me want to go crazy and avoid throwing tantrums in front of the public eye; I storm out of the main hall, my heels clicking to the marble floor as I slide away into the side corridor, fury boiling in my chest. I slam the restroom door behind me and lean over the sink, breathing hard and fighting the rising bile in my throat. "Stupid arrogant Bitch." I spit the words like acid into the sink. My reflection stares back at me, flush, wide-eyed, exposed. All these years of pretending. The smiles, the loyalty, the constant comparison. Celeste the elegant this, Celeste the kind that, Celeste the chosen, and Sophia... the accessory. Rubbish!!! Now... now Celeste had changed. That girl back there wasn't the soft, stupid creature I had grown up resenting. She was colder, sharper, and calculated. My fingers tremble as I reach for my clutch. My phone buzzes... I look at the screen the message is coming from a Group Chat of mine: The Diamond Circle "OMG did you SEE that???" "Noah got REJECTED in front of 200 people!!" "Was that planned? That felt rehearsed..." "Celeste is savage. I love her now???" I throw the phone into the wall. It cracks a spiderweb fracturing across the screen. Just like my carefully built image. My breath hitch, not from sadness but from rage. I thought I would have more time now. That Noah would keep Celeste in check. And what was Noah doing right now? Sulking? Scrambling? Or- I open my backup phone and call him. "What the hell was that?" I hiss as soon as he picks up. Silence. Then Noah's voice was low and tight. "She played me... Us actually. I don't know how or what is happening but I feel like she knows something-" "What do you mean she knows something? She knows about your affairs? You idiot! How did she know about that? Moreover, I warned you... You were barely discreet!" I pace like a caged animal. "I told you to keep her blind. You were supposed to propose, not hand her a public stage to crucify you!" Noah growls. "Don't pin this on me. She seems different, I noticed something in her voice while I called her last night though I ignored it cause I felt it might be anxiety towards the wedding preparation, I didn't know she had other plans" "You're panicking," I snap. "You're making excuses." "I'm telling you something's changed. That wasn't the same Celeste. Her eyes..." he trails off. "She looked like she was watching her prey." I paused, a chill running down my spine. I had seen it too. Celeste had looked at Noah, not with heartbreak or sorrow but with amusement. As if she was the one holding the knife now. Something has shifted truly. Was it possible? Did Celeste... know? No! She couldn't. She wasn't supposed to. But the way she'd walked away, the subtle nod to Noah, the smug face, it was too exact. Too rehearsed and perfect. "She knows," I finally whisper in disbelief. Noah went silent. I rub my temple, panic curling in my throat like smoke. If Celeste knew about our betrayal, about the pretense, then this wasn't just about a broken engagement. It was war. "We need to control this," I say quickly. "Damage control. I'll handle the society circle. You handle her, talk to her, remind her of who she used to be. Make her doubt herself. Make her feel alone again." "Are you sure that will work?" Noah asks darkly. I went still. "What? Of course, it will work." My pulse quickens after saying that, not sure of what the results will be. Celeste can't win. Because if Celeste wins, then everything I, Sophia Raynes, have fought for... The position, the influence... My future generally will burn. And I refuse to get burned. So I will just pretend this never happened and find Celeste so I can continue my good act towards her, I need to know what's happening. I fix my hair in the mirror with trembling hands, reapplying my lipstick like war paint. Then I emerge from the restroom, the noise of the banquet is still buzzing behind the walls, but I won't return to that party. I walk straight out of the front doors and into the night. I have got work to do.