CHAPTER 387: SLAP HER TOGETHER

Melissa sauntered past the barricade and unhesitatingly pushed her way toward the venue. No one had noticed her yet, thankfully. She kept her chin high, hoping no one would see her until she reached the building.

But, as always, her peace was short-lived.

"Melissa?"

Her steps faltered at the sudden call from her side.

"Melissa Young?"

Melissa gulped and slowly turned her head toward the voice. The second she met the person’s eyes, deep lines formed between her brows.

"Do I know you?"

The other person grinned and leaned closer, stopping only when Melissa instinctively stepped back. "Melissa, it’s me!"

"Huh?" Melissa studied the woman’s face—she was wearing a black turtleneck under a gray, almost worn-out blazer. "I’m sorry, but I don’t know you."

"Come on! It’s me! Have you forgotten? Aileen!" Aileen’s voice rose in pitch as she grinned and hastily reached for Melissa’s hand. "We used to play together! Don’t you remember?"

Melissa blinked, her gaze tracing the woman’s features until a faint image of a child overlapped with Aileen’s face. Her lips instantly curved downward. Of course, she remembered that child. After all, that girl used to worship Lola and caused Melissa endless trouble.

She could still recall the time Aileen had told the Lancaster boys—Travis and Caullen—something that made them avoid Melissa like the plague. Aileen had even almost ruined her relationship with Derek. Thankfully, Derek had sided with her.

"Gosh, it’s so nice to see you here!" Aileen clasped her hands excitedly. "Are you also attending the MEG Fashion Show?"

"Uh..." Melissa cleared her throat. "Yes."

"Oh, nice!"

"Aileen, what are you doing here?"

"Me? Well... I have work here," Aileen said, rubbing her chin. "But that’s not important! How have you been, Melissa? It’s so good to see you! Wow, it’s been years! You look amazing! Is that—wait, is that from MEG’s last collection?"

"Oh." Melissa’s brows twitched slightly. She shrugged and lifted her chin with confidence. "Yes, it is."

"Wow! Melissa, did you know there are only three of those pieces from the brand?"

"Huh?"

"It’s part of their exclusive design sold through bidding!" Aileen exclaimed, eyes twinkling. "I heard one piece costs more than half a million or more."

The moment Melissa heard the price, she almost choked. She already knew about the design but hadn’t checked its cost. The website had only shown the collection, not the price. She assumed it was from a previous line.

Watching Aileen’s excitement, Melissa cleared her throat and shrugged casually.

"Well, it’s nice, isn’t it?" She smacked her lips lightly and smiled. "Aileen, I’m really surprised to see you tonight. I mean, this place is closed off because of the event. You shouldn’t be idling around here, even if you work nearby."

She fluttered her eyelashes, eyeing Aileen’s misplaced clothing. "I know you’ve always liked things your mother couldn’t afford. But the event tonight is very private. If they see you hanging around here, they might drag you out. I’m just looking out for you."

"Anyway, I’m really glad to see you, Aileen." Melissa smiled sweetly. "But this isn’t the place where you belong. Tell your mother I said hi."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away—her confidence higher than before. She’d never liked Aileen for many reasons, but seeing her tonight oddly gave her a boost. At least she hadn’t fallen as far as Aileen.

That’s right. Someone was doing worse than her. Or rather, Aileen had always been at the bottom.

A light scoff escaped Melissa as she smirked until she heard footsteps behind her. Slowing down, she looked back.

"Aileen, what are you doing?" she asked in disbelief.

Aileen blinked innocently. "If you think I’m following you, I’m not. That’s where I’m going."

"In here?" Melissa pointed in the same direction. "Aileen, didn’t you hear me? There’s a private event here. Don’t tell me you’re working inside."

Aileen scratched the back of her head. "Sort of."

"Seriously?" Melissa scoffed. "You? Working in there?"

"Why? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Aileen, are you saying you’re really working for MEG? You?"

Aileen’s brows drew together as she studied the ridicule in Melissa’s eyes. Seeing that look made her chuckle softly and shake her head.

Sure enough—Melissa hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, she’d become worse.

A small part of Aileen had hoped Lola’s leniency toward the Young family meant they had changed—that perhaps they’d become decent people. But no. Lola had just been... Lola for giving them some room to breathe.

Good thing Aileen wasn’t like her at all.

"Melissa, it’s really good to see you," Aileen said with a subtle smile. "Seeing you brings back a lot of memories."

"Me too, Aileen," Melissa smirked. "It’s nice seeing you. It reminds me of a lot of things." — Like the fact that she was doing better than this woman ever could.

After all, Aileen came from nothing: a maid for a mother, a father long gone. Someone like her could never rise above Melissa, who had everything since childhood.

"I’m sure it does, Melissa."

Melissa turned around again, resuming her walk. But she froze when Aileen spoke once more.

"Melissa, the world is round, you know," Aileen said, watching her glance back. "You can’t expect to always stay at the top. Life has highs and lows. You never really know what it’ll hand you."

Melissa only scoffed and walked away. There was no point wasting more energy on Aileen.

Meanwhile, Aileen stayed where she was, arms crossed, eyes cold as she watched Melissa’s retreating figure. Then, the corners of her lips curled upward. She took out her phone and dialed someone.

"Hey," she said with a smile. "You were right. Staying here is interesting. Anyway, she’s on her way there. Want to slap her together?"

*****

At the same time, Slater raised his brows as he held his personal phone. A satisfied smile spread across his lips. He was the one who had tipped Aileen off to linger in the parking area.

"Sure!" he grinned, ending the call before posing for the cameras that still hadn’t had enough of him. When he turned to them, his smile stretched wider.

"Hey, guys! Want to see something interesting?"