His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 286: B*tch vs. B*tch

** Harper **

"Anyway, so what’s he like nowadays? Is he still overly energetic all the time at night?" Julie switched to an inquisitive mode, lowering her voice again as if the two of them suddenly had friendly secrets to share because of a common history. "Oh I still remember the days when I was always late for classes because of that, how embarrassing!"

Show-off, yet again.

If Harper hadn’t figured out what this woman had come here for tonight, she would’ve felt that stab of jealous hurt again, and she would’ve walked away despite the awkward feeling of mocking sneers trailing her footsteps for the rest of the evening. But now that she realized Julie’s goal, she would no longer simply hand over that satisfaction.

Bitch fight? No big deal, she could do it too. Not like there was anyone else around to witness such an uncultured scene.

"I bet it’s embarrassing indeed, especially when the guy you are with doesn’t even care enough about you to consider that." Harper faked a perfectly compassionate smile, lowering her own voice equally. "No such clichés in my life, thank goodness."

Julie, obviously expecting a more triggered response, looked slightly surprised.

"Looks like you’ve never dated a guy like that in college then." It took her a little while to regain the smug expression on her face. "Attractions are hard to hide ... at an age when people tend to be more honest with themselves."

Hmm, apparently that was the topic she felt dead set talking about tonight — sex. Probably because she assumed it was the topic that could hurt her opponent the most. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Harper cocked her head. With that new realization, she studied Julie in a somewhat different light, and it was interesting how her own perspective on the conversation began to change. Upon the original shock of coming face to face with her boyfriend’s ex, she couldn’t help but instinctively compare the two of them and imagine Eli spending time with someone else just like he did with her. But as Julie unskillfully revealed more and more about herself ... that feeling had slowly started to fade.

Because it wasn’t even a comparison, was it? Hard as the said ex tried to dress up all her little stories with smugness, there simply wasn’t much she could talk about beyond the sexual attraction. There simply wasn’t much else to their relationship, just like what Eli had admitted himself, and as Harper leveled her eyes again on the person who had almost become the biggest turning point of her love life, she realized that this ghost of her past had never meant nearly as much as she thought it did all along.

A weight on her mind that she didn’t know existed suddenly lifted. If it wasn’t for the fear of looking completely mental in the middle of a bitch fight, she would’ve smiled.

"Well, if by ’dating a guy like that in college’, you meant ’not doing much together other than sleeping’, then I suppose I didn’t miss out on much." Harper brushed off Julie’s jab casually. "Anyway, it was nice reminiscing about the past with you, but looks like it’s time that I get back inside and enjoy the present."

She turned around, no longer bothered by those jealous disappointments, and started making her way back inside.

"Sharp tongued, aren’t you? I see that Eli’s taste did change quite a bit over the years." Julie’s scoff sounded from behind her. "I sure hope your confidence lasts, girl. Everyone was special once, but don’t expect it to be forever. Just look on the other side of the windows — there are so many beauties in there, and who knows which one will be the next to catch his eyes, especially when they come with the right status and wealth to match him in a perfect marriage?"

Harper wouldn’t have honored that comment with a pause, if not for the instinctive look she darted toward the window, giving her a full view of the ballroom inside.

The chatting and mingling had stopped at some point while she was out on the terrace. Everyone was holding their drinks now with a smile, facing the same direction as the indistinct sounds of a speech came through the doors. Harper followed their gazes, and she saw Eli’s father standing on the podium, making some sort of announcement with a gesture toward a particular spot in the audience.

Standing in that spot ... was Eli, Emory, and a woman in a wine-red gown, who was whispering into his ear all too familiarly.

Harper didn’t quite have the time to wonder why Eli wasn’t pushing her away when the audience suddenly exploded, the entire hall turning into a sea of cheers and applause at the last sentence of the announcement. The crowd started moving, and dozens of people were coming up to Eli, shaking his hand in a clearly congratulatory gesture. The woman in the wine-red dress took half a step back, smiling as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

That face ... It was Vanessa Jones!

Suddenly, Harper remembered what Eli had told her before about a conversation he’d had with his father. Something related to making amends for what happened at the baseball game and "fixing misunderstandings" with Vanessa. She hadn’t given it much thought back then, but ...

The announcement and the congratulations from the crowd gave her a bad feeling. This couldn’t be like one of those scenes in a romance novel, where a surprise business engagement was announced at an important gala to stir up the excitement, could it? Could that be what Eli’s father was planning all along when he spoke of "amends"?

But if it was, if that truly was the announcement going on at this very moment, then why wasn’t Eli saying anything? Why didn’t he clarify the situation, or at least step away from Vanessa, who was currently standing so close beside him and receiving all the congratulations as if they were really a couple?

Julie’s last few words suddenly echoed in Harper’s ears, and this time, it sounded worse than everything she had heard all night.