The Devil's Good Girl
Chapter 53: Just about time

Chapter 53: Just about time

Fil couldn’t remember any memory Vincent’s friends were ever interested in her. She was always like an accessory in the group. While they were laughing and chatting, they never ceased to make her feel out of place. The only time they would approach her or show a little bit of attention was when they needed her help.

But now, everyone’s attention was on her.

What made her change her style? Where did she get a makeover? Compliments like: she looked better in this clothing, and that they never thought she had a great figure were thrown into the conversation every five seconds. The girls in the group would even ask where she got her bag, ogling at it as they examined it closely as if trying to make sure it wasn’t a knockoff.

"Goodness!" Shanaiah, one of the very few female friends who weren’t anyone’s partner, lifted her eyes to Elise. She was clasping Elise’s bag, almost like she wanted it for herself. "Where did you get it?"

"Huh?" Elise blinked, still overwhelmed by the people currently surrounding her. "Fil gave it to me."

"No way," Shanaiah gasped. "Fil gave this to you?"

Elise nodded. "Why?"

"Why?" Shanaiah shifted her eyes to Fil, who was busy talking to everyone. "Fil, where did you get this?"

"I bought it."

"Where?"

"A friend of mine introduced me to someone who has access to them," Fil explained, keeping her answer vague because she didn’t know the purpose of the question.

Shanaiah’s eyes lit up, excusing herself from Elise and asking the latter to switch spots with her. Before Elise could even agree, Shanaiah already got up from her seat. Thus, Elise had no other choice but to move aside.

Fil glanced at this small exchange, jaw tightening for a split second.

"I see. So that explains why you’re covered with MG Brand. Can you introduce your friend to me?" Shanaiah asked sincerely. "This bag is a limited edition, and there are only twenty in the world. From what I heard, all of them were personally crafted by Dustin McGuire."

’What?!’Fil mentally gasped. ’That bag? But Dustin told me it was an old work, so he gave me a big discount.’

Fil paid for Elise’s gift, and the price was reasonable. It was more expensive than normal brands, but not that expensive. Dustin told her it was because all the collections were slightly defective. But now, Shanaiah was saying, there were only twenty bags of that kind of bag in the world?

"There weren’t even overruns or defective. Dustin McGuire made sure all defective items were burnt."

’Did Dustin... lie to me so I won’t feel bad?’

"Can you?" Shanaiah held Fil’s hand, sporting a puppy look. "You know, I’ve always said how hard it is to get your hands on MG Brand. You can’t just buy their limited editions, even if you have the money."

Marianne stared at Shanaiah and Fil, joining in awkwardly. "Shanaiah, didn’t I tell you I got an invitation from the MG brand? There’s no need to put Fil in a tight spot."

’An invitation?’ Fil furrowed her brows, looking at Marianne.

"But..." Shanaiah frowned.

"My friend is quite a private person," Fil sighed heavily, throwing whatever conundrum she had at the moment. "Even if I want to introduce you, it’s not that simple."

"Shanaiah..." Marianne heaved a sigh of relief, offering a soft smile. "Just be patient. Fil is an engineer and isn’t really into fashion."

Fil glanced at Marianne, who was posing as someone helping her out of a situation. Falling for that same trick only meant Fil was an absolute retard. There were many instances Fil wanted to say no, but couldn’t. And each time, Marianne would step in to ’help.’

She felt thankful in the past, and Marianne would always lecture her that she needed to learn how to refuse. However, this time wasn’t one of those nights she planned to break away from that bad habit.

"I’ll try," Fil remarked, bringing life to Shanaiah’s eyes. "But I have to tell my friend first and ask if it’s alright with him. Don’t worry. I’ll put in a good word for you."

"Aww! Thanks, Fil!" Elated, Shanaiah hugged Fil excitedly. "Please, please. Let me know when I can meet him, alright? Don’t worry about the money. You know I have lots of those."

Fil chuckled, nodding in understanding just like what she would always do in the past. Turning her head, her smile broadened as soon as she locked eyes with Marianne. Marianne smiled meekly and almost apologetically.

"Fil, I’m going to shoot my music video." Just then, Anton stole Fil’s attention. "Do you want to be a part of it?"

"What?" Vincent scoffed in disbelief. "Don’t drag my girlfriend to your scandalous music videos, Anton. She’s not going to strip for anyone."

"Haha! Why would I expect her to strip for anyone? She won’t even strip for you?" Anton jeered at this hypocrite, causing the veins in Vincent’s forehead to protrude. "For your information, the music video is different. It’ll have a story and we’re looking for a female artist that can fit."

"Why not hire a popular one?" Marcus suggested before drinking from his glass.

"Nah." Anton waved dismissively. "We want someone who is not known. We already had auditions, but after seeing you, I think you’ll be perfect."

"What’s the role?" Marianne asked out of pure curiosity.

Anton grinned. "My secret lover."

"Oh, come on." Shanaiah hissed, while Vincent scoffed.

"Fuck off," Marcus chuckled as he went on to drink another drink.

"Seriously, you guys. You always say you listen to my music, but you don’t even have any idea what are my hits now?" Anton clicked his tongue in irritation. "So much for this so-called friendship."

"I know it," Elise blurted out as she raised a hand, shrinking in her seat when everyone’s eyes landed on her.

"She’s even better than my friends." Anton smiled at Elise and then back to Elise. "So?"

"She can’t," Vincent answered before Fil could.

"Hey man, I’m asking Fil, not you."

"Fil is busy right now." Vincent shrugged, smirking proudly. "She is the lead engineer of Solana Project in the Cobalt Heights."

"What?!" Everyone gasped in unison, looking at Fil in surprise. Even those who had nothing to do with construction or engineering knew the importance of the redevelopment in Cobalt Heights.

"Vincent," Fil glared at Vincent, only to see him grinning so proudly.

"It’s okay, Fil. Everyone here knows how amazing you are," Vincent mused arrogantly. "So, there’s no need to feel shy. It’s an achievement and we must celebrate it!"

"Shit," Anton cursed through his gritted teeth, knowing Fil wouldn’t be available to shoot a music video with him. A project as big as that, his music video would be like a speck of dust.

"I’m sorry, Anton, but I’ll try my best," Fil reassured, just like what she had always done. "Don’t feel bad."

"Nah, it’s okay." Anton sulked. "Congrats, though. So happy for you."

There was nothing out of the ordinary as the group continued to chill and chat. Even Elise was getting along with them well. From a bystander’s point of view, they were just a group of elites who had built this strong friendship through the years. But in Fil’s eyes, she could see the layers and layers of hypocrisy and narcissism as the foundation of their friendship.

Even as small as a splint could make this seemingly unbreakable friendship fall apart. After all, they were all selfish people who wanted the spotlight for themselves.

"Fil," Marianne moved closer to Fil, waiting for the latter to look back at her. "Can we talk? Just the two of us."

Fil stared at her for a moment. ’Just about time,’ she thought before she smiled. "Sure."

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