THE LOST HEIRESS RETURNS AFTER DIVORCE
Chapter 20: Feather Remington

Chapter 20: Feather Remington

"So..." Lauren said before turning to the bartender, "one red wine," the turning back to Heather, "what’s the situation with Caius?" Lauren asked, pretending to ignore.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I just hope your return isn’t your way of sliding back into his life."

"I’m not interested," Heather replied flatly.

"Good," Lauren said, picking up a glass of red wine just placed before her. "Just making sure you’re not about to lose your self-worth again."

Heather forced a smile. "Why? Do you feel threatened?"

Lauren’s lips curled. "By who? There’s no competition."

"I’m not even trying, and you’re already shaking," Heather said, then took a slow sip of her drink.

At that moment, the host’s voice interrupted.

"And now, let’s welcome Miss Heather Remington to the stage!"

Heather stood. "Relax, Lauren. I’m not chasing a man. Some of us have bigger things to worry about."

She stood up and walk to the stage—unaware that Lauren had just spilled red wine down the back of her dress.

As Heather stepped onto the stage, the mood in the room changed. She noticed that the faces of the guest began shifting and most of them were whispering.She smiled through it, confused.

"What’s that on her?"

"Is that blood?"

"Did she... forget a tampon?"

Heather took the mic, accepted her keychain, and said a simple "Thank you." But when she turned, she noticed the wide eyes, the snickers, the muffled laughter.

Manager Sheng hurried onto the stage, draping his suit jacket over her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"What’s on your dress?" he whispered urgently.

She glanced behind her—and froze. Red wine streaked the back of her gown, dark and wet, resembling blood.

The crowd was now openly laughing.

"Is she on her period?"

"Oh my God..."

Heather’s cheeks burned. Then her eyes landed on Lauren, smugly watching from the bar.

"You!" Heather shouted.

She stormed off the stage, lunging at Lauren and grabbing her dress strap. Sheng rushed over to stop her, but it was too late—Heather was already on Lauren.

Sheng pulled her from Lauren’s but her grip on Lauren’s strap was too strong. Manager Sheng pulled her one last time, and her hands left Lauren dress.

She fell to the ground with manager Sheng, as she raised her hands up, she saw Lauren’s dress’s strap in her hands. She must have ripped it off while she was being pulled.

There was a moment of silence; Lauren’s dress fell partly off her chest, forcing her to cover herself.

Heather felt happy as she watched Lauren’s cheek turn red in embarrassment, holding up her ruined dress.

"That’s what you deserve!" Heather shouted.

"You’re causing a scene," Sheng hissed, trying to hold her back, but she pulled away.

"She did this! She poured wine on me!" Heather shouted, standing up to grab the glass from the counter.

People just stared.

Lauren’s friend ran up to her and pulled her away, not before glaring at Heather.

Then Heather realized: everyone was glaring at her, no one believed her.

"She belongs to the streets."

"So classless."

"Jealous of her own sister."

She stood frozen, then slowly made her way to the bar and sat down again.

"Heather," Penny said gently.

"Was it bad?"

Penny nodded.

"Four shots," Heather told the bartender.

"Are you sure that’s a good idea? We can just leave," Penny suggested.

"I’m not leaving my party," Heather replied stubbornly, before turning to the guests who were already continuing with their discussions.

The music resumed, people continued dancing and laughing, some giving uncomfortable glances at Heather, but keeping their distance.

Penny had been hovering, watching carefully, but Heather had ignored her concern.

She needed the drinks, they were the only thing keeping her sane. The alcohol had settled into her bloodstream, making everything soft, light, and a little bit blurred.

Heather swayed lightly in her seat.

"You’re two seconds away from making headlines for the wrong reasons." Manager Sheng said.

Heather rolled her eyes. "It’s my party."

"And you’re about to turn it into a scandal."

"I will turn it into a scandal. No one believed me," Heather said, bursting into a laugh, before her eyes ran over the guests again, until it landed on a particular group nearby.

"Isn’t Miss H supposed to be here?"

"She came to all our parties. This is weird."

"Maybe Manager Sheng knows where she is."

The girls walked over to Sheng.

"Manager Sheng, where’s Miss H?" one of them asked.

"How is he supposed to know?" Heather snapped, slurring slightly.

The girls exchanged strange looks.

"Because... he’s her manager?"

"Miss H could be right here, drunk out of her mind, and none of you would even notice. Because you’re all clueless."

"That’s enough," Sheng said, removing the drink from her hand.

"Heyyyy! I was still drinking that."

"No, you’re not," he said, turning to Penny. "Take her to her star-fice. Make her drink a lot of water."

Penny gently pulled Heather up and guided her out of the crowd.

"Okay, we’re here," Penny said, stopping at the door.

Heather swayed slightly, gripping the knob to steady herself.

Penny’s phone rang. She cursed under her breath.

"Sheng needs me downstairs," she muttered. "You’ll be okay, right?"

Heather waved her off. "Of course."

Penny hesitated for half a second, then sighed. "Fine. I’ll be back soon."

Heather turned the doorknob slowly, expecting silence.

But the door opened to someone else.

Someone was sitting in her chair like he owned the place. The office was dark, but she could tell the gender because of the broadness of their body and the shadows folding around him. Only the dim glow from the hallway outlined the sharp cut of his jaw.

Heather didn’t flinch.

She stepped inside and turned on the light with a smooth flick of her fingers. The room got filled with a warm brightness that revealed his presence fully.

His suit was wrinkled, one hand rested lazily on the armrest, the other holding a pen he was spinning between his fingers.

Heather stepped further in, but didn’t ask how he got in because she didn’t really care.