Lady Anita held her wrist aloft, turning it back and forth so the pearls of her new bracelet caught the light, a look of materialistic bliss on her face.
"Just look at this bracelet," she cooed, running the fingers of her other hand over the smooth, lustrous spheres. "It is so perfectly crafted. It looks as though it was forged just for me. My daughter really knows good things."
Ashlyn, seated opposite her, smiled and took a delicate sip of her tea. The bitter taste of Marissa's parting words was already fading, replaced by the sweet, comforting validation of her mother's praise and the tangible evidence of her husband's devotion. She had won. That was all that mattered.
Just then, Lily, who had left for a while entered, approached Marissa and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
Marissa's serene expression didn't change, but a small, knowing smile touched the corners of her lips. She nodded once at Lily, then rose gracefully to her feet.
