(Mia's Pov)
Jayla's birthday came in a hurry, and I had just arrived at the location she had texted me. I came in early because I didn't want other guests staring at me while I walked in.
"Heyyyyyy" I heard Jayla say as she stepped forward to give me a hug, "You came."
"I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything," I told her, which made her smile more.
"Here," I brought out my gift bag and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Jayla," I said.
She quickly unwrapped it and brought out the necklace I had bought.
"Oh my God," Jayla exclaimed.
"How did you know I wanted this so badly?" She cried out.
I stood there smiling at her reaction.
"Thank you," she said to me.
"You're welcome, always," I replied.
After that, I went to the side to sit while watching the guests make their way in. Then I saw Ben make his way in, arms crossed with another lady.
Our eyes met and he didn't even flinch. Rather, he came to my side still holding the lady.
"Hello Mia"
"Hi Ben".
I saw a hint of surprise flicker on Ben's face, seeing how unfazed and collected I was.
Then he continued, "Meet Cindy, my fiancée.
Oh.
So this is the Cindy you've been seeing while we were together, huh. I thought to myself.
A dull ache settled in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Three years of dating and this is what I get. Not that it mattered now. So I shook away the feeling as fast as I could.
"Hi, I'm Cindy. Sure Ben has mentioned me before," she said.
With a composed smile, I nodded politely "Cindy, I've heard a lot about you"
Cindy's lips curled into a bright, seemingly innocent smile. "Mia, has anyone told you how very pretty you look?"
I could see Ben's expression darken the moment those words came out of Cindy's mouth.
"I get that all the time," I said.
"Ben doesn't have an eye for beauty," I went on to say. After I said that, the room went dead silent.
The guests who had been silently enjoying the drama were stunned.
"Wasn't Mia the always gentle, well-mannered type, since when did she start throwing shade?" I heard Steven, one of Ben's friends, whisper to Peter, who stood beside him.
Seeing the tension in the room shift, Jayla quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Come on, everyone, don't just stand around, grab a seat."
Cindy forced a smile, clearly irritated but refused to show it. She turned to Jayla and presented a wrapped gift to her. "This is for you, Happy birthday, Jayla."
Jayla collected the gift and unwrapped it. The moment she opened it, her brows furrowed.
"Wait…. Isn't this the same gift box Mia gave me?" She muttered to herself. With curiosity written all over her face, she opened the box and brought out the exact necklace I had given her.
My eyes flickered, and I voiced out, "The same necklace."
Jayla quickly grabbed the gift box I had given her and brought out the jewelry to everyone's surprise; they were both identical.
"Mia's own must be fake," a voice snorted behind Jayla. I knew that voice. It belonged to Henry, Ben's friend.
"That necklace cost over twenty grand, Mia is just a small-time lawyer, how much does she earn a month? Do you think she will be able to afford the real thing?"
When he was done speaking, the room went dead silent again. Everyone's gaze shifted to me.
It was obvious. They all believed him.
One thing they didn't know was that twenty thousand dollars was nothing to me now. After the call with my dad, he reactivated my account. I didn't have the luxury to explain anything to them, so I just stayed calm and unfazed by their looks.
To them, I was nothing but an outsider.
I never belonged in their world, and I would never be.
*
The next day, I got a text from my dad saying the ring my fiancé had custom-made for me at Reve Diamonds in New York had arrived at the Seattle harbor boutique. And I should stop by when I had time to pick it up.
Reve Diamonds NY was one of the world's prestigious luxury jewelry brands.
I had only agreed to the engagement a few days ago, yet the ring was already here.
Had it been ordered in advance? I wondered.
My fiancé still remained a mystery to me.