[Chapter 34]
Cassie gritted her teeth with rage.
She had once tried to flirt with Christopher, but he immediately rejected her. Natalie, on the other hand, always seemed to be surrounded by men. She already had Sebastian, but now she even had the audacity to hook up with Christopher.
Cassie tried to comfort herself, telling herself that Natalie was nothing but rubbish. Maybe Christopher was with them now because he knew Sebastian.
"Is that so? Introduce us to him! But the gorgeous girl next to him is probably his girlfriend."
"You should see her without makeup. She's hideous. You look much better than her. Anyway, I'll just go there and say hi. You guys can order ahead." Before waiting for a response from her friends, Cassie sauntered over to Natalie's table.
Natalie had been threatening her parents, saying that if they didn't give her money, she would tell Sebastian the secret of her being a substitute. Yet she had the gall to have dinner at such a high-end restaurant.
Today, Cassie was determined to reveal Natalie's hideous true colors in front of Sebastian and Christopher.
Natalie and Christopher were racking their brains for a topic when they suddenly smelled a pungent perfume.
"My dear younger sister, you've pushed our parents too far. How could you come to such an expensive restaurant for dinner?"
Batting her eyelashes piteously, Cassie emerged at their table, tears streaming down her face.
"Our family is struggling financially, and our parents are bleeding dry. Why can't you think about our family and stop spending so much money? You squander the family funds like this every single day. You're an adult already, but you keep demanding money from our parents. Sooner or later, they'll jump off a building from the pressure!"
Cassie's voice wasn't that loud, but she spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear her. She wept and whined so incessantly that all the guests in the restaurant glanced at their table.
Then, the hall was filled with hushed whispers.
"Oh, what a scandal!"
"How could that girl squander her parents' money like this? What a parasite! And are those two her toy boys?"
"If I had a daughter like her, I would've died from anger already. She even has the audacity to date two men at the same time. Young people nowadays really have no shame!"
Sebastian's handsome face immediately darkened.
Christopher lowered his gaze helplessly. This dinner was awkward to begin with. Now, he was even being slandered.
Natalie unhurriedly put down her knife and fork and calmly looked at the woman with heavy makeup.
She knew that Cassie just wanted to smear her name in front of all these people.
But she also knew that Cassie was an idiot. She was wearing a Chanel dress, an Hermes handbag, and a Dior necklace. How dare she talk about being frugal while dressed like that?
"I asked you for money because you owe me money. Isn't it only natural for people to pay off their debts?" Natalie's voice was clear yet calm.
Tears rolled down Cassie's cheeks uncontrollably. She sobbed, "Mom and Dad took good care of you, yet this is how you repay them! They really can't afford to give you money now. We are family. How can you bear to treat them like this?"
Then, she suddenly took her necklace off and threw it at Natalie, crying even louder. "We really don't have the money! This necklace must be worth something. Take it as a payment of our debt! Please don't threaten Mom and Dad anymore!"
Cassie carefully painted herself as the poor daughter who had been forced to sell off her own things for the sake of her parents. Natalie, on the other hand, was made to look like the cold-blooded creditor who was ungrateful to her parents and was only after their money.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Natalie took the necklace without hesitation. Glancing at Cassie's Hermes handbag, she said calmly, "I think that Chanel dress might be worth something… And that Hermes handbag, too—actually, isn't that a limited edition piece? In that case, I won't make things difficult for you. You don't have to strip your clothes. Just give me the bag as partial compensation for your debts."
Cassie's pitiful and painful expression immediately went stiff.
This was her only Hermes Birkin. She had been waiting to get one forever. It had only been a few days since she got it. Even if it was second-hand, it was still cost her a fortune. How could she just give it to Natalie?
"These… these are all fake! They're useless to you. Anyway, you should stop coming to such fancy restaurants and save money for our parents!" As she spoke, Cassie hurriedly covered her bag.
Natalie crossed her arms over her chest and looked around at the guests in the restaurant. "Do you think everyone here is an idiot? As you said, this is a high-end restaurant. Do you think that the people who can afford to eat here can't tell whether a bag is real or fake? Even if you insist that you're using the fake, I can still take it. After all, it's still worth some money. Give it to me!"
Hearing this, Cassie was panic-stricken. Everyone around her was eyeing her and whispering to each other. She was caught in a dilemma now.
She gritted her teeth angrily. She had planned to make things difficult for Natalie by pretending to be pitiful, thinking that Natalie would just take it in silence since they were in public place.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected Natalie to act so audaciously, not caring about the people around her at all.
In the past, Natalie had always been the submissive and silent one in their family. How could she change into another person overnight? Had marriage really changed her?
Heartbroken, Cassie reluctantly set her Hermes Birkin on the table. She took out her wallet, phone, and cosmetics from the bag then threw it at Natalie. "There! Happy?"
"Wait, I want to see what's in your wallet." Natalie smiled sardonically. She knew that Cassie liked carrying a lot of cash with her.
"Don't push it!" Cassie hissed through gritted teeth, glaring at Natalie murderously.
Natalie sneered indifferently. "What? You said you didn't have money, right? So I'm letting you pay off your debt with your belongings. Isn't it only reasonable? Besides, there should be no money in your wallet, right? I mean, you've been talking all night about how our family is struggling financially. Why are you so nervous? The next time you want to slander me, don't dress like that. It's one thing to be unable to pay off your debts, but it's another thing to simply refuse to pay. You'll have bad credit."
The people around them felt there was an inside story, so their opinions gradually changed.
The opulent restaurant housed wealthy diners. Many people could tell that Cassie's attire and accessories were all real deals from renowned brands by merely looking at her.
"Well, it looks like she is the shameless one. She wears only luxury brands. I'm sure she is from a wealthy family."
"I guess she is slandering the girl only to avoid paying the debt."
"Damn it! I didn't expect the situation would reverse."
Cassie felt a pang of regret. But she opened the wallet anyway that was stacked with money.
"Give it to me." With a faint smile, Natalie stood up and took out the money from Cassie's wallet. She carefully counted the bills and neatly arranged them. "Eight thousand dollars is also money. Thank you, Miss Quinn."
Cassie had nothing left now apart from her clothes and shoes. "Just wait and see!" she said through gritted teeth.