"Oh, it's her!" Samantha exclaimed, feigning surprise as she lightly covered her mouth, as if she'd just realized something. She shot Addison a look of disdain and continued, "How dare she even show her face at the party? The Johnstons kicked her out, and yet here she is, shamelessly attending. Unbelievable." Though the words weren't directed at Addison, the insinuation was clear. Lisa chuckled softly. "Who knows? Some people just have no shame. It's unfortunate. But without such thick skin, would Mrs. Johnston have the life she does now? What do you think?" "True," Samantha replied, running her fingers through her hair. "In this world, only those with thick skin get what they want." She sighed, her expression turning wistful. "It's a shame my family taught me to be gracious and elegant from a young age. They never let me behave like that; otherwise, I'd definitely learn how to be as shameless as her." Addison raised her eyes, catching sight of the two women playing their game—mocking her without even trying to hide it. She wasn't foolish; it was clear they were insulting her. A displeased look crossed her face as she coldly stared at them. "Are you done?" she asked, her voice sharp. The two women noticed her gaze but didn't stop. Instead, they grew bolder. Lisa pretended she hadn't heard Addison's words and continued with a sneer, "Don't learn from her. She's been kicked out by the Johnstons. Mrs. Johnston is nothing but a past title now. If you follow her example, you'll end up the same way. No one will help you." Addison furrowed her brow. She glanced coolly at their performance before it hit her—these two weren't ignoring her; they were trying to provoke her into snapping. They wanted her to lose her temper so they could make her embarrass herself at the party. She wasn't interested in playing their game. With a dismissive glance, Addison turned on her heel and started walking away. Lisa, still talking, suddenly realized Addison was leaving and abruptly halted mid-sentence. Why didn't she take the bait? I couldn't let her just walk away! Samantha, ever quicker on the uptake, gave Lisa a meaningful look. Lisa understood immediately and gave a sly smile. She secretly extended her foot from beneath her dress, attempting to trip Addison as she walked by. Trying to leave, huh? Not so easy!But Addison had already anticipated their move. With quick reflexes, she easily sidestepped Lisa's foot and continued walking. The two women were left stunned. Addison turned back and gave them a sly smile, blinking her eyes mischievously as she stared at them. "What do you want?" she asked. Lisa froze under Addison's gaze. It sent a chill down her spine, and her temper flared. With that, she frowned and stared at Addison. However, Addison simply continued to gaze at her, the corners of her eyes and brows lifting in a smile. Yet that smile never reached her eyes. Lisa couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but she swore she saw a hint of mockery in Addison's gaze, as if she were laughing at her. Enraged, she snapped, "Are you out of your mind?!" Addison's smile grew wider. "I'm not the sick one, but you are," she replied sweetly, before dropping the smile and growing serious. "Don't ever play your little tricks in front of me again. If you do, I'll make sure you regret it." She couldn't stand these rich kids who had nothing better to do. If they kept provoking her, she might not be able to hold back and end up teaching them a lesson right there at the party. "You b ... !" Lisa was fuming but couldn't find words. Addison started to walk away, but before she could take more than a few steps, someone suddenly blocked her path. "Addison, where are you going?" Virginia asked, casting a sideways glance at her. Addison narrowed her eyes and saw it was Virginia. She sighed inwardly. Lisa and Samantha immediately stood beside Virginia when they saw her arrive. "Virginia, you're here!" Addison quickly realized why these two had been inexplicably mocking her—it was all because Virginia had instructed them to do so! She sneered. She had already tried her best to avoid meeting Virginia, yet here she was, coming to provoke her again. "Is this fun for you?" Addison asked coldly. "I should be asking you that," Virginia said, her voice sharp and filled with disdain. Her posture was condescending, as if she were looking at something beneath her. "Addison, don't you feel embarrassed? Always chasing after Lance, do you have no shame?" "Exactly! We almost said it to your face, and yet you can still stand here without a care? How shameless!" Samantha chimed in, standing by Virginia's side. "I'm chasing after Lance? Don't get ahead of yourself," Addison replied, her tone impatient. "Marilyn asked me to come." "Such a noble excuse! Marilyn called you? Who knows if you begged her to bring you here!" Virginia scoffed. "No, wait. I'm sure you begged her, then claimed she was the one that asked you here. How shameless." Marilyn was completely won over by Addison, as soon as Addison spoke, Marilyn would agree to whatever she said. Addison laughed, more out of frustration than amusement. "Believe what you want. "I'm not in the mood for this today. If you want to argue, go find someone else," Addison said coldly, and with one push of her shoulder, she moved past Virginia. Virginia, caught off guard, almost lost her balance and stumbled. "You dare push me?" Virginia hissed, forcing herself to stand. "You're blocking my way. What else am I supposed to do?" Addison replied, not looking back. "Argh! Virginia!" A surprised cry came from behind. Addison noticed everyone around them turning to look. She frowned, sensing trouble. "Stop her! She pushed Virginia, and now she's trying to leave!" Lisa shouted anxiously. Addison turned and saw Virginia half-lying on the floor, looking fragile and pitiful, the image of someone wronged. "Don't even think about leaving!" Lisa rushed forward, eager to trap her. People in the vicinity began whispering and pointing fingers at Addison. "Isn't that Mrs. Johnston? How could she be pushing people at a party? That's not right." "You don't know? The woman lying on the ground is Mr. Lance's date today," a man in a suit explained knowingly. "Mr. Lance never liked his wife. She begged to marry into his family. Today, he openly brought another woman to the party, so of course his wife would be jealous and try to put the new woman in her place.""So that's what happened. Mrs. Johnston really is heartless." The person who had asked earlier now looked at Addison with a changed expression. Addison felt a knot tighten in her stomach. So, this was Virginia's plan: to frame her by throwing herself on the floor and pretending to be a victim. She pressed her lips together. Virginia was really playing the part well—lying on the floor in a display of fragility, all to set her up. Was this a case of hurting herself to make someone else look bad? Virginia's previous elegance vanished as she lay there. Instead, she radiated softness and helplessness, evoking sympathy from those around her.