Jennifer's face lit up when she spotted Valerie and Ryan, rushing toward them like an overexcited puppy. "Val! Ryan! You made it!"
Valerie never imagined she'd become Jennifer's golden ticket to social status. The whole scene reeked of hypocrisy, and she wasn't blind to it.
She deftly sidestepped Jennifer's embrace. "We said 4 PM, didn't we? Right on time."
At Ryan's subtle nod, Mark stepped forward with an armful of luxury gift boxes. "Happy birthday."
Jaws dropped around the room. Any single item from that haul would've been an extravagant gift—let alone an entire collection. The snarky girl who'd been mouthing off earlier suddenly found herself speechless.
Doreen's eyes gleamed as she practically snatched the presents. "Oh my god, you shouldn't have!" she gushed, already clutching
