Paloma put her hand over her mouth, feigning astonishment.

“Oh my, Lise, I heard Mr. Wheeler is planning a grand wedding for you. How I envy you!”

Her gaze shifted to Katelyn, and with a click of her tongue, she added, “It’s a shame, isn’t it? Some merely settle for a quiet marriage certificate with Mr. Wheeler. It seems true love really does make a difference.”

Lise was clearly delighted.

“See, Katelyn? That is what sets us apart,” Lise thought with a smirk.

While Ashlyn was no fan of Lise and Paloma, she grasped the hint behind their words.

Turning to Katelyn, she asked, slightly confused, “They’re not referring to you, are they?”

But before Katelyn could clarify, Paloma interjected with a sneer.

“Of course, we’re talking about her. Who else could it be? She may have worked her way into a marriage with Mr. Wheeler, but she couldn’t avoid being abandoned. Lise is the true love of Mr. Wheeler, after all.”

She folded her arms, looking at Katelyn with scorn.

Katelyn’s expression grew steely, Paloma’s nonsense scraping on her nerves.

Yet, before she could respond, Ashlyn asked, “Is celebrating a relationship with a divorced man really such an achievement?”

Ashlyn had little patience for individuals who often started conversations with flattery, subtly undermining others in the process. Their approach was so uncivilized that she doubted they could survive in real socialite circles.

Lise was shocked, her previously confident expression slowly crumbling into visible annoyance.

Paloma, ever eager to gain Lise’s approval, found it intolerable for anyone to speak ill of her.

LΑττ chαρτ?rs ιn glov?l.

She stepped protectively in front of Lise and yelled, “Who do you think you are? How dare you speak ill of Mr. Wheeler?”

She then scornfully eyed Katelyn and Ashlyn, saying, “For a man, what’s the big deal about being divorced? Unlike someone, who becomes undesirable afterward.”

How could someone so undesirable have the audacity to show off here? What exactly could she be proud of?

Katelyn, keeping her composure, turned to Paloma with a slight smile.

“What was that? I dare you to repeat it!”

Paloma maintained her arrogant demeanor.

A crowd formed, pointing at Katelyn and Ashlyn, saying, “A divorced woman truly is undesirable. High-status individuals might entertain her briefly, but nothing more.”

The shoppers in this place all came from relatively wealthy families, so they could relate to the way rich and powerful men thought. One woman nodded and added, “Yes, there’s a difference between divorced men and divorced women.”

This was a bitter truth.

Lise was flush with triumph.

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