Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan) novel Chapter 253

I shot her a glance, nonchalantly saying, "Obviously her. What's so interesting about the older ones? Besides, we'll have our chance to deal with her later, there's no rush. Don't forget, this is our night!"

Hannah laughed, revealing two small, sharp teeth. They were quite charming, a detail I had previously overlooked.

Renata was already strutting up to us, her face adorned with a flight attendant's smile. She scanned us all before finally resting her gaze on me...

I saw the way Renata's gaze finally settled on me and knew that the show was about to begin.

Sure enough, Renata flashed me a charming smile, elegantly saying, "Mrs. Dawson, what a pleasure it is to meet you! I didn't realize your wit was so sharp, you put even a professional host like me to shame!"

"You're too kind, Ms. Renata! You're just being modest! There's no comparison between us!" I replied with a warm smile and a pointed comment, "Ms. Renata, your professional skills are unmatched! I could never hope to compete!"

"You're too modest, Mrs. Dawson!" she returned the compliment.

"Enough with the mutual flattery!" Catherine chimed in, "We each have our specialties. Allie is all about her business, unlike Ms. Renata who excels in every field and is always in the limelight. Leave some room for the rest of us, don't hog all the headlines!"

Catherine, noticing Renata's growing rapport with me, naturally couldn't stand idly by. Her words were loaded with innuendo.

Renata shifted her gaze to Catherine, still smiling her calm smile, and shot back, "Ms. Damon, as expected of a media personality, always chasing rumors!"

It seemed they knew each other well, and their barbs were pinpoint accurate.

"Call me a gossip, why don't you! I admit, I love a good piece of gossip. Allie always scolds me for it, says I live off gossip! But what can I do? It's my profession, and I'm dedicated...sigh...I just can't seem to make it to the top!" Catherine's words had a hint of sour grapes, "I just can't compare to you celebrities!"

"That's not necessarily true. Thanks to gossip experts like you, everyone gets a chance. Look, even Mrs. Dawson can make headlines!" Renata skillfully changed the topic, her smile concealing a razor-sharp wit, blatantly pointing out my weakness.

Indeed, the online bashing hadn't ceased, and the methods had been refreshed, constantly increasing! If I couldn't find Evan, I wouldn't be able to catch a break.

I looked at Renata, not taking the bait. I thought to myself, I won't compete with you for a moment of satisfaction, you can continue to ride the wave! Just remember, provoking me always comes with a cost.

Renata finally picked up the last glass on the tray, raising it to us, "Ladies, it's my pleasure to meet you here. Let's toast to everlasting beauty!"

I saw Clara quietly retreat with the tray.

Hannah raised her eyebrows at me, and I responded with a smirk.

Gevena laughed, "Renata, you're really good at ingratiating yourself! Making friends with a single drink, and it's even a drink from the Dawson family. You're really crafty!"

"Hey, I've already said, it's just a friendly gesture!" she replied with a blush, "Are you refusing the toast?"

"How could we?" Gevena replied with a light laugh, looking at me, "But Aaliyah isn't feeling well, so maybe we should skip the drinks. A cup of tea will do just fine!"

I remained silent, looking at Renata as if asking for her opinion.