Target

Selena took a sip of her wine, her expression calm and composed, as though the spectacle Clara had caused didn't concern her in the slightest. Internally, she was satisfied.

This was precisely the outcome she had been aiming for. Clara and Evelyn had attempted to humiliate her tonight, but the tables had turned, and now the entire room was abuzz with gossip about them instead.

The whispers grew louder as the night wore on, each new conversation adding fuel to the fire of speculation.

Selena stood on the edge of the ballroom, watching as Clara fled the room, her face a blotchy mess of tears and humiliation. The murmurs began almost instantly, rippling through the gathered nobles like wildfire.

"Why did he change so suddenly?" one nobleman asked, his voice low but insistent as he spoke to his companion. "For months, it's been Clara this and Clara that. What happened to make him fixate on Selena again?"