Chapter 113 Chapter 113
Angelina’s POV
I looked at Tansy. Didn't say anything. Just stared.
She was still smiling. "Well?" she said. "Did you get it at a thrift store? Or was it a hand-me-down?"
Her friends laughed.
Logan stepped forward. "Tansy, seriously. Stop."
"Stop what? I'm just asking a question." Tansy's eyes were still on me. "I'm genuinely curious. Because that dress looks like something my maid would wear."
One of her friends—a blonde girl in a pink dress—giggled. "Oh my god, Tansy. You're so mean."
"I'm not being mean. I'm being honest." Tansy took another step closer. "There's a difference."
Mia grabbed my arm. "Aria, let's just go inside."
"Wait." Tansy held up her hand. "Before you go, I just want to say—it's really brave of you to show up here."
Her voice was dripping with fake sympathy.
"I mean, knowing that everyone here is successful, accomplished, important... and then there's you." She paused. "The Omega's daughter."
The way she said it. Like it was the worst thing someone could be.
Logan's face went red. "That's enough, Tansy."
"Is it though?" Tansy looked at him. "Logan, you're being too nice. You always do this. You feel bad for people and then you bring them places they don't belong."
Mia stepped forward. "She DOES belong here. She was invited."
The red-haired girl laughed. "Invited? By who? You two? That's called charity, sweetie."
"Actually—" Logan started.
"No, let me guess." Tansy cut him off. She turned back to me. "No offense, Aria. I'm sure you're a lovely person. But this is a business dinner. For successful people. Your dad's business failed, right? Like, completely crashed and burned?"
My jaw tightened.
Mia's voice got louder. "You don't know anything about her family!"
"Oh, I think we all know." Tansy's smile got wider. "I heard he borrowed money from everyone and couldn't pay it back. And now he's working as basically a servant for the pack. Doing whatever menial jobs they give him."
One of her friends—a tall guy with dark hair—nodded. "My dad mentioned that. Said Nathan Sterling was basically pack labor now."
Logan's hands clenched into fists. "Tansy, I'm warning you—"
"Warning me?" Tansy laughed. "What are you gonna do, Logan? Tell your dad? He's the one who taught me how business works. Winners and losers. Your words, not mine."
She looked at me again. "So what exactly are you doing here? At a dinner celebrating successful business partnerships?"
Mia tried to pull me toward the entrance. "Aria, come on. Let's go. She's not worth it."
But I didn't move. Tansy noticed. Her smile got sharper. "Oh, you want to say something?" She crossed her arms. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
I kept staring at her. My face was blank. It was making her uncomfortable. I could see it. The way her smile faltered slightly.
"What?" she said. Her voice was less confident now. "Cat got your tongue?"
The blonde girl stepped forward. "Wait, isn't that the girl who used to wear those ugly braids and thick bangs? Like, total nerd look?"
"Oh my god, yes!" The red-haired girl clapped her hands. "I almost didn't recognize her without the braids! Though honestly, the upgrade isn't that impressive."
The blonde girl laughed. "She cleaned up a little, but you can still tell. That dress looks like it came from Target."
Logan's voice was tight. "All of you need to shut up. Right now."
"Why?" The dark-haired guy raised his eyebrows. "We're just having a conversation."
"This isn't a conversation. You're being assholes."
Tansy turned toward Mia and Logan. "Seriously though, why is she here? I know you two are being nice, but this is YOUR dad's party, Logan. And Mia, your parents are literally the Alpha and Luna of Canyon Pack."
The dark-haired guy nodded. "Right? You guys are like, top tier. And she's just an Omega's daughter."
Mia's face was getting redder. "So what? That doesn't mean—"
"It means everything." Tansy's voice got colder. "In our world, blood matters. Status matters. You know that, Mia. Your parents taught you that."
"My parents taught me not to be a bitch to people!" Mia shot back.
The blonde girl gasped dramatically. "Oh wow, language!"
Tansy ignored them both. She looked at me again. Her voice got sharper. "Let me guess—you're here because you're riding their coattails? Classic Omega move. Can't get anywhere on your own, so you latch onto people who actually matter."
Logan stepped between us. "That's it. We're done here."
"Done?" The red-haired girl smirked. "We haven't even gotten to the best part yet."
"What best part?" Logan's voice was dangerous now.
"The part where we talk about why she's REALLY here." Tansy's eyes were gleaming. "It's so obvious. She's trying to social climb through Mia and Logan."
"That's not—" Mia started.
"Oh please." The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Look at her. Her dad's a failed businessman AND an Omega. What else is she gonna do? She needs someone to carry her."
"Exactly!" Tansy's voice was getting louder now. Excited. "Her dad can't provide for the family. They're probably living off pack charity. So she cozies up to the Alpha's daughter and the rich kid, hoping some of that status rubs off."
The dark-haired guy shook his head. "It's actually kind of smart. In a pathetic way."
Logan grabbed Tansy's arm. "Stop. Talking."
Tansy yanked her arm away. "Don't touch me, Logan." Her voice got icy. "And don't act all noble. You know I'm right."
She turned back to me. Her expression was ugly now. "You're like a little parasite. Attaching yourself to the Alpha's daughter and the host's son, hoping people will think you're more than what you are."
Mia looked like she was about to cry. From anger or frustration. "Aria is my FRIEND. A real friend. Not like you fake bitches!"
"Friend?" The red-haired girl laughed. "Honey, Omegas don't have friends at this level. They have people who feel sorry for them."
"Exactly." The dark-haired guy looked at Logan and Mia. "You two are way too nice. Don't you realize she's just using you? She probably hangs around hoping people will think she's more than what she is."
Logan's whole body was tense. "If you don't walk away right now—"
"What?" Tansy stepped closer to him. "You'll do what? Hit me? At your dad's party? That'll look great."
She smiled. Then turned back to me. Her voice got softer. "Sweetie, I hate to break it to you, but changing your hairstyle doesn't change who you are. You're still the Omega's daughter from the loser family."
The blonde girl nodded enthusiastically. "Right? Like, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Mia lunged forward. Logan caught her. "Don't! She's not worth it!"
"Let me go!" Mia was struggling against Logan's grip. "I'm gonna rip her fake eyelashes off!"
Tansy laughed. "See? This is what happens when you hang out with trash. Their behavior rubs off on you."
She looked at the others. "Can you imagine? The Alpha's daughter, reduced to defending some Omega nobody. How embarrassing."
The red-haired girl sighed dramatically. "Your parents are going to be so disappointed, Mia."
"My parents would be disappointed in YOU!" Mia shot back. "They raised me to stand up for people, not tear them down!"
"Standing up for people is one thing." Tansy's voice was cold now. "But this isn't charity work. This is a business dinner. For important people. She doesn't belong here."
Logan finally snapped. "My father invited her! PERSONALLY invited her! So yeah, she DOES belong here!"
That made everyone pause.
Tansy's smile faltered. "What?"
"You heard me." Logan's voice was shaking. "My dad specifically told me to bring Aria tonight. She's here because HE wanted her here. Not me. Not Mia. HIM."
The dark-haired guy frowned. "Why would David Pierce invite an Omega's daughter to—"
"I don't know!" Logan cut him off. "But he did! So all of you need to shut the hell up before you embarrass yourselves even more!"
Tansy's face went through several emotions. Confusion. Disbelief. Then anger.
"That doesn't make any sense," she said slowly.
"I don't care if it makes sense to you." Logan was breathing hard now. "She's a guest. My father's guest. And you're standing here insulting her."
The blonde girl looked uncertain now. "Logan, we didn't know—"
"Of course you didn't know!" Mia's voice was sharp. "Because you didn't bother to ASK! You just started running your mouths!"
Tansy's jaw clenched. She looked at me again. "Fine," she said. Her voice was tight. "Maybe she was invited for some reason. Probably as a favor to someone."
The red-haired girl nodded. "Right. Like charity. Or maybe Logan's dad feels bad for her family."
"That must be it." The dark-haired guy's voice was confident again. "David Pierce is known for his philanthropy. This is probably some 'help the unfortunate' thing."
Tansy's smile came back. But it was uglier now. "Actually, that makes perfect sense." She looked at me. "You're here as a charity case. How sweet. David Pierce's good deed for the year."
Logan opened his mouth. But Tansy kept going.
"I bet that's exactly what it is. He probably told Logan to bring you so he could feel good about himself. 'Look at me, helping the poor Omega family.'" Her voice was mocking. "Very noble."
The blonde girl giggled. "That's actually kind of sad. Being someone's charity project."
"Right?" The red-haired girl shook her head. "I'd rather not come at all than be invited out of pity."
I watched Tansy. The way she kept looking at her friends for approval. She was insecure. That's what this was. She needed to put someone else down to feel better about herself.
Her smile was gone now. Just cold contempt.
I felt something shift inside me. Not anger. Not hurt. These people weren't worth my time. Weren't worth my energy.
I was about to turn and walk away when I heard a voice behind me.
"That's enough. Please don't insult my daughter."
I froze. That voice. I turned around slowly.
Nathan was standing there. About ten feet away. He was wearing a suit. It didn't fit right. He looked so out of place among all these wealthy people in their designer clothes.
But he was standing straight. Looking directly at Tansy.
My mind raced. What was he doing here?
Then I remembered. Last night. The conversation I'd overheard. This was the same dinner.
Nathan took a step forward. His voice was steady. "You can say whatever you want about me. My business failed—that's true. I made mistakes—that's true. I borrowed money I couldn't pay back—that's also true."
He paused. "But my daughter has nothing to do with any of that. She's fifteen years old. She's a good kid. She works hard in school. And she doesn't deserve to be talked to like this."
Tansy laughed. "Oh look, the Omega's playing protective daddy. How cute."
The red-haired girl smirked. "Dude, you're making this worse for her."
Nathan ignored them. Kept his eyes on Tansy. "Yes, I'm an Omega. Yes, my business failed. But I'm still her father. And I won't stand here and let you tear her down."
Tansy's expression changed. Got colder. "You 'won't stand for it'? What are you gonna do? You're a nobody. A failed businessman. An Omega who couldn't even keep a company running for six months."
The blonde girl nodded. "My dad said you were a joke in the business community. Said you had no instincts, no backbone. Typical Omega."
"And now you're crashing a dinner party you probably weren't even invited to, embarrassing your daughter even more." Tansy's smile was vicious now. "You know what? She's better off without you defending her. You're just making it worse."
The dark-haired guy laughed. "Yeah, every time you open your mouth, you remind everyone what she is—an Omega's kid. A loser's kid."
Tansy looked directly at Nathan. Her voice got louder. "You want to protect your daughter? Then stay away from events like this. Don't drag her down with you. Though honestly—"
She glanced at me. "—she's doing a pretty good job of that herself by leeching off Mia and Logan."
Nathan's hands were shaking. "I may be a failure in business. I may be an Omega. But I'm her father. And I love her. That's something money can't buy, and status can't change."
Tansy rolled her eyes. "How touching. Really. But love doesn't change the fact that you're both bottom tier. And you always will be."
I looked at Nathan. He wasn't powerful. Wasn't wealthy. Just a man in an ill-fitting suit. But he was standing there. Defending me. Against people who could destroy what little he had left.
He didn't back down. Even though his words had no weight here. Something in my chest tightened.