THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 206

Hanley and Scarlett were both easygoing and outgoing, the type who made friends wherever they went. It didn’t take long for the four of them to hit it off.

On the other side of the classroom, Marina and Bagot looked over with a hint of envy. They wanted to go over and say hi to Caitlin too, but after catching sight of Tiana’s thunderous expression, they quickly abandoned the idea.

Forget it!

If they went over to greet Caitlin now, wouldn’t they be walking right into the line of fire? What if Tiana accused them of being sexist in front of the new student? Better to wait.

By the end of the morning, word had already spread throughout the other classes: Room 1 had a new girl who was practically a goddess.

The windows along the corridor outside Room 1 were packed with students craning for a glimpse.

“Holy crap! She really is a goddess, people weren’t exaggerating!”

“How does she even make the school uniform look that good?”

“Why couldn’t someone like her be in our class?”

“She’s even prettier than the most popular girl in school!”

If it had been anyone else, being stared at by a crowd like this would have made them terribly nervous.

But Caitlin wasn’t fazed at all.

She was so calm it was as if none of the attention was directed at her. She simply went about her business, her elegant features betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion.

Even Celeste felt her scalp prickle under all the curious stares. She glanced at Caitlin and whispered, “Catie, are you really not bothered by this at all?”

Caitlin was organizing her notes from the last class. “Bothered by what?”

“All those people at the window.”

Caitlin smiled, a subtle dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth. “Let them look if they want. I’ve got things to do. We’re not in each other’s way.”

Celeste grinned and gave Caitlin a thumbs-up. “Catie, I need to learn from you!”

The crowd outside the window erupted again when they saw Caitlin’s smile. “Oh my god, she’s even prettier when she smiles!”

“Room 1 is so lucky!”

“Why am I not in Room 1?”

Bonnie, Hadley, Laurel, and Grace Shepherd happened to be passing by Room 1. Seeing the crowd, Bonnie couldn’t help but pull aside a classmate and ask, “Malvina Prescott, what’s going on in Room 1? What’s everyone looking at?”

Malvina replied, “We’re looking at the goddess in Room 1!”

“Goddess?” Bonnie looked puzzled. “What goddess?”

“Who cares about a fake?” Bonnie rolled her eyes, looping her arm through Laurel’s. “Come on, Laurel, Grace, let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The three of them walked off together, laughing.

Bonnie looked at Laurel, trying to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Laurel. No fake is ever going to take your place.”

Laurel’s eyes narrowed, sarcasm flickering in her gaze. “I just want to study hard and get into a good university. What’s the point of being pretty? Or being called the school’s beauty queen? I’m not here for a pageant. The women in nightclubs are all drop-dead gorgeous, but what does that get them? They’re just pretty faces, empty inside, nothing but playthings for men in the end.”

That transfer girl from Room 1 would end up the same way.

Someone with her background and brains—Laurel wouldn’t stoop so low as to compete for some meaningless title.

Bonnie burst out laughing, wholeheartedly agreeing. “Exactly! If you don’t have brains or a good family, all the looks in the world won’t help. You’ll end up working in a nightclub—never making it anywhere in life.”

Grace laughed along with them, the three of them continuing down the hall.

Suddenly, Grace seemed to remember something. She turned to Laurel. “By the way, Laurel, don’t you live in Elegance Residences?”

“I do,” Laurel replied with a nod.

Grace chose her words carefully. “Elegance Residences was built by the Hayes family, right? And didn’t we hear that the Hayes family’s daughter just transferred to Central Academy? I heard they moved into Elegance Residences recently. Have you ever seen her in the residents’ group chat?”