You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 192

The lounge door slammed shut behind them. Tina grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her out of the crowd, guiding her into the hallway.

“I’ll have someone bring you a change of clothes. Go get out of that dress,” Tina said.

“Why?” Ruby snapped, clearly annoyed. “You think my dress is fake too?”

Tina shook her head. “It’s not about whether it’s real or not. What matters is turning a bad situation into something that works for you. If you refuse to change, the media will have a field day. Do you really think your fans can outshout Yvonne’s?”

She kept her voice calm. “But if you go along with it, people will see you as gracious, like you don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“Ruby, growing up isn’t about what you wear or what you own. It’s about knowing when to swallow your pride and when to stand tall.”

“Think about what Patricia would do if this happened to her,” Tina said.

Ruby’s eyes flashed. “Patricia, again? Does everything have to be about Patricia? Am I supposed to live in her shadow forever?” Her frustration boiled over.

She’d dreamed of tonight for years. This dress was the one she’d always wanted as a little girl. And now, the person she trusted most wanted her to take it off?

Patricia’s cutting words echoed in her mind: “The more you try to prove yourself, the more pathetic you seem. You’re just copying someone else’s life.”

Ruby opened her purse and pulled out her phone, flipping to her messages. She found the person who had contacted her before and shot off a text, but it bounced back—she’d been blocked.

Annoyed, she tapped the contact’s profile. The name had changed from “So-and-so’s assistant” to “Thief of Pearls—Condemned.”

“It has to be Patricia. She set all this up,” Ruby whispered to herself, her chest tight.

No one knew her insecurities better than Patricia. Of course she’d send a dress like this, just to watch her fall apart in public.

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