I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 276

Arianna stared at the tablecloth for a moment, her fingers brushing the rich fabric. It reminded her of the time she’d gone shopping with a coworker in a luxury boutique overseas. She remembered spotting a tablecloth just like this one, the price tag so high it had stunned her. That was the first time she really understood what luxury meant. And she was pretty sure the Ward family’s tablecloth was worth even more.

Isabella tried to look innocent, but there was no mistaking the way her eyes narrowed with contempt.

“Isabella, Arianna is our guest. Don’t treat her like that,” Mrs. Ward scolded, motioning for the maid to come over and clean up.

“Mom, it’s not a big deal. Ms. Mitchell obviously knows her way around housework. What’s wrong with letting her wipe it up?” Isabella shrugged, barely bothering to hide her sarcasm. She made it sound like Arianna was only good for scrubbing floors, like she didn’t belong here at all.

The maid rushed over, dabbing at the stain as carefully as she could, but the wine had already worked its way deep into the fabric. No matter how gently she cleaned, a dark stain lingered.

“It’s fine, I’ll have someone come by to deal with it tomorrow,” Mrs. Ward said. When things cost this much, you needed a professional just to keep them clean.

“I can give it a shot, if you’d like,” Arianna offered quietly.

Before Mrs. Ward could say anything, Isabella let out a sharp laugh. “You? Do you even know how expensive this is? Do you even know what it’s made of? Are you planning to pay for it if you ruin it?”

“Isabella, enough. No one’s forcing you to talk,” Bruce said from beside Arianna, shooting his sister a look. Then he turned to Arianna. “You really don’t have to worry. We have people who handle this stuff all the time.”

“But I really do know what to do,” Arianna said, looking around the table. “This is imported Italian silk, right? You can’t just use regular cleaning supplies on it. Most stains won’t come out that way.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a tiny bottle of clear liquid, holding it up so everyone could see. She was just about to use it when Isabella snapped, “Hold on. What even is that? Don’t act like you know what you’re doing. If you ruin our tablecloth, it’s on you.”

After dinner, Arianna stayed to chat with Mrs. Ward for a while. When it got late, she stood up to leave. Mrs. Ward held her hand for a moment, clearly not wanting her to go, and told her to visit again soon.

Since Bruce had brought her here, he offered to drive her home. In the car, Bruce let out a deep sigh. “Well, you’ve definitely caught my mother’s attention now.”

Arianna laughed softly. “Are you sure I didn’t just look like a housekeeper back there?”

She knew how these families worked. They usually wanted their sons to marry someone from the same world—a woman who could be a perfect hostess, not someone who knew how to clean up stains. She’d actually thought that if she acted like a maid, the Wards might lose interest in her.

Bruce smiled. “You know, I should’ve told you—my mom grew up in a regular family. She doesn’t care about status at all. If anything, she likes people who are practical and know how to handle real life.”