Chapter 488

Gwen was an introverted soul. Perhaps due to her deep-seated insecurities, she spoke very little, so little that she often faded into the background. If it weren’t for Ariana taking the initiative to talk to her, Gwen might have gone the entire day without uttering a single word. This was also one of the reasons Aster disliked her. She was just too... How should one put it? She lacked the social finesse expected of someone in her position. In families like theirs, marrying into an alliance wasn’t just about sealing a business deal—it also meant actively cultivating connections for one’s husband. That was the true value a woman brought to such a marriage. A mutual benefit, really. But Gwen, after all, was an illegitimate child. On top of that, the education she’d received was worlds apart from that of a proper socialite. Naturally, she couldn’t measure up. And so, her situation spiraled into a vicious cycle. The three of them sat in a French restaurant, chatting and laughing over their