The clinking of expensive porcelain cups and hearty laughter echoed in the corner of the five-star hotel's lounge restaurant.
Amid a circle of women with neatly styled buns and perfumes worth millions of rupiah, Haelyn sat like a queen. Her right hand, adorned with a five-carat diamond ring the size of a candlenut, moved more frequently than usual—tucking a stray strand of hair, adjusting the position of her silk scarf, or simply twirling her champagne glass. A limited-edition crocodile-leather handbag from a Parisian fashion house was deliberately placed right in the center, so that all eyes could take in the gleaming gold logo there.
"You know, the interior of this hotel was designed by my mother-in-law's go-to Italian designer," Haelyn lied, flashing a faint smile.
Her friends responded with gasps of admiration that sounded fake, yet satisfied Haelyn's thirst for vanity.
