Chapter 5 Patience, Celine.

As the party progressed, the atmosphere became more and more festive. The guests laughed and joked, enjoying the party.

In the middle of the crowd, a handsome and businesslike-looking man, named Billy Andara, one of Nico's important clients, noticed Celine from a distance. His eyes narrowed, trying to recognize the woman who looked different among the waiters.

Billy approached Celine who was carrying a tray of drinks. "Hey, aren't you CELINE EVALYNE VIONETTA? The Celine who was once a famous model?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Celine was startled and looked down, trying to avoid Billy's gaze. "Sorry, sir. You may have the wrong person," she replied softly, trying to remain calm.

Billy laughed loudly, drawing the attention of several guests around him. "No, I'm not mistaken. You are Celine Evalyne Vionetta, who was once very famous! What's going on? Why are you a waitress here now?" he continued in a sarcastic tone. "Haha... haven't heard of you in a while, apparently you've gone down a caste."

Nico, who was near Ruby, heard the conversation and began to watch with a flat face. Ruby smiled a little, enjoying the embarrassing situation for Celine.

Billy brought his face closer to Celine, whispering in a teasing tone. "You know, I've always liked you. If you sleep with me tonight, I'll give you a lot of money. More than enough to get you back on your feet," he said as he touched Celine's chin.

Celine responded quickly, slapping Billy hard across the face. The sound of the slap caught the attention of all the guests. "Don't ever talk like that again, Mr. Billy!" Celine said in a trembling voice, her eyes bulging.

"It turns out you're still arrogant! Even though you're already poor!"

"Enough!" shouted Celine.

The party atmosphere instantly became silent. Nico came forward with quick steps, he could no longer contain his anger. "What's going on here?" he asked, his eyes glaring at Celine.

Billy rubbed his red cheeks, smiling sarcastically. "Mr. Nico, this servant of yours knows no manners. He dared to slap me," he said in a dismissive tone.

Nico didn't say much, just approached Celine and without warning slapped her hard. "You dare make a scene at this party? You're fired, right now!" Nico said coldly, his voice echoing throughout the room.

Celine staggered back, her face throbbing with pain, and her eyes filled with tears ready to spill. She looked at Nico with an incredulous look, then looked at the guests who were staring at her sarcastically.

Without another word, Celine turned and ran out of the house, leaving behind a party full of cynical laughter and whispers. Her tears spilled endlessly, her heart shattered into pieces. She ran as far as she could, wanting to get away from all the pain and humiliation she had just experienced.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Nico was trying to calm his guests. "I apologize for this incident. That waitress will no longer be working here," he said as he hugged Ruby, trying to restore the party's tense atmosphere.

Billy chuckled, satisfied with the turn of events. "No problem, Mr. Nico. Things like this happen. Besides, you took the right action," he said as he sipped his drink.

Ruby smiled sweetly, approaching Billy. "Please forgive the impoliteness of our waiter, Mr. Billy. We'll make sure something like this doesn't happen again," she said in a sweet yet hateful tone towards Celine.

The party continued, but in Celine's heart, the wounds inflicted that night would leave a deep mark. She knows that the world that once adored her is now mocking her. But underneath it all, Celine was determined not to give up, even though the road ahead was hard and full of thorns.

"You have to be strong, Celine! You have to be patient," Celine whispered, trying to strengthen herself.