"My mother hasn't completely softened up yet. Let Deidre keep playing her part a little longer—once my parents fully accept you, I'll toss her."
"By then her reputation will be in the gutter, and my parents will cut their losses for the sake of the family name. You marrying into the Gilbert family will just fall into place."
"But..."
Victoria bit her lip, voice dripping with tender concern. "Poor Deidre, though. She doesn't have the faintest idea what's really happening to her."
Clyde let out a cold scoff, then reached over and tapped the tip of Victoria's nose.
A single laugh, dripping with the kind of contempt that made your skin crawl.
"Our Victoria, always so kindhearted."
"Deidre Morton? She's nobody. Some random model from some backwater town who spent three years scratching around Sterling City's elite circle without a single thing to show for it."
"If I hadn't picked her, she'd still be in some back-alley booth pouring drinks and kissing up to people, trying to claw her way into the industry. I gave her resources. I gave her the title and the spotlight of being my girlfriend. She should be on her knees thanking me."