Dominic was the first to notice her and quickly approached with a mix of flattery and unwillingness in his eyes, "Ah, our chef is finally here! Ernest and Sydney are over there."
Following Dominic's gaze, Ivana saw a large cake on the table, it looked familiar.
Ernest was talking to Sydney, who playfully nudged his chest and then fell into his arms, giggling coquettishly.
"Ivana! You came! Come on over!" Sydney waved her over, her face full of unconcealed triumph, like a hen proud of winning a fight.
As Ivana drew closer, she got a clearer look at the cake. It was the exact design she'd drawn up as a plan to celebrate her five-year anniversary with Ernest. She hadn't expected Sydney to steal the idea and make it for herself.
"Isn't Sydney's cake just gorgeous?"
"I heard someone's always winning cake design awards in competitions, but those cakes look nowhere near as good as Sydney's."
"Who knows if those awards were won by cozying up to Ernest?"
Sydney's two friends chimed in one after the other, their disdainful gazes sweeping up and down Ivana.