A week later, the producer of The Tea Maiden held a banquet. Due to the difficulties of cutting Khloe out of The Tea Maiden, there had been no time afterward to hold a formal celebration banquet. After the final episode was launched, Director Johnson had been able to invite all cast and crew members to the best hotel in Seattle for an informal banquet.

A lot of fans and media were already there long before any of the cast and crew arrived. They took pictures as the people arrived, but they'd been told in advance that they would not be given a chance to ask questions, nor would they be given access to the hotel. Johnson had rented every banquet hall in the hotel and room, so he had complete control of who came and went. He had different events happening in each ballroom, and he encouraged everyone to mingle between them.

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Johnson also arranged to pay for all the booze. "Drink all you want," he said. "Tonight, everything is on me. Get as drunk as you'd like, and feel free to sleep in any one of the rooms."

As Kylie ordered the first drink of the night, she happened to hear Lily talking to someone behind her. Though the mirror behind the bar, she could see that Lily was wearing a blue dress that highlighted her ample bosoms and cleavage with its low collar. She was with Khloe, and it turned out, and when they saw Kylie watching them through the mirror, they approached her.

Khloe scowled at Kylie as if she were a bug that she wanted to crush. Khloe was wearing a black silk dress. She had no bra on, which meant that her nipples could be clearly seen, and they stuck out like sore thumbs. "Careful with those," Kylie laughed as she pointed to Khloe's breasts. "You might put someone's eyes out. It almost pops out," she added.

Khloe frowned and quickly crossed her arms over her breasts to cover her nipples. Most of the actresses there were dressed in a similar manner, with visible nipples and deep cleavage, and yet, with only a few words, Kylie had embarrassed her and made her feel like a slut. She felt angry immediately.

Lily was stiff. She looked down at her own dress and wondered if Kylie would find fault in it too. Even though she had been talking to Khloe, they were not friends. In fact, she hated her secretly, but she pretended to like her for something and had that in common with Kylie. She also hated Kylie's presence. Thus, she viewed Kylie as a potential ally because of her strong personality. That being said, it was not something that they'd ever discussed. She needs to find ways to use Kylie, as well.

"Fuck you," Khloe said as she looked Kylie up and down. "Make fun of me, but look at what you're wearing. You have the figure to stand out in a crowd, but in your conservative old fashion dress, you waste what God has given you; for shame!"

"Look around you," Khloe continued. "Most of the actresses in attendance are wearing sexy dresses that show off their cleavage, hips, and long legs – and yes, even their nipples! Everyone here, except for you, is letting loose, so don't try to make me look like a freak when you are the one who is out of place." She proudly said all those words.

Khloe dropped her arms to her side and posed in such a way that her breasts stood out even more than they had just a moment ago. "If you are so interested in my boobs," she said, "why don't you take a closer left. Even better; touch them if you'd like."

Kylie took a step backward, reeling as if she'd been struck. She felt disgusted that Khloe really acted like a slut.

Lily knew Khloe was bullying Kylie, but she dared not lose her temper and interrupt them mostly in front of all of these people at the banquet. She tried to keep her smile, but she knew that it would not stand up to close scrutiny. It was obviously fake. At the moment, her heart wept for Kylie. She liked Kylie's attire. It was a breath of fresh air. Everyone here, including herself, had given up their comfort so that their façade matched that of the image that they figured was expected of them. Kylie, on the other hand, had come as herself. She looks prettier on her dress.

Kylie looked comfortable in what she wore. In its own way, it was elegant, and she thought that, if given a choice between Kylie and Khloe, every man would choose Kylie. It didn't matter the Khloe put her sexuality on display, Kylie's Girl Next Door ambiguity hinted at things much greater than anything Khloe could offer.

Lucas joined them and pointed to the windows. "I assume you both should act mature, mostly in front of the public!"

Outside, a crowd had gathered. They watched through the windows like children ogling candy. They looked ecstatic as they shouted Kylie's name over and over again.

Lily knew she needed to find the best ally, and surely it wasn't Khloe. Lilly looked to Khloe and said, "You may both have very different opinions about the proper attire, but it is clear to me who has stolen the hearts of the people. In all of my years in show business, I have never seen such unconditional love for a single actress. You should be aware of it darling, and your charisma has been fading in the eyes of your fans,"

"Did you arrange for these people to be here?" Kylie asked Lucas.

"I admit that, in a way, I did," Lucas replied, "but I had not expected the crowd to be so large or to be in support of you in the way that they are. What I did was leak the whereabouts of Khloe to her fans on Social Media. It is a curious thing; perhaps Khloe has no fans anymore…"