3 weeks ago
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Elite Sydney group chats lit up this week as socialite and mother-of-three Laura Hazzouri once again became the target of whispered snark.
Laura, 37, whose husband Charbel Hazzouri, the co-founder and managing developer of Revelop, is a newly minted billionaire, raised eyebrows by sharing a photo on Instagram of the birthday cake she had custom-made for her nine-year-old son.
Rather than asking for a traditional cake or one bearing a popular franchise character, the boy - according to his mother - requested a cake resembling a giant roll of cash.
The unusual creation featured layers of '$100 notes' wrapped around one another to form a cylindrical cake, with notes stuffed in the centre.
In the photo, which was shared rapidly among the 'old money' set within hours of being published on Laura's Instagram Stories, the money cake was presented on a decorative platter bearing the inscription of her son's ninth birthday.
'His cake request lol,' Laura wrote alongside the image.
Laura Hazzouri (left with husband Charbel) was subjected to private mockery among Sydney's 'old money' set months ago. Now, the society mean girls are criticising her son's birthday cake
Rather than asking for a traditional cake or one bearing a popular franchise character, the boy - according to his mother - requested a cake resembling a giant roll of cash (pictured)
Laura's champagne lifestyle, coupled with her seemingly modest beginnings in regional Dubbo, has made her an object of fascination among Sydney's moneyed set.
The Mail understands the 'money cake' post has become the talk of the 'mean girls' socialite crowd, who are feverishly swapping screenshots and barbed observations.
One well-connected eastern suburbs source remarked: 'WHY would you post that? Just keep it private.'
There were other unkind remarks about Laura's suggestion that it was her son's choice of cake.
Amid the chatter about the cake, it's understood there was also some sniping about Charbel and his cousin, fellow Revelop co-founder Anthony El-Hazouri, following their recent appearance on The Karl Stefanovic Show.
'Karl's podcast - LOL,' was the verdict from one notorious gossip, who apparently felt the medium was beneath two self-made billionaire property developers.
The cousins debuted on The Australian's Richest 250 list for 2026, joining the ranks as billionaires for the first time with a combined fortune of $2.84billion.
The toxic talk about Laura began at the start of the year when she posted a video to her then 65,000 followers, documenting her preparations for a family trip to the Maldives.
While the specifics of her early years are unclear, Laura (right, on a night out in July 2023) has almost certainly upgraded her lifestyle since meeting her husband Charbel
In June, Laura and her mega-wealthy husband Charbel undertook a huge house upgrade
The clip, which was circulated widely in society group chats, divided opinion among eastern suburbs tastemakers. Some admired her chutzpah, while others found it unbearably gauche.
The whispers reflected the broader 'insider vs outsider' snobbery that has been a feature of Sydney high society since Federation, with one source noting that Mrs Hazzouri originally hails from Dubbo - a long way from the Bondi bubble.
At the time, a society insider was quoted as saying: 'Her "day in a life" is not real or relatable. You don't see Deb Symond O'Neil - who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth - sharing videos like that.'
Months later, in June, Laura and Charbel, seemingly unbothered by the group chat gossip, undertook a significant house upgrade.
The couple, who have been together for many years, took on an ambitious new build in Kurraba Point – a five-storey mansion with stunning views of the Harbour Bridge.
They had been living in a mansion in McMahons Point for more than a decade, before buying the $13.5million Kurraba Point home in 2020.
Amid the chatter about the cake, it's understood there was also some sniping about Charbel and his cousin Anthony El-Hazouri after their recent appearance on The Karl Stefanovic Show
They have since knocked down the property to build their dream house: a Luigi Rosselli-designed mansion with a swimming pool, landscaped outdoor areas and multiple living zones.
The Hazzouris' wealth, built through the family's property firm Revelop, has been compounding for years and from a humble start in 2008.
The cousins have grown their business into a heavyweight operation spanning more than 80 commercial properties.
Their portfolio stretches across key retail centres in Sydney, as well as major acquisitions in Adelaide and Melbourne, culminating in headline deals like the $122.5million purchase of Lake Macquarie Square.
Their debut on the rich list was arguably the last laugh after snobs with intergenerational wealth scoffed at Laura's 'nouveau riche' travel diary of her five-star trip to the Maldives in January.
While certain members of the socialite set dismissed Laura's lifestyle as flashy and 'new money', the scale of her family's hard-earned fortune is impossible to ignore.
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