Chapter 3

Blood was seeping from my forehead now, a warm trickle against my skin.

Tears of fury streamed down Liv's face. "You will all regret this!" she cried.

But Lily just sneered, pulling a hundred-dollar bill from her purse. "This is from Ryan—consider it a breakup fee. Take the cab fare, get lost, and stop humiliating yourself here."

Ryan looked down on me, a flicker of pity in his expression. "Madeline, have some dignity. Stop making a scene."

I clenched my jaw, the agony of betrayal a knife in my heart. I glared at Ryan. "Remember what you've done today, Ryan."

Seeing that I was still defiant, Lily lost her patience. She lunged forward, grabbing my arm to drag me away.

Just as I saw my chance to slap her, a sudden screech of tires outside shattered the tense quiet, followed by a clamor of voices.

The staff scrambled to the entrance. "An important guest has arrived!" one of them announced.

All movement ceased, every head turning toward the door.

An elegantly dressed middle-aged woman swept into the room, flanked by bodyguards.

The stunning spectacle of her arrival silenced the entire party.

As the woman drew closer, someone finally broke the silence with a gasp. "That's Mrs. Sinclair, the richest woman around! I never thought she'd attend her adopted daughter's engagement party."

"Ryan really hit the jackpot. The entire Sinclair fortune will probably pass to him now," someone whispered, their voice thick with envy.

Amid the whispers buzzing through the crowd, Ryan smoothed down his suit, a smug grin spreading across his face.

Hand outstretched, he stepped forward, eager to greet Victoria herself.

But Victoria paid him no mind. As everyone watched, she walked directly toward me.

Ryan snorted, his voice dripping with disdain. "Madeline, you went and pissed off Lily's mom. You're in deep trouble now.

"I can't protect you this time, Madeline. You're on your own."

But Victoria completely ignored him.

Seeing the anxious frown on her face, a wave of sorrow washed over me. "Mom," I choked out, my voice thick with tears, "what are you doing here?"

The moment I cried out to her, an overwhelming sense of bitterness and sorrow rose within me.

Mom's eyes instantly brimmed with tears as she hurried over, reaching out to catch me.

But just then, Ryan shouted an order to the security guards, "That is Mrs. Sinclair!

"If she is harmed in the slightest, every one of you will be held responsible!"

The guards blanched in panic and quickly closed ranks in front of Mom, forming a protective wall.

At the same time, several burly men grabbed me, forcing me aside.

"Mrs. Sinclair, our apologies for letting you witness this madwoman's outburst," one of the guards stammered, his voice trembling.

"We'll clear this space out right away," he insisted, forcing his voice to stay steady. "Nothing will disturb your daughter's engagement party."

Ryan's voice cut sharply through the stunned crowd. "Madeline, have you lost your mind? Must you seize everything for yourself?

"It wasn't enough that you tried to take me from Lily; now you want to steal her mother as well?"

The crowd had been stunned when I called out that single word—"Mom." A wave of shock rippled through the hall.

But as Ryan's words hung in the air, the room burst into mocking laughter once more.

"Honestly, how could a wretched pauper like her ever have ties to Mrs. Sinclair?" someone sneered.

"She's so jealous of Lily that she's finally lost it! Claiming Mrs. Sinclair as her mother before us all! Ridiculous! Look, Mrs. Sinclair doesn't even glance her way!" another one echoed.

"The schemes she'll stoop to for a man... She's utterly disgraced herself," someone else chimed in.

Laughter and jeers filled the room.

Mom's face grew darker, stricken with anger and grief.

Yet no one noticed—not even Ryan.

The moment Lily caught sight of Mom, she went ashen, as if she had seen a ghost.

Now she shrank behind Ryan, head bowed, too cowed to make a sound.

Noticing Lily trying to slip away during the chaos, I caught Mom's eye. A wordless understanding passed between us before I lifted my voice.

"Lily, your adoptive mother is here! Why don't you step forward and greet her?" I shouted, drawing every gaze in the hall.

'What's wrong? Afraid she won't acknowledge you as her daughter?" I pressed, my voice edged with challenge.

My words made everyone turn to Lily, all eyes on her, eagerly waiting to see her next move.

The crowd leaned forward in anticipation.

"I only heard today that Mrs. Sinclair has an adopted daughter. Isn't this the first time they've appeared together in public?" someone said.

"Perhaps she chose the engagement party to present her adopted daughter—and to announce a share of her fortune for the new son-in-law," another replied.

As the crowd gossiped, their envious gaze fell on Ryan.

Ryan basked in their envy, pride swelling within him.

Straightening his suit, he coughed lightly, then hurried over and bowed, stretching out his hand to Mom with an ingratiating smile.

"Mrs. Sinclair, hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I am your daughter's—"

Mom cut him off mid-sentence. Her hand flashed up and struck Ryan hard across the face.

"You bastard!" Mom's voice thundered, every word oozing raw wrath. "How dare you wrong my daughter?"

The slap rang out with a sharp crack, plunging the hall into breathless silence.