Chapter 291: Gossip Is the Soul Food of Humanity

"Seriously? Even now, this woman thinks she can use her status as a mother to force Damien to take the blame? To clean up her mess? Her brain must truly be waterlogged!" Isabella thought incredulously.

Not just Isabella, but almost everyone present stared at Ava as if she were insane.

Damien responded to Ava's interrogation with a mocking smile. She was so accustomed to his past concessions that she remained oblivious to reality.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Damien said slowly. "She was mingling with unsavory characters, turned a deaf ear, too busy berating me. Perhaps this is karma."

Ava froze, regret etched on her face. Her pupils trembled, revealing her inability to accept the truth. Damien's gaze had turned icy. While she genuinely cared for her children, her foolishness and selfishness had ruined them.

"What you should be concerned about now is yourself," Damien continued. "We still have to settle the score for what you've done to me!"

Ava recoiled at the shift in his tone.

Lydia chimed in, "Yes, let's settle the score."

Howard, filled with resentment, had always treated Damien as his own son after his brother's death. Realizing his child had been stolen for over twenty years filled him with guilt. He stood by his son without hesitation. He took a step forward, and they became a family of three.

Everyone sighed.

Isabella observed with satisfaction. "Indeed, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," she mused. "This family of three is quite the match."

Alexander chuckled, also seeing a happy ending.

Opposite them, Ava and Oliver were subdued. Ava, accustomed to bossing Damien around, was flabbergasted. He was no longer the son she could manipulate. She stared blankly, fear dawning as she realized everything was over.

Her lips trembled. Before she could speak, the restrained Oliver broke free and lunged at her.

"Crazy woman, it's all your fault! You've ruined everything! Why won't you just die?!"

The security guards couldn't restrain him. Ava was knocked to the ground, her expression contorted in pain. She coughed up blood.

Everyone was shocked as Oliver glared at Ava with murderous intent, clearly experiencing an emotional breakdown.

Ava, feeling wronged, retorted, "I was just looking out for you, but you're just like your father. You both prefer that b*tch, Lydia!"

Oliver roared, "Shut up! Do you think I'm as foolish as Damien? You only acted for yourself, not for me. You couldn't stand it, so you switched us. What kind of mother abandons her own son?"

Finally, Oliver understood his birth mother was the source of his problems. Ava's face turned ashen.

Everyone felt sympathy for Oliver.

"A mother giving her son away sets herself up for heartache and jealousy."

"And she caused the death of his father. Unthinkable."

"Don't forget the incestuous relationship between her children."

"It all stemmed from a deceitful marriage. She demanded love but blamed others for her husband's lack of affection."

"Such shamelessness!"

"She thought she could compete with Lydia? What a joke! Does she think Jared is blind?"

"If I were Jared, I'd never appreciate her."

The whispers struck Ava like thunderbolts, causing bone-deep pain. Oliver's hostility felt like decades of aging. She vehemently shook her head in denial.

Damien signaled the butler to call the police. Both the current events and the events of twenty years ago deserved a fair trial. The Winters family would not let anything slide.

The engagement party ended. Guests, satisfied with the gossip, were escorted out. Surprisingly, the reporters weren't asked to delete their footage.

Lydia was determined to reveal the truth, even if it exposed scandals.

"Won't this negatively affect Damien and Deborah?" Isabella asked, seeing Alexander cautioning reporters.

Alexander explained, "Lydia fears an incomplete report will allow others to frame Damien and Deborah, targeting both families. Going public is a spectacle, but letting opponents go public first allows premature judgment. Rumors spread faster than refutations."

Roland added, "Seizing the initiative is crucial. They can use public opinion to pave the way for Damien's inheritance and Deborah's adoption."

Elaine smiled, draping an arm around Isabella, "What?" Isabella asked, puzzled.

Alexander glanced at Elaine's arm. Ines also playfully wrapped an arm around Isabella, "Didn't you notice the attention you're attracting? Next time you're out gossiping, count me in!"

Alexander frowned. Isabella was overwhelmed. The attention was intense. "Justice Upholder, Gossip Queen It's their fault for doing morally reprehensible things."

"The lives of the wealthy are prone to drama. The rich have leisure time, unlike the working class. Gossip is the spiritual sustenance of humanity. Everyone is looking at me ravenously."

Alexander's mouth twitched. He stepped forward, pushing away Elaine and Ines, shielding Isabella with his body.