Sonia believed this was the pinnacle of her life, a moment made possible by her cherished granddaughters, Carly and Tracy. Carly and Tracy exchanged warm smiles, their families radiating happiness. Celine quietly observed from the corner, knowing she would never be part of the joyful Tate family. The only person she was connected to, Aaron, was dead, and they had forgotten him.

At that moment, she felt a pair of eyes watching her intently. She glanced up to see Adam, silhouetted under the bright lights, gazing at her. She wondered what had captured his attention. He had accompanied Carly to Tate Manor to support her. Yet, everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that Celine was Adam's legal wife. Overwhelmed by the absurdity, Celine averted her gaze.

"Alright. Now that everyone has arrived, Mr. Alvarez, Dr. C, it's time to enjoy our meal," Sonia remarked with a bright smile.

The wine and food were ready, and everyone took their seats. Sonia, being the eldest, graciously claimed the center position. Adam, Carly, Hayden, and Lucy sat to her left; Dr. C, Tracy, Wayne, and Hazel sat to her right.

Laughter and joy filled the air as the family enjoyed the meal. However, Celine soon realized she had no place at the table. Tracy invited her to dinner, but no one had set a place. Realizing this, Tracy smirked and asked, "Celine, don't you have a seat?"

All eyes turned to Celine. The Tates had always looked down on her; no one had paid her any attention. Sonia's impatience was palpable as she declared, "The seating arrangement is set. There are no additional seats available. Celine, go dine in the kitchen with the maids."

Lucy, recalling Celine's previous actions that had led Hayden to slap her, fixed her gaze on Celine. Her smile was friendly, but a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. "How about this? I'll have the maid pull up a chair for you in the corner, where you can enjoy your meal."

Sonia and Lucy's teasing prompted laughter from the others. Dr. C turned to Celine and asked, "Who is this?"

Tracy chuckled. "She's just a maid." She claimed Celine was merely a maid, although she had actually asked Celine to return home to seek revenge for her own past humiliation—Celine had witnessed Tracy's disgrace when her academic papers were removed from the Museum of Medical Sciences. Now, Tracy was flaunting her supposed superiority.

Carly cast a disdainful glance at Celine, finding her unpresentable, yet determined to compete with her.

Celine stood alone, her gaze fixed on the Tates. She sneered. "It's not necessary. Since there's no seat for me, I'll skip it." She then turned to Dr. C. "I simply came back to see Dr. C."

Sonia scoffed. "You truly are lucky. Thanks to Tracy, you got to see Dr. C."

Dr. C held Tracy's hand and flashed her a warm smile.

Celine calmly warned, "No one has ever seen Dr. C. Be careful. Stay alert for scammers."

Everyone was stunned by her accusation. Dr. C's eyes glimmered with guilt. Had she discovered something? It couldn't be. He had executed everything flawlessly. Without another word, Celine turned and left.