"Lucy, this was all your doing, wasn't it? You planned for your nephew to ruin my daughter's reputation at the banquet! How could you be so cruel?"

Carly stepped forward to explain. "It's not what you think"

Get and Harl shoved her aside. Carly stumbled backward, hitting her head on the wall. A red mark quickly formed on her forehead.

Lucy immediately pulled Hazel by the collar. "How dare you hit Carly!"

Hazel didn't back down. She grabbed a fistful of Lucy's hair and clawed at Lucy's face. "Who do you think you are, Lucy? You're nothing but a slut who married your brother-in-law!"

As the Tate family rose to prominence, Lucy's scandalous past was slowly forgotten. However, Hazel had brought it back into the open.

The crowd broke into whispers.

"Wait Lucy married her brother-in-law?" "You didn't know? Lucy's first husband was the Tate family's eldest son, Aaron. After he died, she married his younger brother, Hayden." "I can't believe she slept with both brothers! That's insane!"

Lucy, furious, snapped. "Shut up, you bitch! I'm going to kill you!"

The two women fought, clawing at each other's faces and yanking each other's hair.

Just as Hayden tried to break them apart, Wayne stormed in and punched him in the face, leaving Hayden with a nosebleed. Simultaneously, Tracy grabbed Carly's arm, and they began shoving each other.

Soon, the entire room descended into chaos as the two families fought.

Sonia stood frozen. She couldn't believe her birthday banquet had spiraled into such chaos.

"Stop it! Stop fighting!" she shouted desperately.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Lucy and Hazel had crashed into the banquet table, sending the birthday cake tumbling to the floor.

"My cake!" Sonia cried.

Before she could recover, the two women crashed into the gift table, knocking over the delicate painting Adam had gifted her. The painting fell to the ground and was trampled, shredded beyond repair.

Sonia sank to the floor, crying, "My painting! Stop fighting, please! It's supposed to be my special day!" She was devastated.

Amid the chaos, Celine, hidden behind the curtain, watched coldly. This was her special gift to Lucy. She had bribed a maid to spill wine on Tracy's dress, setting the stage for the chaos.

She watched the families brawl, a bitter smile on her face. She knew their hypocrisy and selfishness. If she had been caught in a compromising situation, they would have quickly teamed up to ruin her. But when their own interests were at stake, they turned on each other.

Sonia's birthday banquet had been far more dramatic than Celine anticipated. A glint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

Suddenly, a deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "Could you remove your hand now?!"

Celine froze. She had forgotten Adam was hiding behind the curtain with her, and she had been covering his mouth. Her palm rested against his lips.

She quickly pulled her hand away. Adam's sudden appearance hadn't been part of her plan. She wondered what he was doing there—wasn't he supposed to be with Tracy? Adam loosened his tie.

"Celine," he called.

Adam stared at her. "I feel unusually warm"

Celine looked at him, puzzled. His usually cold gaze was clouded with desire. Her heart sank. She realized Adam must have inhaled traces of aphrodisiac in the room.