Emily stiffened when she heard Catrin’s voice. She had been waiting all this while for Catrin to arrive and officially announce her new life as the heiress —just not at this mont.
It would have been better if she had arrived after Arwen had left.
Not because she believed Arwen’s claim that everything was just a facade, but because she didn’t want such doubts to even be an option.
She had waited too long to claim the heiress title, and she didn’t want it interrupted any further. Not because of Arwen ... not because of anything.
"What’s happening here?" Catrin asked, stepping into the banquet hall, her eyes sweeping the room before settling on Arwen.
Arwen t her eyes —not defiantly, but evenly —as she would with anyone else, her poise radiating quiet authority.
"Mom," Emily called out softly before she rushed to Catrin’s side, like a child eager to complain about being wronged. She clung to Catrin’s arm with a practised intimacy, the image of a perfect mother-daughter pair.
Anyone watching would believe it without hesitation.
But Arwen ...
Heh ...
Unfortunately, she knew Catrin too well to know that the woman was simply not capable of it.
Every woman could give birth, but not everyone could be a mother —and Catrin can never be one, for she didn’t know what motherhood was about.
This was sothing Arwen had long understood. And since that day, she had lost any hope of ever seeing a mother or feeling motherly love in her life.
"Don’t be upset, Mom. Everything is fine," Emily said as if trying to soothe a brewing storm. "Don’t bla Arwen. She didn’t an what she said. She just lost her calm and said sothing completely absurd. Don’t ruin your mood because of her."
The words were coated with honey, but the sting beneath them was deliberate. Emily has carefully frad her words to paint Arwen as the impulsive, irrational, and unfilial kid who was there throwing a tantrum.
And that worked ...
The people around them quickly took the bait, leaning toward each other to whisper —
"Isn’t she being petty? If she truly had an issue, she could have discussed it privately with her parents. Why make a scene at the party, in front of so many people? Isn’t she just trying to sabotage the Quinn family’s reputation?"
She walked in so calmly that I almost thought she wasn’t affected at all. But it seems she is good at hiding her true face. No wonder she has made a na in the business world —she has mastered the art of manipulation."
"I thought she was different ... but she had proven otherwise. All that calm earlier was an act. She ca here intending to ruin this event."
"And I believed the President of Davies International was mature enough to handle things like this. Turns out she is just another tantrum queen who can’t even take the consequence of her own made decisions."
"I heard she was forced out of the family because she went and married on her own will."
How could she?" She is just —"
The people didn’t hold back. They all started comnting based on what they knew about it. And hearing their thoughts turning like that for Arwen, Emily felt satisfied. She couldn’t help but smirk.
However, Mia’s brows furrowed when she heard their words. She had been there all along, standing close to Arwen. And no one knew better than she knew what had exactly happened there.
She couldn’t take their misinterpretation anymore, and she turned to confront Emily with clear dissatisfaction on her face. "Ms. Brown, aren’t you too smart to easily make people misinterpret things?"
Emily frowned when she heard that. "With do you an?" she asked, as though she couldn’t understand the accusation at all.
However, Mia didn’t mind her act. Taking a step forward, she simply continued, "How could you make it look like my boss is envious of your happiness when it’s clearly you who are simply insecure about everything? You ca to us and accused Ma’am that she is here to ruin your happiness when all this ti she had just been standing there and greeting people who ca to greet her. With which attitude of hers did you feel like she was intentionally here to ruin your evening?"
Emily was taken aback. She didn’t see this coming, and hence, her expression faltered. "You —"
When the guest heard her, they couldn’t help but think, and Mia’s words started making sense to them.
Of course, all this while, Arwen hadn’t done anything that would seem like she was here to cause a problem.
"She is right," soone among the guests said. "All this while, Mrs. Winslow had been just eting and greeting people. Everything only happened when Ms. Brown approached her."
"Yes, even I saw that, even though Ms. Brown was speaking agitatedly with her, Mrs. Winslow was talking with a smile."
"It seems it’s Ms. Brown who is insecure. After all, she had reasons to be insecure. She simply can’t match the real daughter. And being adopted doesn’t give enough reassurance."
People started murmuring among themselves. And there Emily heard the, the more nervous she beca. She didn’t want it to turn like this. She wanted the guest to look down and bla Arwen, not her.
Looking at Mia, she sharply said, "What are you saying? Why would I be insecure? This evening is mine, and tonight I will be officially announced as the heiress of the family. Why would I be insecure?"
"That’s sothing you would know better than , Ms. Brown," Mia said, shrugging casually.
Emily’s expression looked troubled. "I know nothing. You are trying to misinterpret everything. I was ... I was just ..." She wanted to say sothing that could explain it all, but she couldn’t find the words. Not knowing what to say, she just pointed a finger at Arwen and said, "It’s Arwen."
Everyone paused.
And that sudden drop of silence gave her the confidence. Nodding, she continued, "Yes, it’s her. She tried to make feel insecure. She said this party, this evening ... is nothing but a facade."
She then turned and gently tugged on Catrin’s arms. "Mom," she called endearingly, sounding wronged. "She said you are just tricking into everything. And you actually don’t plan on making the heiress. Instead, you are doing it just to bring her back." She then turned to look at Arwen and added, "She challenged that she can prove it. I was just ... too scared. I already took you as my mother. I could bear to lose you."
Tears brimd in her eyes, and looking at her like that, people feel pity.
"Did she really say that?" Catrin asked.
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