Emily charged forward like a little lioness, planting herself firmly between me and the event manager. She was wearing a pure white dress that was simple in design but crafted by one of Paris’s top designers for their exclusive children’s line.

Clearly, James and Mia didn’t recognize it.

James froze when he saw her, his face darkening instantly. “You have a child?”

Mia gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. “Oh my gosh, so you’re already a mom, and you’re still so vain to wear a fake watch? Poor kid, she must be so ashamed of you.”

“Shut your mouth,” I cut her off sharply, pulling Emily behind me.

The event manager’s face was growing uglier by the second. He took another step toward me. “Ma’am, Mr. Howard will be arriving soon. If you don’t leave now, I’ll have to call security.”

“That’s enough,” James interrupted, pulling out his phone with an impatient sigh. He tapped the screen a few times before holding it out. “Here’s ten grand. Take it and leave. It’s enough to feed you and your kid for a while.”

I shot him a cold look. “No, thanks.”

He gave a derisive snort, but when he tried to complete the transfer, his expression shifted. “Transfer failed… What did you do? Did the bank close your account for fraud or something?”

Mia gasped again, clutching his arm like she’d just uncovered a scandal. “James, what if she’s involved in money laundering? We should stay far away from her.”

In reality, ever since I’d returned to the medical field as a special-appointed professor, most of my finances were handled directly by my research team. However, I wasn’t about to waste my breath explaining that.

I simply shook my head calmly. “I said, I don’t need it.”

James’s gaze lingered on Emily, and for a moment, his expression faltered. The little girl glared back at him stubbornly, her eyes clear as glass under the lights but strangely familiar.

“She…” His brows furrowed, his voice losing some of its anger, replaced by hesitation. “Evelyn, this isn’t my daughter, is it? Can you even afford her school fees right now?”

Sensing his hesitation, Mia jumped in immediately. “James, she wasn’t pregnant when she left you. And come on, she’s only in this mess because of herself. She could’ve gone to med school, but she chose to be a housewife.”

Then, she turned her faux-sympathetic smile on me. “Remember how much Mom and Dad adored you? They bought you clothes, took you to events… and you just walked away, breaking their hearts.”

“Enough!” My voice shook with fury. “It was because I remembered how kind they were that I endured you and James for so many years! I gave up my place at Harvard Medical School to help him build his business and take care of your whole family. I’ve long since repaid every bit of kindness.”

James’s face went thunderous. “Evelyn! You–”

“Emily, we’re leaving.” I scooped my daughter into my arms, not sparing them another glance as I strode toward the exit.

“Stop right there!”

James stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Evelyn,” he said stiffly, his eyes flicking toward Emily again and again, clearly convinced she was his child. “For the kid’s sake, you could come back. There are still plenty of easy jobs on the estate.”

“Mr. James,” I met his gaze coldly, enunciating each word as I said, “I’m married.”

James let out a short, disbelieving laugh, as if I’d just told the most ridiculous joke. “Your husband? What kind of loser lets you live like this?”

His eyes slid over my plain dress before deliberately landing on Mia’s extravagant gown, his meaning obvious. “After all these years, don’t tell me you’ve never even gotten so much as a freebie bouquet.”

“Forget her, James.” Mia moved closer, though her attention was fixed on the camellia hair clip in Emily’s hair. Suddenly, her voice shot up several octaves. “Oh my gosh! Is this little one wearing Chanel’s new hair accessory?”

She reached out to take it, but Emily shrank back, frightened.

“Fake?” Mia’s fingers brushed the smooth, delicate surface, and she immediately raised her voice for the whole room to hear. “Of course. This year’s Chanel limited edition! Evelyn, it’s bad enough you wear knockoffs yourself. Are you trying to teach your kid to do the same?”

The crowd didn’t hesitate to pile on. Their pointing and judgmental stares cut into me like knives.

“Mommy…” Emily’s eyes welled up, her small body trembling as she buried her face in my chest.

“That’s enough!” My patience snapped as I shielded my daughter. “You keep calling what we wear fake, but have you even seen the real thing?”

I took off my watch and held it up, turning the back toward them. “Look closely. Here’s Patek Philippe’s custom serial number and the Howard family crest!”

“Family crest?” A bystander burst into laughter.

“She’s lost it! The Howard family crest? Does she think she’s Daniel Howard’s mother or something?”

“She probably had it engraved herself. It’s illegal, by the way.”

“Pathetic. Call the cops and have her arrested!”

No one even tried to verify it. My fingertips went cold from anger as I clutched my daughter and tried to leave, only to have several people deliberately step into my path.

Mia’s greedy eyes locked on my watch, and she suddenly stepped forward. “A fake like that is an insult to tonight’s guests! Take it off and hand it over, or smash it right now! Otherwise, you’re not leaving.”

“That’s not happening.”

My refusal barely left my lips before Mia lunged for it. Emily screamed and sobbed in my arms, terrified.

“Enough!” James’s patience broke under the noise and chaos.

He yanked Emily right out of my arms. He clearly wanted to regain control and to get a closer look at the child’s face.

Ripped from me and held by a stranger, Emily panicked completely. She kicked and screamed, her cries raw and heart-wrenching. “Mommy! Mommy! Let me go! Bad man!”

“Ugh, how annoying!” Mia snapped when one of Emily’s frantic kicks hit her.

She grabbed Emily’s arm and gave it a vicious twist.

“Emily!” My vision went red.

I tried to rush forward, but a server’s firm grip landed on my shoulder, holding me back.

“Stay there. I’ll give her back,” James muttered, now struggling to contain the wailing child.

He started toward me with Emily in his arms. However, just as I reached out to take my daughter back…

“Ah!” Mia shrieked, her heel slipping as she “accidentally” crashed into a passing server carrying an enormous pudding tower.

With a loud crash, the towering, rainbow-colored dessert collapsed, dumping its entire sticky, creamy contents over me.

I didn’t even have time to move. From head to toe, I was covered in pudding, whipped cream, and fruit, like I’d just crawled out of a trash bin. The cold, sticky, nauseating mess clung to my skin and hair.

The ballroom went dead silent.

Emily froze at the sight of her mother turned into a human dessert disaster. Her face went chalk-white, her sobs cutting off into stunned silence.

“Oh my god…” The quiet was shattered under a wave of laughter and cruel commentary.

Mia covered her mouth, feigning pity. “You look like a dessert trash can, Emily. Well, now you can eat all you want.” She snorted into laughter.

James, startled by the commotion, lost his grip on Emily. She tumbled to the floor with a dull thud. Her knees and arms turned red and bruised, but she didn’t even seem to feel it. Crying, she scrambled toward me.

Then, the server’s voice rang out loud and clear over the chaos.

“Please welcome Mr. Daniel Howard and his son!”

Every head in the room turned toward the entrance.

Dressed in an immaculate white bespoke suit, his striking features framed by a powerful presence that seemed to crush the air out of the room, Daniel Howard walked in, holding the hand of his little boy—a miniature prince.

Their cool, aristocratic gazes instantly found the center of the chaos—me, a woman drenched in pudding, standing frozen in humiliation.

Emily’s wail broke the heavy silence, raw and desperate. “Daddy!”