Her hand suddenly slipped as if all its strength had been released—
"Crack!"
The wine glass was slammed onto the polished marble floor, shattering instantly. The crimson wine splattered like blood, staining her starry blue dress and eliciting gasps from the surrounding guests.
"Oh dear! Sister-in-law, how could you be so careless?!"
Seeing her plan fall apart, Lila's fake smile vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised exasperation and anger, her voice rising several decibels.
Liam didn't speak, but his brows furrowed even more. He glanced at the mess of broken glass on the ground, then immediately stepped forward, took Clara's hand without a word, and carefully checked her fair fingers and wrists for any cuts from the flying glass shards. His tone was reproachful yet concerned: "How could you be so careless? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Seeing the genuine tension he exuded, Clara simply pursed her bright red lips and silently shook her head. If she hadn't overheard those heart-wrenching words in the private room, if she hadn't known what kind of sordid things were in that drink, she would have been completely captivated by this false tenderness, utterly moved.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." All of this was just another act, a performance born from his superb acting skills. His touch only made her feel nauseous.
After confirming that Clara was not injured, Liam called over the hotel staff who were waiting nearby to quickly clean up the broken pieces and wine stains on the ground.
The banquet continued, the music remained melodious, but the undercurrents grew increasingly turbulent. Lila clearly had no intention of letting Clara off the hook; like a relentless viper, she repeatedly sought opportunities, both overt and covert, to force Clara to eat or drink the packet of "miracle drug." She changed glass after glass of wine, brought out various snacks, trying to find an opening in Clara's defenses.
However, each time, Clara deftly defused the situation in various seemingly unintentional but actually ingenious ways—either by being interrupted by others, by "accidentally" spilling the food, or by using the excuse of talking to an elder she hadn't seen in a long time. Clara always maintained that detached calmness, as if watching a clumsy farce that had nothing to do with her.
Finally, after repeated failures, Lila completely lost her patience, and her anger clouded her judgment. In a relatively crowded corner, while Clara was chatting with an old friend with her back to her, she suddenly became emboldened and forcefully shoved Clara from behind into a long table on the side of the banquet hall, where a row of crystal goblets were stacked into a champagne tower!
"Splash—!!!"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted! The towering champagne tower collapsed with a crash, and dozens, even hundreds, of exquisite stemmed glasses shattered instantly, with glittering shards of glass flying everywhere like exploding ice flowers! Wine, fruit, and desserts were splashed all over the place!
Clara was caught completely off guard. The enormous impact made it impossible for her to maintain her balance. She slipped and fell heavily to the ground amidst the horrified screams of the surrounding crowd. Her elbows and knees inevitably struck the cold, hard ground, which was covered with shards of glass!
"ah--!"
"Oh my god! What's going on?"
"Quick! Go check it out!"
This sudden turn of events plunged the entire banquet hall into chaos and silence. Everyone's attention was drawn to it, including Liam, who had been standing not far away, talking to someone.
When he saw Clara lying among the shards of glass, looking incredibly disheveled and vulnerable, his expression changed drastically. Almost instinctively, he hurriedly pushed through the stunned crowd, rushed forward, bent down, and reached out to help Clara up from the mess and check her injuries.
"Clara!"
"Honey! How are you? Are you alright? How could you be so careless?"
His voice was filled with genuine shock, anger, and urgency, and his hand had already touched Clara's arm.
But just then, Lila's sharp, panicked voice, like a razor-sharp blade, pierced through the chaos and rang in:
"Brother! Something terrible has happened! I just got a call from Vanessa! Vanessa is being bullied and surrounded at the airport. It seems like the situation is very serious. She keeps crying and calling your name..."
"What did you say?!"
Upon hearing the name "Vanessa" and the news of being "bullied," Liam's body stiffened abruptly! His expression froze for a moment, replaced by an unprecedented tension and worry. Almost reflexively, he instantly released his grip on Clara's arm and stood up abruptly!
Without any hesitation, without even a "wait for me to come back" or any arrangements for the situation, Liam seemed to have been pressed the only start button. Without hesitation, he pushed through the crowd and ran like an arrow towards the exit of the banquet hall, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant.
Clara, who was suddenly released, was trying to stand up with his help, but the sudden loss of support left her completely without support.
"Thump—"
Amidst gasps and gasps of alarm around her, she was thrown back into that cold, damp, and chaotic place, littered with sharp shards of glass, once again, more heavily and thoroughly.
This time, the pain of her body hitting the ground was clearly felt, but even clearer was the sound of her heart being utterly crushed into dust. She lay on the cold ground, listening to the cacophony of sympathy and gossip around her, but felt only utter silence in the world. She slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the last glimmer of light in them had completely vanished, leaving only boundless, cold darkness and resolute despair.
