I smiled and said nothing. But the banquet was winding down—and then the doors swung open：
“Where is Nadia Henson!”
Twenty years ago, I severed ties with the Henson family and gave myself a new name.
My sister, Victoria Henson, looked the same as she had two decades ago—only her waist-length hair was pinned back now, and her face had taken on the sharpness of a woman who'd aged into her ambitions.
The moment she saw me, she froze.
A few seconds passed. Then she smiled：
“Ronnie's mother is actually you?”
I didn't answer.
“Sister,” Victoria's eyes sharpened with mockery：
“Word is you never married—not once in twenty years—and yet…… you have a child?”
“Is there something you need, Miss Henson?”
Victoria finally remembered why she'd come. Her gaze cooled as it settled on me：
“Anne hasn't stopped crying since she got home.”
“Oh.”
“Don't you think you're absolutely shameless?”
“Hm?”
Victoria stared at me, hard：
“You couldn't get to me, so you took it out on an innocent girl!”
I smiled without a word.
“Nadia Henson.”
Victoria's voice went cold：“Don't think being the richest man's mother means you can do whatever you want.
“Don't forget, my husband held that title once too.
“And Anne's grandmother, my mother, is celebrated at home and abroad.”
I sat in my place at the head of the table, unhurried：“And?
“Your whole family thinks it can meddle in other people's marriages?”
“I……”
Victoria's grip tightened on her handbag：“I'm just here to remind you not to push it too far!”
“You barged into my banquet to force me to accept your daughter.”
My gaze turned cold：“So who, exactly, is the one pushing it?”
Victoria clenched her jaw. She was used to running unchecked in their elite social circle—everyone deferred to her out of respect for Mr. Stephens and our mother. None of that worked on me.
I glanced at security. Two guards stepped forward at once and caught her by both arms.
“Nadia Henson, you dare let them treat me like this!”
Victoria was panicking now.
I didn't look up.
She'd never been dragged out of anywhere before—but here she was, a guard on each side, hauled toward the door.
“Nadia Henson! This is too much! You've gone too far!!”
The doors closed, sealing her voice outside.
I wiped my mouth, stood, and bowed to the room：
“My apologies for the disruption.
“Small gifts have been prepared for everyone—please collect them from the butler on your way out.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
With that, I turned and left the table. Ronnie followed me out.
The next morning I had barely gotten out of bed when word came that someone was at the front gate, asking to see me.
The door opened, and Ervin Stephens stood on the other side.
Since the last time we'd been face to face, a full twenty years had passed.
“I'm here on behalf of my wife and daughter.”
He got straight to the point. His eyes drifted over the estate's interior, and something like nostalgia flickered across his face：
“All these years, you built all of this on your own?”
I kept my tone flat：“Was anyone going to help me?”
His gaze settled on me. He let out a quiet sigh：
“What happened back then…… I was rash.”
“So, Mr. Stephens, which one of them are you really here for?”
His breath caught. The girl who used to hang on his arm, calling him “darling” like it was the most natural word in the world—that girl could now throw his words back at him without flinching.
He sighed again：
“I've spoiled those two.
“You know how it is. Mother and I have always doted on them.
