The Gilbert family's relatives and friends had all arrived, along with every business partner of Gilbert Group.
Russell was working the room, playing the gracious host—but his eyes kept flicking to his watch, then to the entrance. Waiting for his mother.
Christine, meanwhile, floated through the crowd in an elegant dress, laughing with Julia Gilbert as if they hadn't a care in the world.
The moment I stepped into the banquet hall, they exchanged a glance. Then, in perfect unison, they glided toward me.
Christine's voice dripped with mock sweetness.
"Well, well. If it isn't the devoted daughter who lets her mother crash other people's parties to mooch free food."
"What are you planning to take home tonight? A doggy bag for your greedy little mommy?"
Julia looked me up and down, her lip curling.
"Tania, you married my brother. The least you could do is stop embarrassing the Gilbert name with your family's pathetic habits."
"People might start thinking we took in a whole family of beggars."
The guests nearby caught every word. Whispers rippled through the crowd, each one sharper than the last.
"I heard someone was mooching at Skylark Restaurant earlier. I thought, who still does that? Turns out it was Tania Henson's mother."
"Apparently Assistant Fox locked her in a dog cage and taught her a lesson—pulled out all her teeth!"
"Serves her right. Can't show her face in polite society, and she has the nerve to humiliate the Gilberts? Losing her teeth is getting off easy."
"Exactly. If you don't teach people like that a lesson, they'll just keep embarrassing you."
Russell's expression darkened. He strode over, towering above me, his voice ice.
"Tania. Today is my mother's fiftieth birthday. If your mother's antics ruin her mood, I won't just make you pay—I'll make sure that worthless woman of yours regrets ever being born."
His words cut deep. But all I felt was a cold, bitter laugh building in my chest.
"Russell, if you really cared about your mother, you'd go to the restaurant yourself."
His brow furrowed. "Why the hell would I go there?"
"To watch your mother throw a tantrum?"
"To see her humiliate herself?"
"Tania, don't you dare drag your mother's mess into this."
Julia lifted her chin, her sneer perfectly rehearsed.
"Exactly. Today is my mother's birthday. You think your mom's little drama is worth my brother's time?"
"If you ask me, they should lock her up and starve her for a few days. Teach her what staying in her lane means."
"She seems to think that just because you married into the Gilbert family, your whole clan gets to ride our coattails."
Christine gazed at me, triumph glittering in her eyes.
"Tania, I know you're worried about your mother. But relax—I only gave her a little lesson. Just enough to teach her some manners. I wouldn't really hurt her."
The words had barely left her lips when Manager Chavez from Skylark Restaurant burst through the doors, pale and breathless.
"Miss Fox—there's a problem."
"The old woman in the dog cage. She's dead."
The banquet hall erupted.
Christine went white. "What do you mean, dead?"
Austin Chavez doubled over, gasping for air.
"We did exactly what you told us—pulled all her teeth, locked her in the cage, left her there."
"But she had a heart condition. After you left, she started clutching her chest, couldn't breathe. She was gone within minutes."
The color drained from Christine's face. Her knees buckled.
Russell caught her instantly, pulling her close.
"Shh, it's alright, Christine."
"This is Tania's mother's own fault—her body gave out. It has nothing to do with you."
Julia's eyes darted between them. Then she nodded, eager and emphatic.
