“Mom, if she's ever upset you before, don't bottle it up. It's not worth making yourself sick over.”
I smiled and said nothing.
But just as the banquet was winding down,
the doors swung open：
“Which one of you is Julia Manning?!”
Twenty years ago,
I severed all ties with the Manning family.
I gave myself a new name.
My sister Ella Manning looked exactly the same as she had two decades ago.
The only difference was that her waist-length hair was now pinned up.
Her face had taken on the polished allure of a woman in her prime.
The moment she saw me, she froze.
A few seconds passed.
Then she smiled：
“Morris's mother is you?”
I didn't answer.
“Sister,” Ella's gaze sharpened with mockery：
“Everyone says you never remarried in twenty years, and yet……you had a child?”
“Is there something you need, Ms. Manning?”
That snapped Ella back to the reason she'd come.
Her eyes cooled as they settled on me：
“Linda hasn't stopped crying since she got home.”
“And?”
“Don't you think you're shameless?”
“Hm?”
Ella glared at me, unblinking：
“You can't beat me, so you take it out on an innocent girl!”
I smiled and said nothing.
“Julia Manning.”
Ella's voice went frigid：“Don't think being the richest man's mother gives you the right to do whatever you please.
“Don't forget, my husband held that title once, too.
“And Linda's grandmother, our mother, is a philanthropist known the world over.”
I sat in the head chair, unhurried：“And?
“Since when does your family get a say in other people's marriages?”
“I……”
Ella's grip tightened on her clutch：“I'm just warning you not to push it!”
“You barged into my banquet to force me to accept your daughter.”
My gaze turned cold：“So who's really the one pushing it?”
Ella clenched her jaw.
She was used to getting her way in every social circle.
Everyone deferred to her out of respect for Clyde Harding and our mother.
But none of that worked on me.
I gave security a look.
Two guards stepped forward immediately and seized her by both arms.
“Julia Manning, you dare have them treat me like this!”
Ella was panicking now.
I didn't look up.
For the first time in her life, Ella was dragged out with a guard on each arm like some common trespasser.
“Julia Manning! This is too much! You've gone too far!!”
The doors closed.
Her screaming was sealed on the other side.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin.
Stood.
And gave the room a slight bow：
“My apologies for the disruption.
“Small tokens of appreciation have been prepared for everyone. Please see the house manager on your way out.
“Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
With that, I turned and left the table.
Morris followed me out.
The next morning, I had barely gotten out of bed
when someone arrived at my front gate requesting to see me.
The door opened.
Clyde Harding and I stood face to face.
Since the last time we'd seen each other,
a full twenty years had passed.
“I'm here on behalf of my wife and daughter.”
Clyde got straight to the point.
His eyes drifted across the estate's interior.
Something close to wonder flickered in his gaze：
“All these years, you built all of this on your own?”
I kept my tone flat：“Was anyone going to help me?”
His gaze lingered on me.
He let out a quiet sigh：
“What happened back then……I was rash.”
“Then who exactly are you here for, Mr. Harding?”
Clyde's breath caught.
The girl who used to cling to his arm and call him “honey” without a second thought
could now cut him down without hesitation.
