Robert reacted first. Fury flashed across his face as he stepped forward, clearly taking Gemma's words as a deliberate challenge.
"Gemma, do you even understand what we are saying to you?" he snapped. "Without an invitation, you won't even get through the entrance. If you have any sense left, stop embarrassing yourself."
Gemma remained unmoved. "Step aside," she said calmly.
Robert's patience finally ran out. "You've completely lost it." He raised his voice sharply. "Guards! Don't let Gemma leave. Keep her here."
Six large bodyguards moved forward immediately. They lined up in front of her and blocked the doorway.
Jeremy's brows tightened in annoyance. "That's enough. We're already running late for the party." He waved dismissively. "Let's go. Leave her here."
The rest of the Elliotts followed him out in a hurry, leaving Gemma standing inside with the bodyguards.
The door closed behind them.
Gemma slowly looked across the six men surrounding her. Her expression stayed calm, almost unsettlingly calm.
The man in front spoke in a low warning. "Miss Elliott, please return upstairs."
Gemma's lips curved slightly. "You think you can stop me?"
Before the final word finished leaving her mouth, she had already moved.
Her figure disappeared from where she stood, leaving only a blur behind.
Shock ran through the bodyguards.
Only then did they understand something. The woman standing in front of them was nothing like the weak target they once believed Gemma to be.
...
Outside, the night wind stirred the hem of her dress.
She got into a car and drove toward Prime Tower, Olnstead's most prestigious address.
By that time, luxury vehicles had already filled the entrance of the city's largest seven-star hotel. Hundreds of security personnel stood outside to control the crowd.
Anyone without an invitation would be stopped at the door.
When the Elliotts arrived and stepped out of their car, Brendan was already waiting in the parking area. He wore a perfectly fitted black suit.
Tonight, he looked every bit the polished heir people expected him to be.
"Brendan."
Sallie hurried toward him and slipped her arm through his, her manner gentle and reserved. Brendan turned toward her with clear indulgence in his eyes.
Standing side by side, Brendan and Sallie looked far more like a married pair than he had ever looked with Gemma.
"Let's head inside," Brendan said.
He led the Elliotts toward the hotel entrance.
At the doorway, staff carefully checked invitations and confirmed guest identities to ensure that only those authorized were allowed inside.
Brendan and Jeremy had just started taking out their invitations when a sharp screech of brakes rang out behind them.
A luxury car had pulled up. From the vehicle stepped a woman wearing a red evening gown. Her presence carried a cool elegance that drew attention the moment she appeared.
It was none other than Gemma. She handed her keys to the valet and walked forward.
The instant Brendan saw her, his expression shifted.
Only one night had passed. Since when had she looked like this?
The woman approaching him looked nothing like the Gemma he remembered. The difference struck him so strongly that his chest tightened.
For a brief moment, he simply stared.
Then he forced himself to recover. As she approached, Brendan spoke with open irritation. "Why are you here? Didn't your family already tell you to stay home instead of coming out and embarrassing yourself again? Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
After the way she behaved the day before, he had almost believed she finally gained some courage.
And now? Not even twenty four hours had passed before she returned to chasing after him again.
So everything yesterday had been nothing more than a performance.
The thought only deepened his impatience. "Don't imagine that showing up dressed like that and begging me will change anything. You are not entering this party with me tonight."
Sallie slipped her hand gently around Brendan's arm, her voice soft. "Brendan, maybe Gemma only came because she cares about you so much. But tonight's event matters a lot. Gemma, if you truly care about him, it would be better for you to go home."
Gemma looked at the people who called themselves her family. Every single one of them stared back with the same contempt and disgust.
The situation felt almost laughable.
"What makes you think I needed to enter with you, huh?"
Her tone remained calm, yet the atmosphere around them shifted.
Then she sneered, "Move."
The force in her voice struck them so abruptly that, for a moment, no one reacted.
By the time they regained their senses, Gemma had already lifted the hem of her dress and walked straight toward the entrance.
"What is wrong with her?" Robert snapped as he nearly rushed after her.
Brendan's hands tightened into fists. "Leave her alone," he said through clenched teeth. "Without an invitation, she won't get past the door. Let her keep pretending. We'll see how long it lasts."
At the entrance, a security guard raised his hand and blocked her path. "Ma'am, may I see your invitation?"
Gemma stopped and answered without hesitation, "I don't have one."
An invitation?
Other people might need one. She didn't.
A laugh came from behind her.
Sallie and the others had arrived just in time to hear the exchange.
Guests entering the hotel began turning their heads in Gemma's direction. Their expressions carried open ridicule.
"Who is that woman? This is Death's welcome back party. Does she seriously think she can walk in without an invitation?"
"Wait, I recognize her. That's Sallie Elliott's sister, right? Or rather, Mrs. Edwards."
"What? She actually dared to show up here?"
The whispers spread through the crowd.
"Gemma!" Brendan's face darkened instantly. He spoke her name like he was biting it off. "Go home. Right now."
He stepped forward and reached toward her.
Gemma didn't move aside. "Don't touch me. You disgust me."
She then turned toward the guard again.
"Tell whoever is responsible for this event," she said calmly. "If I'm not allowed inside tonight, this party will not begin."
She stood there with her back straight and her posture firm.
"Tell them to come out and greet me themselves."
