Silence fell the instant Gemma finished speaking. For three whole seconds, no one said a word.
Then laughter broke out.
The hotel entrance quickly filled with mocking voices.
"Did everyone hear that? She seriously claimed the party can't begin without her. Who does she think she is? Death? That's ridiculous!"
"Is something wrong with her?"
"Now I see why the Elliotts and the Edwardses didn't want her here. She didn't come for the party. She came here to embarrass them."
The laughter and ridicule poured in from every side, leaving the Elliott family and Brendan with barely any dignity.
Rage overtook Brendan, yet his anger tangled his words.
Back then, Sallie had left the country. Frustrated, he had rushed into marriage with Gemma. Now, he bitterly regretted binding himself to someone so foolish.
"Gemma!" he shouted with open threat. "Leave this place right now, or this marriage ends today!"
Instead of reacting with fear, Gemma responded with a cold smile, "That's fine with me. We'll file the divorce tomorrow."
Brendan went completely still. "What did you just say?"
"I said we're getting divorced."
Shock held him in place as he stared at her. Was she bluffing?
Why had she actually agreed to divorce him?
Before Brendan could recover from his stunned silence, a deep and commanding voice came from behind them.
"What exactly is happening here?"
A man dressed in a black suit appeared, and the air around him carried a quiet authority that caused people nearby to step aside without thinking.
"Mr. Patterson!" Sallie brightened the moment she saw him. She quickly moved toward him, then turned to the others. "Dad, Mom, Darwin, Robert, Brendan. This is Mr. Raphael Patterson. He was the one who helped me obtain the invitation. He works under Death."
Rumors had always said that even the most low-key people who worked around Death often came from powerful families.
The moment those words were spoken, Jeremy and Brendan both grew tense.
"So you are the one who arranged the invitation for us," Jeremy said as he hurried forward with a smile. "I'm Sallie's father. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Mr. Patterson," Brendan said with respectful politeness.
Whispers spread through the surrounding crowd. "So that's Raphael Patterson from Eighwell? I've heard his name before. Isn't he supposed to be an important figure there? I also heard he used to work under Death."
"He actually knows Sallie Elliott? That's hard to believe."
"Sallie really knows how to get ahead. Meanwhile, her sister behaves like a fool. Pretending to be Death? She must want trouble."
As the quiet chatter spread around him, Raphael drew his brows together and repeated his question. "Someone explain what just happened."
"Mr. Patterson, please forgive her!" Sallie quickly spoke before anyone else could answer. "My sister just claimed to be Death herself. She's been unstable lately, and she said those things just to slip into the party. Please don't blame her for it."
Her words sounded like a defense.
Yet at the same time, she had fixed the accusation firmly in place. Gemma had impersonated Death and disturbed the party.
Raphael's face darkened immediately.
"Outrageous. This party marks Death's return," he said in a sharp voice. "An event like this would draw attention anywhere. And someone still dared to impersonate her?"
He turned abruptly and instructed sharply, "Take her away. Immediately."
The bodyguards reacted without hesitation.
Hostile looks settled on Gemma from every direction.
In the eyes of the crowd, her fate was already sealed.
Just as the bodyguards stepped closer and reached out toward her, Gemma's voice rang out. It sliced through the entrance.
"And who exactly gave you the right to lay a hand on me?"
Raphael froze.
That voice...
His head turned before he could stop himself, and his gaze locked onto Gemma. Until that moment, he had barely paid attention to her presence.
When his eyes finally met her face, the color vanished from his own. In front of everyone, he staggered back several steps.
His hand lifted as it trembled, and he pointed toward her. Even his voice shook with shock.
"You... you're..."
