chapter 6
635 Words
Lyla walked quietly through the hall, ignoring the curious gazes that followed her.
She approached the table marked Business Associates and calmly took a seat.
The moment she sat down, several guests exchanged curious glances.
And why had she been seated among the Miller family's most distinguished business associates?
Across the hall, Mary Kim's expression turned ugly.
She had spent months preparing Evelyn's engagement party, yet within minutes of Lyla's arrival, all attention had shifted to the woman she despised most.
Mary's fingers tightened around her clutch.
"How dare she..."
She marched toward Lyla, with Juliet Miller following closely behind.
Mary stopped directly in front of her.
"Who allowed you to sit here?"
Lyla slowly lifted her eyes.
"I was invited."
Mary laughed loudly.
"Invited?"
Her voice was deliberately loud enough for the surrounding guests to hear.
"You still have the nerve to call yourself a guest?"
The conversations around them gradually died down.
People began turning toward the confrontation.
Lyla remained seated, calmly holding her wineglass.
Mary, however, wasn't interested in keeping things private.
"Everyone here knows who you are," she said mockingly. "You were Kane's wife, and yet you couldn't even keep your husband."
A few guests exchanged uncomfortable glances.
Mary continued.
"For two years, you couldn't give the Miller family a child. Then, when Kane finally found someone who could give him a family, you became jealous."
Lyla's eyes turned cold.
Mary's voice grew louder.
"Don't pretend you were some innocent victim three years ago. You were an arrogant, bitter woman who couldn't accept that Kane had fallen in love with someone else."
"Mary," Juliet warned quietly.
But there was no real concern in her voice.
Mary ignored her.
"After the divorce, you disappeared without a trace. Nobody knew where you went. Nobody even knew how you survived."
She looked Lyla up and down with disdain.
"And now you've suddenly returned dressed like this, trying to pretend you're some elegant socialite?"
The surrounding guests began whispering.
Mary smiled triumphantly.
"Everyone knows what kind of woman you are."
Lyla slowly placed her wineglass on the table.
Her expression was surprisingly calm.
Mary mistook her silence for weakness.
"You abandoned your husband, abandoned the Miller family, and now you've shamelessly appeared at his engagement party."
She pointed toward the stage.
"Tell me, Lyla, what are you trying to do?"
Lyla finally looked up.
"Are you finished?"
Mary froze.
The calmness in Lyla's voice made her uncomfortable.
But she quickly recovered.
"No. I'm not."
She turned toward the guests.
"Since she has decided to appear here, everyone should know exactly who she is."
Mary's voice carried through the hall.
"This woman has always been jealous of my daughter. Even when Evelyn was pregnant, Lyla kill—"
"That's enough."
Lyla's voice suddenly cut through the room.
The hall fell silent.
She stood slowly.
Her eyes were cold as she looked at Mary.
"Be very careful with what you say next."
Mary scoffed.
"Why? Are you afraid people will know the truth?"
Lyla smiled faintly.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"I'm giving you one last chance to stop humiliating yourself."
Mary's face reddened.
"You think you can threaten me?"
"No."
Lyla's gaze swept across the watching crowd.
"I think you are doing a perfectly good job of that yourself."
A few guests lowered their heads, hiding their reactions.
Mary's face turned scarlet.
She opened her mouth to retaliate, but Lyla calmly picked up her wineglass.
"I came here as an invited guest."
She took a slow sip.
"But if you insist on discussing my reputation in front of everyone..."
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
"Then perhaps we should discuss yours too."
Mary's expression changed.
For the first time that evening, uncertainty flashed across her eyes.
And Lyla knew—
She had finally gotten her attention.
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