Chapter 6 Who Did This

• Lilian's and Stephen's eyes went wide. They both ran over and snatched the invitation away, holding it up under the light as they scrutinized it.
• It was indeed the most distinguished invitation for the banquet, the highest rank of gold emerald color. To safeguard the privacy of the guest, nothing was written on it, rendering it all the more unique.
• When the invitation was opened to reveal the seat indicated within, everyone present was further stunned.
• Not only was it the first row, but it was also the exclusive seats.
• This... This is impossible! The first row is the most prestigious, and one can bring family along. It's an entire row of exclusive seats!
• Stephen yanked his tie off, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. All of a sudden, realization dawned upon him. He jerked his head up and sneered, “Hah! How did you steal this invitation, Vanessa?”
• What? He's saying that the invitation was stolen?
• Vanessa was both aggrieved and incensed. “It was given to me by the president of Fourwaters Union.”
• As soon as her words rang out, everyone there burst into raucous laughter.
• “Given by the president of Fourwaters Union? How ridiculous!”
• Stephen grew even more smug. “The president of Fourwaters Union? Even I have never seen him in person. You don't even know how to lie, huh? Let me be honest with you. Our president has never made an appearance. How could he possibly give you this invitation?”
• Tears shimmered in Vanessa's eyes even as grievance, humiliation, and fury flooded her.
• Sneering again, Stephen held the invitation up and said in a deep voice, “Look at this, Grandma. This is a symbol of Fortuna. With this symbol, it's evidence that this invitation is meant for Fourwaters Union's internal use.” He reached out and swiped at the messy hair on his forehead, his voice imposing as he asked, “Don't tell me you're an employee of Fourwaters Union, Vanessa?”
• Vanessa promptly froze on the spot.
• At that precise moment, Lilian abruptly became excited. “Wait a second! In the Seltzer family, you're the only person working at Fourwaters Union, Stephen. On top of that, you're a mid-level executive. Is it actually meant for you, but Vanessa took it away?”
• Stephen blinked. He did not believe his mother-in-law's conjecture. But driven by vanity, he still nodded shamelessly. “It might be a special reward from Fourwaters Union. After all, I'm very much valued there.”
• Vanessa gritted her teeth. “What are you talking about? Since this invitation was given to me by the president of Fourwaters Union, what's so surprising about it carrying the Fortuna symbol?”
• “Vanessa is right. It's from the president himself, so it'll surely bear the internal symbol,” Hansel timidly seconded in defense of his daughter.
• Just then, Claudia pounded her cane on the ground. “All right, stop bickering.”
• She lifted her eyes and stared at Vanessa. In a flash, tension blanketed the whole space.
• Vanessa knew what her grandmother wanted. Even then, the latter still wanted to bend her arm to marry the patriarch of the Quinton family in a marital alliance.
• Vanessa lowered her head and said nothing, making her stance as clear as day.
• Following that, Claudia surmised callously, “That gold emerald invitation is likely meant for Stephen, but Vanessa has also contributed by helping to take it back. How about this? Just swap the invitations.”
• A silver invitation was then tossed at Vanessa's feet.
• Lilian and her family held the gold emerald invitation, acting high and mighty with their noses in the air.
• Nonetheless, uneasiness lingered within Stephen. He furtively walked to the side and made a call.
• The person he called was a low-level director at Fourwaters Union he had ingratiated himself to, an absolute big shot to him.
• “Mr. Lambert, it's me, Steve.” Stephen chuckled. “I have a question. Which big shot is the gold emerald invitation for the first seat in the first row prepared for?”
• On the other end of the phone, Daniel Lambert laughed. “I actually looked into it. There's no name on the registration form. Anyway, the first row is vacated beforehand, so it's probably prepared for internal employees.”
• After hanging up the phone, Stephen was over the moon. What a windfall!
• Straightening his suit, he walked back triumphantly and fixed his eyes on Vanessa, who was still standing there, with her face drained of all color. “I made a call and verified things a moment ago. The invitation is meant for me. It's a reward for employees by Fourwaters Union. Now that all the facts are on the table, I don't want to speak further.”
• Vanessa bit her lip stubbornly. “I don't believe it. This invitation is mine, and I'm not going to swap it!”
• Claudia slammed her cane on the ground and snorted coldly. “I'm truly disappointed in you, Vanessa. Like your mother, you're a shrew and an ingrate!”
• As Hansel took in the sight of his daughter with teary eyes and heard his mother insulting his beloved wife, a stab of pain hit him like a dagger to his heart.
• However, having been suppressed by Claudia for years on end, he did not dare to step forward and refute that.
• Alanna stiffened and almost passed out. Her health was poor in the first place, and she also suffered from high blood pressure. She could not bear such humiliation.
• “You can't insult my mother in such a manner, Grandma!” Vanessa snapped her head up, her eyes blazing with rage. “The rumors about my mother in the family are the doing of some despicable person! Aunt Lilian should know that better than anyone!”
• That remark had Lilian blow her top. The doing of some despicable person? She's talking about me to my face?
• Not to be trifled with, she immediately charged forward. She thrust out a finger and jabbed it in Vanessa's face. “What did you mean by that? Who exactly are you referring to?”
• Panic swamped Alanna. She gritted her teeth and went over, shielding her daughter behind her. “Vanessa wasn't referring to you, Lilian. She's just a kid who doesn't know better, so don't take it to heart.”
• Lilian raised her hand and slapped Alanna across the face. “She doesn't know better? Then, how did you teach her as her mother?”
• Alanna trembled, a distinct red palmprint manifesting on her face. Bile filled her mouth, but she could only grit her teeth and swallow it. With a scream, Vanessa made to step forward and argue, but Hansel forcibly held her back.
• The entire place plunged into chaos.
• Throughout it all, Claudia remained silent, but the corners of her mouth were turned up, and she seemed gratified with Lilian's action.
• At that exact moment, the door of the mansion sprang open with a resounding bang.
• The raging wind outside rushed in, carrying a low rustling sound with it.
• Cassius appeared in the house.
• For some inexplicable reason, all noise ceased at once.
• Cassius noticed the red palmprint on his mother-in-law's face, and the corners of his lips twitched. He took a deliberate step forward, his voice remarkably composed as he inquired, “Who did this?”