Chapter 3

“Ah! Are you insane?!”

Sophie’s scream tore through the silence of the ballroom.

She sprang up from her seat. The elegant makeup on her face had run, her eyeliner smeared into a mess, leaving her looking both disheveled and vicious.

Mia was frightened by the sudden turn of events and burst into tears, wrapping both arms tightly around my leg.

I immediately shielded my daughter behind me and stared coldly at the hysterical woman before me.

“You crazy bitch! What the hell are you doing?”

Sophie wiped her face with her sleeve while cursing at me, completely abandoning the elegance and poise she had shown earlier.

The hotel attendants hurried over when they heard the commotion.

“Ma’am, what happened? Please remain calm.”

“Calm? You didn’t see this crazy woman throw wine at me?”

“Do you know how much this dress cost? Even if you sold yourself and that bastard daughter of yours, you couldn’t afford to compensate me!”

Sophie pointed at my nose, trembling with rage.

One attendant tried to calm Sophie while another turned to me.

“Ma’am, could you explain what happened?”

Before I could say anything, Sophie broke free of the attendant’s restraint and lunged at me, clawing wildly.

“Looks like your husband doesn’t love you either, just like that useless old wife! Did I hit too close to home?”

“Smack!”

Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

The entire ballroom fell silent.

Even Mia stopped crying for a moment.

Sophie covered her cheek and stared at me in disbelief before letting out an even more hysterical scream.

“You hit me? Do you know who my husband is?”

“He’s the general manager of this hotel! He’s the son of the chairman of the Starlight Hotel Group. You’re finished!”

She turned toward the attendant and ordered, “Go get the general manager right now and let him see how his wife is being bullied!”

The attendant looked troubled.

“Ma’am, the general manager is currently handling the event’s central operations…”

“Enough excuses! If you don’t go, I’ll file a complaint against you. Go, now!”

Sophie practically roared the words.

The attendant hesitated, then walked toward the operations room.

A few minutes later, she returned with a complicated expression.

“General Manager Ethan said… he’s handling the event’s operations and can’t leave at the moment.”

“He asked me to relay that everyone should remain calm. He’ll come and handle everything shortly.”

Sophie was clearly dissatisfied with the response and was about to explode when a team of security guards rushed in.

The man leading them announced, “We received a report that someone is causing trouble here and disturbing our VIP guests.”

Sophie’s expression instantly turned smug as she pointed at me.

“Yes, it’s her! Arrest her!”

My heart sank inch by inch. “Did someone really report this? You’re trying to arrest a guest without even determining what happened. What kind of training did you receive?”

One of the security guards pulled out a radio.

Ethan’s voice came through it.

“A guest in the VIP ballroom is seriously disrupting order and attacking another person, causing harm to my wife.”

“My wife checked into this hotel specifically to accompany me today, yet she encountered this unpleasant incident. I cannot ignore the injustice done to her.”

“Security, immediately restrain the troublemaker and ensure the safety of the other guests and my wife. Please trust that we will handle this properly and ensure the gala proceeds smoothly.”

When the message ended, every gaze in the ballroom focused on me.

Those eyes were full of contempt, condemnation, and excitement at the spectacle.

“So she was the one who started it…”

“She looks like she snuck in. How shameless…”

“The general manager’s wife is so pitiful. She comes to her husband’s hotel and still has to deal with something like this…”

Whispers came from every direction.

Mia shrank into my arms and asked softly, “Mommy, why would Daddy say that?”

A chill rose in my heart.

Two security guards tried to grab me.

“Ma’am, please cooperate while we investigate.”

Sophie immediately cut in. “This woman attacked me for no reason!”

“My husband just said she lost control. Arrest her!”

I shook them off.

“Don’t touch me. If either of you lays a hand on me today, you’ll lose your jobs.”

The two security guards seemed intimidated by my presence and froze, afraid to move recklessly.

An older attendant quietly advised me, “Ma’am, I think you should apologize to this lady. Her husband isn’t only the general manager—he’s also the chairman’s son. He has a great deal of influence in the company. Escalating this won’t benefit you.”

I could hardly believe my ears.

“The chairman’s son? How could I not know that the chairman of the Starlight Hotel Group has a son?”