Could anyone still fail to see the truth now? Just from forcing Selina to toast Mr. Perez and bribing his assistant, Katie's intentions were obvious!
"This stepmother is truly ruthless. Just to pave the way for her own daughter, she pushed Selina into the hands of that Mr. Perez. The daughter of the first wife is really pitiful…"
"Exactly. Who knows how many women Mr. Perez has ruined? And now her daughter is the mistress, yet they still want to drive Miss Clark to ruin…"
Ryan hadn't been here long, but he had already caught most of the story.
In his heart, he believed Selina must have intentionally offered herself to curry favor with Mr. Clark, and that Katie had nothing to do with it.
But as the evidence piled up, even he began to panic. Could it be that Selina wasn't just drunk last night, but actually…
"I had no choice!"
At that moment, Katie, who was being accused from all sides, suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Selina with a thud.
"Selina, I was desperate! You know the state of the Clark Family right now. All the investors have pulled out. Without Mr. Perez, the Clark Group is finished… You're part of the Clark Family too. Can you really stand by and watch it collapse into bankruptcy?"
"Mr. Perez said that as long as we had a business marriage, he would invest in the Clark Group. That's the only reason I came up with this plan. Selina, it's my fault, but I did it all for the Clark Family…"
The onlookers exchanged uncertain glances. Katie's explanation… did seem to make some sense.
After all, it was common knowledge that the Clark Group had lost its investors, and Mr. Perez was the only one willing to step in.
Katie's methods might have been wrong, but…
"What a joke!" Alice sneered coldly, her words cutting like a blade.
"If you want a business marriage by selling a daughter, why not sell your own? Is your illegitimate daughter so precious while the first wife's daughter means nothing?!"
"Your daughter just climbed into her brother-in-law's bed, and you turned around and handed Selina over to that scum. What's this—trying to cleanly get rid of Miss Clark so Natalia can marry into the Carter Family without a hitch?!"
Alice then shot Ryan a sharp glance, adding mercilessly, "The Carter Family must have lost their minds, all except for Old Mr. Carter, to even consider taking in such a two-faced, scheming illegitimate daughter!"
Ryan's face darkened instantly, but he couldn't find a word to refute her!
Selina swallowed nervously, looking at Alice in shock.
Wait… did Alice just insult everyone in the Carter Family except Old Mr. Carter?
Didn't that mean Logan got dragged into it too?
Selina instinctively glanced at Logan's expression, only to see him looking calm and unbothered, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
…As expected of the head of the Reid Group. Unflappable.
James was trembling with rage. "Miss Drake, you—"
Alice spoke quickly, her words razor-sharp.
"The Drake Family cut ties with the Clark Group because of this illegitimate daughter's offenses! And what does the Clark Family do? They make up for her mistakes by selling Selina. Truly the work of a mistress clawing her way to the top—unmatched in cunning!"
That single word, "mistress," managed to hit two targets at once. The guests instinctively stepped back from the Clark Family.
"What a clever scheme… The illegitimate daughter causes trouble, and it's Selina who pays the price. I wouldn't be surprised if Natalia did it on purpose!"
"Right? No matter what Natalia does, the Clark Family would never sacrifice her. Instead, they make Selina suffer."
"James and Ryan—what blind, heartless men. Honestly, Miss Clark is far superior to Natalia in both character and beauty…"
"Some people just have a taste for mistresses and sneaky affairs."
Cold sweat began to bead on Katie's forehead. Every word of the crowd's condemnation rang in her ears, twisting her expression into one of desperation. "No, this has nothing to do with Natalia—ah!"
Clutching her chest, Katie's eyes rolled back as she collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Mom!" Natalia cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Sister, please let us go! Dad, Mom's heart isn't good. I'm so upset…"
James's heart ached. "Selina, you heard her. Katie didn't do it on purpose. She's fainted now—do you really want to push her to death? She's so kind..."
Selina's smile grew colder by the second.
Fainted?
Katie and Natalia *always* fainted!
As long as they fainted, all their wrongdoings could be brushed aside. In James's eyes, they were so pitiable that if she pursued the matter further, she'd become the unreasonable one.
Just pretending to faint? Anyone could do that.
Selina's voice turned despondent. "Father, you keep saying that nothing happened to me, so I must forgive Mrs. Bryant. But what if something had happened to me today? Would you be urging me to marry Mr. Perez instead?"
"Either way, Mrs. Bryant will never face any punishment... Fine. I see things clearly now. This is my fault. I should never have come back to this house..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Selina suddenly clutched her chest. Her face turned ashen, and the rosy hue of her lips drained away bit by bit.
Then, her eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed backward—softly and limply.
"Miss Clark!" Alice, noticing Logan's darkened expression, quickly stepped forward to catch Selina and signaled Ethan with her eyes.
Ethan frowned and approached, his tone icy.
"James! You truly are scum—a man who abandoned his first wife to elevate a mistress! All you care about is Katie playing at fainting, while your own daughter was nearly ruined for life. She's burning with a fever, and you don't even care!"
"Fine. If you like your mistress so much, then leave with her. Guards!"
A group of bodyguards quickly arrived, and Ethan didn't hold back. "Blacklist all of them!"
The hotel was owned by the Reid Group, and Ethan was Logan's close friend. His orders were, of course, followed without question.
In an instant, the banquet hall was cleared out. The members of the Clark Family were thrown out the door, turning what was supposed to be a grand 50th birthday celebration into a complete farce.
Not only had James lost face, but even Ryan found himself the subject of whispers and pointed stares. He stood there in a daze.
Last night… Natalia had insisted that Selina had been involved with Mr. Perez for a long time. So how had it turned into Katie setting her up?
Where had things gone wrong?
...
After Katie and the others were dragged out, Selina tried to open her eyes.
She'd only been pretending to faint, but why did she feel so exhausted now?
Was it because she hadn't slept well last night? Yes, last night Logan had…
Half-conscious, she seemed to hear voices. It was Ethan, speaking.
"Logan, she really does have a fever. I'll prescribe some medicine. Take her home to rest."
She heard Ethan leave the room, followed by Alice's voice.
"Logan, you're absolutely shameless. Miss Clark is such a delicate young lady, and you were way too rough. I took one look at her waist, and the marks on it…"
Alice looked at Selina with pity. "I'll go get some ointment for her. Her waist, and… well, that area... Ahem. Anyway, you'll need to apply it."
Logan's tone remained calm and indifferent. "Leave."
Alice muttered something about him being a beast before leaving the room to the two of them.
Selina, though unable to open her eyes, remained aware. She heard the exchange, and her cheeks flushed furiously.
...What were they talking about? Could they actually say such things out loud?!
And her waist… No wonder it had been aching—it must've been from Logan grabbing her!
The fever made her body more sensitive, and she could feel Logan's fingertips brushing against her waist and abdomen.
The gentle, tingling sensation sent shivers through her. Selina bit her lip tightly, but a small gasp still slipped out.
"Mm…"