The banquet hall fell silent.

A heavy tension filled the room.

Then Serena’s expression darkened. “Bryan, know your place!”

“My place?” I let out a cold laugh. “You mean, the so-called son-in-law of the Portman Family?”

“I couldn’t care less about that title.”

Her face froze, voice sharp as ice. “You don’t care?”

“You don’t care, yet you secretly use my money to support your father—letting that backwater peasant drive around in a Rolls-Royce?”

“If you really had any self-respect, you wouldn’t rely on underhanded tricks to fund your family’s luxury.”

I had always been cautious, asking my father to keep a low profile so as not to embarrass her.

I never imagined she’d twist it into a story of theft and shame—believing my family was living off her wealth?

I looked at her and chuckled softly. “Serena, you really don’t know me at all.”

Before she could respond, her mother scoffed and chimed in, eyes full of disdain.

“You’ve always thought too highly of yourself.”

“If you hadn’t lucked out by marrying into the Portman Family, how could you live such a cushy life?”

“You should be grateful for what you’ve enjoyed under this roof—stay in your lane, be a good househusband and stop humiliating yourself with this nonsense!”

The crowd around us eagerly added fuel to the fire.

“Exactly! He’s so ungrateful. Serena is the richest woman in the province—do you know how many men would kill to marry into her family?”

“If it were me, I’d serve tea to every man she brought home if it meant staying in that mansion!”

“When you marry into wealth, you need to know your role. Don’t confuse your place and start thinking you’re important.”

“It’s always the useless ones who throw tantrums. No money, no power—just pride.”

As the laughter and scorn grew louder, Serena looked at me with thinly veiled disgust.

“I know why you're doing this—because you’re jealous of Ricky.”

“But Ricky isn’t just anyone. He’s from an elite family, highly educated and incredibly capable. Without his help, the Portman Group wouldn’t be where it is today.”

“You? You used to raise children. And now, you can’t even do that.”

“What right do you have to compare yourself to him?”

I laughed, a low, bitter sound.

Ricky? The reason for the Portman Group’s success?

If I hadn’t worked behind the scenes—quietly funneling resources, shielding the company from predators—it would’ve been torn to shreds by competitors. Ricky? He was nothing but a pretty puppet.

Then he had the nerve to lean in and whisper to Serena with a smirk.

“Serena, you once said Bryan had a talent for raising children. But looking at Thomas Addison now, I think it’s just your superior genes.”

“He’s set to be a top student at Columbia University and the future heir to the Portman Group.”

“I just worry… with Bryan’s attitude, he might be a bad influence.”

His words lit a fire in Serena’s eyes. She turned to me with a chilling glare.

“Bryan, originally, I was willing to let you raise the child I’m carrying—because you did well raising Thomas.”

“But look at what he’s become. He didn’t come home last night. He won’t answer my calls.”

“I don’t care what personal issues you have—but don’t interfere with my son’s future.”

“I’ve invited all these elite figures here today to build his network—to give him a future worthy of a Portman.”

“My son must grow up to be someone powerful and respected, just like me.”

Her voice echoed through the room, so full of pride and conviction.

And yet, it made me feel nothing but sorrow.

I looked at her and said quietly, “Stop pretending to be a good mother.

“If you truly cared about him…”

“You wouldn’t have left him stranded in the pouring rain, on the morning of his college entrance exam.”

Thinking of my thoughtful, gentle son—how he died on the most important day of his life and at the hands of the person he loved and trusted most—my heart ached with unbearable grief.

Serena scowled. “All I did was not take him to his exam! Are you really going to keep harping on such a trivial thing?”

“With this petty, fault-finding attitude, you’re not even fit to be a father—let alone the son-in-law of the Portman Family!”

“You want a divorce? Fine! I’ll give it to you. Just bring our son here and I’ll sign the papers on the spot!”

Her voice rang through the hall, loud and sharp, as though she could no longer stand the sight of me.

Seeing her so resolute, Serena’s mother jumped in eagerly, “Serena, you should’ve done this long ago.”

“Bryan is just a small man from a humble background—he’s never belonged in our Portman Family.”

“People from different classes can never truly mix. If our precious grandson stays with him, he’ll only end up tainted—learning the wrong values, forgetting the rules of the elite.”

The other members of the Portman Family joined in, scolding me in unison.

“Hurry up and bring out the Portman heir. Don’t let this rotten man ruin the bright future of our young master!”

Surrounded by hostility, I caught Ricky smirking again, his expression openly gloating.

The wealthy elites and high-society women present all nodded in agreement, praising Serena for her decisiveness. They sneered that I was unworthy of the Portman name—that I had overstepped, overreached and should’ve known my place. To them, I was a disgrace—nothing but an eyesore to their aristocratic circle.

Looking at their indignant, self-righteous faces, I laughed.

So this was the world they lived in. Where cheating, affairs, mistresses and illegitimate children were excusable—natural even. But staying faithful and silent made me the villain.

I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Yet I was the one being judged, mocked, condemned.

What a joke.

I took a deep breath, then turned to Serena and said clearly, “I brought our son.”

Her brow furrowed. She glanced around. “Where is he?”

The other Portman Family members looked around too, scanning the hall for a young boy.

Serena’s mother even put on her reading glasses and squinted toward the crowd. “Where’s my precious grandson?”

I reached into my bag, pulled out the certificate and placed it firmly on the main table.

“He’s right here.”