The Gilbert family's relatives and friends had all arrived, along with every business partner of Gilbert Group.

Russell was working the room, playing the gracious host—but his eyes kept flicking to his watch, then to the entrance. Waiting for his mother.

Christine, meanwhile, floated through the crowd in an elegant dress, laughing with Julia Gilbert as if they hadn't a care in the world.

The moment I stepped into the banquet hall, they exchanged a glance. Then, in perfect unison, they glided toward me.

Christine's voice dripped with mock sweetness.

"Well, well. If it isn't the devoted daughter who lets her mother crash other people's parties to mooch free food."

"What are you planning to take home tonight? A doggy bag for your greedy little mommy?"

Julia looked me up and down, her lip curling.

"Tania, you married my brother. The least you could do is stop embarrassing the Gilbert name with your family's pathetic habits."

"People might start thinking we took in a whole family of beggars."

The guests nearby caught every word. Whispers rippled through the crowd, each one sharper than the last.

"I heard someone was mooching at Skylark Restaurant earlier. I thought, who still does that? Turns out it was Tania Henson's mother."

"Apparently Assistant Fox locked her in a dog cage and taught her a lesson—pulled out all her teeth!"

"Serves her right. Can't show her face in polite society, and she has the nerve to humiliate the Gilberts? Losing her teeth is getting off easy."

"Exactly. If you don't teach people like that a lesson, they'll just keep embarrassing you."

Russell's expression darkened. He strode over, towering above me, his voice ice.

"Tania. Today is my mother's fiftieth birthday. If your mother's antics ruin her mood, I won't just make you pay—I'll make sure that worthless woman of yours regrets ever being born."

His words cut deep. But all I felt was a cold, bitter laugh building in my chest.

"Russell, if you really cared about your mother, you'd go to the restaurant yourself."

His brow furrowed. "Why the hell would I go there?"

"To watch your mother throw a tantrum?"

"To see her humiliate herself?"

"Tania, don't you dare drag your mother's mess into this."

Julia lifted her chin, her sneer perfectly rehearsed.

"Exactly. Today is my mother's birthday. You think your mom's little drama is worth my brother's time?"

"If you ask me, they should lock her up and starve her for a few days. Teach her what staying in her lane means."

"She seems to think that just because you married into the Gilbert family, your whole clan gets to ride our coattails."

Christine gazed at me, triumph glittering in her eyes.

"Tania, I know you're worried about your mother. But relax—I only gave her a little lesson. Just enough to teach her some manners. I wouldn't really hurt her."

The words had barely left her lips when Manager Chavez from Skylark Restaurant burst through the doors, pale and breathless.

"Miss Fox—there's a problem."

"The old woman in the dog cage. She's dead."

The banquet hall erupted.

Christine went white. "What do you mean, dead?"

Austin Chavez doubled over, gasping for air.

"We did exactly what you told us—pulled all her teeth, locked her in the cage, left her there."

"But she had a heart condition. After you left, she started clutching her chest, couldn't breathe. She was gone within minutes."

The color drained from Christine's face. Her knees buckled.

Russell caught her instantly, pulling her close.

"Shh, it's alright, Christine."

"This is Tania's mother's own fault—her body gave out. It has nothing to do with you."

Julia's eyes darted between them. Then she nodded, eager and emphatic.

"Exactly, Christine. This isn't your fault. Blame that old hag for being too frail to go out without making a scene."

"If you ask me, she deserved to die. At least now she won't embarrass the Gilbert family anymore."

Seeing Russell and Julia both side with Christine, the guests—who moments ago had been stunned into silence—scrambled to align themselves:

"You're absolutely right. People like her, always looking for a free meal, are nothing but parasites."

"If anything, Assistant Fox did society a favor. Nothing to feel bad about."

"Exactly! She came here to freeload. If her heart couldn't handle it, she shouldn't have been out causing trouble. She was asking for it."

Within seconds, everyone was comforting Christine.

As if she were the victim—not the poor woman lying dead.

Watching them rally around her, a flicker of satisfaction glinted in Christine's eyes.

But in the next breath, she cast a timid glance my way and turned to Russell, her voice trembling just so:

"But Mr. Gilbert... the woman who died was Tania's mother. What if she comes after me?"

Russell gazed at her, his eyes soft with tenderness. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will lay a finger on you."

With that, he ordered a settlement letter drafted on the spot. It landed in front of me.

"Tania, your mother was in the wrong first. If she's dead, she has only her own rotten luck to blame—not Christine."

"For the sake of our marriage, I'll make sure your mother gets a proper funeral."

"But you will sign this letter. You'll guarantee this matter ends here. You will not make trouble for Christine."

Julia folded her arms, chin lifted high.

"Tania, your mother brought this on herself. Don't even think about shaking Christine down. Be smart for once and sign the damn thing."

The two of them stood there, imperious, waiting for my compliance.

I pushed the document back toward them.

"If anyone's signing this," I said evenly, "it's you. Not me. I'm not the one with standing."

Russell's expression darkened. He thought I was refusing.

"Tania. Don't push your luck."

"Your mother was a vagrant. A nobody. Her existence contributed nothing to this world. The fact that I'm willing to give her a decent burial should have your ancestors weeping with gratitude. Don't get greedy."

Julia's face pinched with disgust. "Exactly. If my brother weren't so kindhearted, no one would even bother collecting her corpse after the filthy things she did."

"We're offering you a way out. Take it while you still can."

I let out a slow breath.

"You've misunderstood. The woman who died—" I met Russell's eyes. "—is your mother. This settlement letter? Only you have the standing to sign it."

Julia's composure shattered.

"Have you lost your mind?! How dare you say something so vile at my mother's birthday banquet—cursing her like that?!"

Russell's fury erupted.

"Tania, I've been far too lenient with you all these years. That's clearly why you've become so arrogant you've forgotten basic respect for your elders."

"My mother is the most important person in my life. I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her—not even my own wife!"

He whipped around to face Austin, his voice slicing through the air.

"Go back to the restaurant. Now. Throw that old wretch's body into the septic pit."

Austin hesitated, glancing uneasily at me. "Mr. Gilbert, that's... that doesn't seem right..."

Russell's voice dropped to ice.

"She won't sign? She wants to curse my mother? Fine. Today I'll show her exactly what happens when someone disrespects the woman who gave me life."

"Do it. Now. Whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility."

Seeing Russell's fury, Manager Chavez didn't dare defy him any longer. He scrambled away to handle the matter, practically crawling in his haste.

The guests around me shook their heads, their whispers sharp as broken glass:

"Well, Tania's really touched Mr. Gilbert's raw nerve now."

"Exactly. His father died young—Mrs. Gilbert raised him and his sister single-handedly. Everyone knows she's the one person he'd burn the world down for. And Tania goes and curses her at her own birthday banquet? The woman's lost her mind."

"No wonder her mother's dead. Saddled with a daughter this ungrateful, what parent could survive?"

The gossip was vicious. Cruel.

It didn't touch me.

I ignored them all, held Russell's gaze, and spoke—each word deliberate as a nail driven into wood:

"Russell. Are you certain you want to push this to the absolute end?"

He looked down at me, cold and imperious. "Tania, you brought this on yourself."

"Your mother died because she was shameless and greedy. Always chasing handouts."

"You had no right to curse mine at her birthday banquet. Not once. Not twice."

"Frankly? Having a daughter as ungrateful and disrespectful as you—your mother deserved to die young."

The words had barely left his lips when my mother walked into the banquet hall.

She looked at Russell, confusion softening her weathered face. "Who died?"