So, that was what your business trip was about.  

I left a comment under this news, [May you have a hundred years of happiness and children soon.]

Three days later, Calvin finally sent a driver to pick me up for Tami's celebration banquet.

Just as I was about to enter the hall, I was stopped by the security guard at the entrance.

“Ma’am, is your last name Carpenter?”

Seeing that I didn’t respond, the security guard handed the invitation back to me.  

“Sorry, you can't come in. Our boss had instructed us since five years ago to not serve anyone with the surname Carpenter. Please leave immediately.” 

The people waiting to enter all turned to look at me.  

“Isn’t that Mr. Weber’s wife? Still acting like she’s the young miss of the Carpenter Family?”

“She’s been hiding under the Weber name for five years. If Mr. Weber hadn’t honored his word and married her, she’d have been driven out of the US long ago. And let’s not forget—the parents of this hotel’s owner were killed when a Carpenter building collapsed!”

“Well, the Carpenter Family did have a century-old reputation. But mistakes were made and from what I’ve heard, Mr. Weber spent the last five years reviving that fallen legacy. He even burned through his own wealth to help her join 99 design competitions… all of which she lost. What a disgrace. She doesn’t deserve him.”

Just as the whispers died down, Tami arrived with her entourage.

The crowd immediately split and the hotel security rushed to welcome her.

“Miss Frost, welcome! The venue is fully prepared. If anything isn’t to your liking, just say the word—we’ll adjust everything immediately.”

“We also hope you’ll put in a good word to Mr. Weber, so all of Weber Group’s future events can be hosted here.”

Then one of the staff barked at me coldly, “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Don’t block Miss Frost’s path. The Carpenter Family is not welcome here. Don’t make me throw you out myself.”

The security guard pushed me aside. His humble demeanor was a far cry from his earlier pretentiousness.  

Tami looked at me with a smug, mocking smile.

“Enough! Is this how your hotel treats guests? I welcome anyone who wishes to attend my banquet.”

She turned to the staff with feigned innocence.

“Besides, Sylvia is my savior. If it weren’t for her, I would’ve never met Mr. Carpenter. Just inform your boss that she’s here at my invitation—he’ll surely give me that much face.”

Then she glanced back at me, her eyes gleaming with condescension.

“But Sylvia, if you’re curious about my latest design, just ask. Don’t go peeking and plagiarizing again like you did last time.”

When she mentioned plagiarism, the recently calmed discussions erupted again.  

Countless disdainful glances fell upon me.  

“Oh, right! I almost forgot this. Do you know why she, despite being backed by the Weber Family, achieved nothing? Her work is all plagiarized! Even when she took in Miss Frost back then, it was just to exploit her talent!”  

“Pfft, what a shameless person! I even felt sorry for her because her parents were deceased!”

In the past, I would have fought to the end in order not to protect Calvin's reputation.

But now, I just wanted to escape as soon as possible.  

A group of people joined in, accusing me while praising Tami.

They said she was grateful and promising.  

I was completely isolated and I couldn't help but sneer inwardly, “Tami, I wonder if you'll still be able to laugh later.”

After a long time, Calvin came out.

He walked through the crowd and naturally took my arm.

“Why don't you go in? What are you doing standing here?”  

When Tami saw Calvin appear, she immediately stepped forward.

“Sylvia, let's go in together. It’s all my fault for forgetting that the owner here doesn’t like the Carpenter Family.”

Calvin pulled me into the banquet hall and turned to introduce me to others, saying I was there to seek advice from Tami.

Even without his words, people in the US already looked down on me.

Now, after what he said, no one even bothered to look my way.

Calvin accompanied Tami as he introduced her to various connections.

Their laughter echoed from time to time and on several occasions, Tami leaned her entire body against him.

The bitterness in my heart made me want to escape.

But as soon as I walked to the backyard, I was surrounded by a group of people.

“You, the daughter of a murderer, we’ve finally found you. How dare you still be alive?”

They were the victims from back then. How did they find me so quickly?  

Before I could think, fists and curses landed heavily on me.  

After an unknown amount of time, the leader spat on me and finally left.  

I staggered to my feet and saw Tami standing above me.

“Sylvia, does it hurt?”

“I didn’t want to tell them you were here, but they begged me on their knees and I couldn’t bear to refuse. However, I told them to spare your life, after all, you’re my savior.”  

I looked up at her fake sympathy and angrily said, “This is how you treat your savior? Don’t forget that if it weren’t for me, you’d have starved to death long ago!”

Hearing this, she dismissed the crowd and stomped her foot hard on my body.  

“What? Pfft. You call that a favor? We’re all from the same school. Why should your family be so high and mighty? You don’t treat me like a human being, so I’ll let you experience what it’s like to be looked down upon. You can’t handle it!”

“You should have known that my award-winning designs were given by Calvin. How does it feel to be betrayed by the person you love the most?”

“Oh, and your old, stubborn parents—they always said I lacked talent and was only fit to be a craftsman. I just made some changes to the drawings and numbers, but they’ve been despised by the world for years after their deaths!”

After hearing this, I couldn't hold back anymore. I flipped over and pinned her to the ground, ready to vent the pain I'd been holding in for five years.  

But as soon as I landed a blow, Calvin, who came with the security guards, stopped me.

He gently helped Tami up from the ground, carefully checked her wounds, then gave me a cold stare, “Sylvia, why did you hit her? She is no longer an employee of the Weber Family. How dare you…”

He wanted to continue speaking but was interrupted by Tami's wailing, “Calvin, this is all my fault.” 

“I just saw someone harassing Sylvia and came over to help, but she thought those people were sent by me. Never mind, this isn't the first time she's misunderstood me.”

But Tami's words did nothing to ease Calvin's anger. Instead, his gaze grew even colder.  

“I extended kindness and you repaid it with spite. Perhaps I’ve been too good to you, made you forget that the Carpenter Family is already ruined.”

“Throw her out. She’s not to set foot back in here until the press conference is over!”

After saying that, he supported Tami and was about to leave.

I watched his back as my anger grew.  

“You've been kind to me? Calvin, do you want to explain to me why my designs haven't won any awards in the past five years, but hers have won every one?”

Calvin stumbled slightly but didn't turn back.  

“If you can't do it yourself, don't make excuses. I've spent so much effort helping you—have I ever blamed you?” 

“Sylvia, go home. Don't make me regret being with you!”

Regret? Calvin, you would not regret it soon.

The security guard dragged me out of the gate like a dog and threw me to the ground.

I forced myself to get up despite the pain, straightened my disheveled clothes, looked toward the gate and dialed the phone.

"It's time. You can come over now.”

After that, I packed my luggage and placed the divorce agreement in the living room.

The moment I boarded the plane, I uploaded all the evidence online and then removed the SIM card from my phone.

Meanwhile, after I left, Tami stood on the stage holding the trophy and spoke eloquently, “Next, I will show you the latest design project of Frost's Group, which is…”

The door suddenly opened and a group of people walked in with serious expressions.  

Tami spoke with an unhappy expression, “Who are you? Don't you know where you are? Get out immediately, or don't blame me for being rude!”  

The people across from her showed no fear. He signaled with his eyes.  

The people next to her stepped forward immediately.

“This is the notice revoking your award. The competition has decided to award the prize to the true owner of the blueprints, Miss Sylvia Carpenter. Please return the trophy to us.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand. I won this award fairly. Why should I give it to Sylvia?”

Tami forced herself to ask back, but her eyes darted nervously toward Calvin.

Calvin immediately stepped forward, exuding the aura of a CEO.

“I am Calvin Weber from Weber Group, Sylvia Carpenter is my wife and I can prove that Sylvia has no design talent whatsoever. I believe there must be some misunderstanding here.”  

“Right! Have you been deceived by Sylvia? This is not the first or second time she has tried to embarrass me,” Tami chimed in.

The two assumed that by revealing their identities, the other party would hesitate.  

But to their surprise, the leader scoffed, “So that’s how it is. It seems the rumors online were indeed true.” 

“This is the authorization transfer statement signed by Miss Carpenter herself. There are 99 copies in total and each copy corresponds to Ms. Frost's 99 award-winning works.”

“She provided sufficient evidence to prove that everything was her own work. It spent one billion to secure all the authorizations.” 

For a moment, everyone’s minds were filled with the words ‘one billion.’

“One billion! Sylvia actually took one billion?”

“I can't tell who copied whom anymore. As her husband, Mr. Weber wouldn’t lie, but no one would spend that much money to buy a fake authorization.”  

The scene grew chaotic, with some curious onlookers pulling out their phones to check online.  

“Ah, so that’s how it is. No wonder Mr. Weber, who is not even related to her, went out of his way to help her.”

“So, they're playing around like this. Hmm, I never would have guessed.”  

Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Calvin snatched someone else's phone, opened it and the phone slipped out of his hand instantly.

He murmured in disbelief, “How could she see these? I locked them all in the box.”

Hearing this, everyone present understood. The information online should be true.

Seeing this, Tami's face darkened. She grabbed Calvin's hand urgently and said, “Calvin, shut up! Tell them that Sylvia copied all of this from me! Hurry up!”

But Calvin seemed oblivious. He took out his phone and frantically called me over and over again.  

“Answer the phone, Sylvia! Let me explain!”

The only response was the mechanical voice of customer service.  

“Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off!”

With each repetition, the madness in his eyes grew, until finally, he slammed the phone on the ground and started to walk out.  

Tami tried to stop him, but he pushed her away harshly.  

“Calvin, you can't leave me here alone. I need you.”

Calvin’s eyes were cold as he spoke.