Sienna forgot all about maintaining her composure and rushed forward to stop me. "Violet! Have you lost your mind? You just came back. You don't understand the situation in our circle at all. Drake has a terrible temper and a bad reputation. Most importantly..."

She bit her lip, glanced at Drake, and then looked back at me. "He already has someone in his heart. If you force him like this, you won't be happy!"

Callum seemed to have received a signal and stumbled forward. "That's right, Ms. Violet..." His eyes were red-rimmed, his voice slightly choked.

"A relationship that's forced never works out. Actually, instead of choosing someone who doesn't love you, why not look at the people around you who truly understand and cherish you?"

The pop-up messages before my eyes started spinning their narrative again.

[Listen! What a kind boy!]

[Are you really going to be a heartbreaker? Callum is being so humble!]

[Drake is damaged goods. Even Sienna doesn't want him, but you're treating him like treasure!]

I looked coldly at these two putting on their coordinated performance.

"Oh? Someone in his heart?" I ignored Sienna and turned to look at Drake instead, my gaze playful as I deliberately raised my voice. "Mr. Weston, Sienna says you have someone in your heart and that you look down on me. Is that true?"

In my previous life, Sienna used this exact method to drive a wedge between us, turning Drake and me into enemies before our relationship even began. She spread rumors everywhere, claiming Drake was madly in love with her and that I had stolen him away.

Drake had too much pride to bother explaining, and eventually, we grew further and further apart.

This life, I would make him speak for himself.

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Sienna, are you delusional? When have I ever said that I liked you? Was it that time you got drunk and threw up all over me, or that time you stood me up for Callum? The only reason I haven't beaten you senseless is out of respect for Mr. Harlow."

The entire venue erupted in gasps and murmurs. Guests began whispering among themselves.

"I knew it. How could the eldest son of the Weston family possibly be interested in an adopted daughter?"

"So, Sienna was just fooling herself this whole time..."

Sienna's face turned scarlet. She never expected Drake to humiliate her so publicly.

"Drake, you... Don't use Violet just to spite me!" Sienna tried desperately to recover.

Drake let out a cold laugh, turned around, and took my arm again with natural intimacy. "Violet, I've liked you for a long time."

My heart stirred slightly. He was not opposed to this marriage?

Seeing that, my parents laughed heartily. "Wonderful! Wonderful! Mutual affection is the best outcome! This marriage is approved!"

Mom took out an exquisite pendant she had prepared in advance and placed it around Drake's neck. "Welcome to the family. I'm entrusting my Vy to you!"

That settled it. I looked at Sienna's eyes, which were filled with venom, and leaned slightly toward her ear.

In a voice only the two of us could hear, I said softly, "Why are your hands shaking, Sienna? Are you afraid that once Drake becomes your brother-in-law, you won't have the chance to use him to swallow up the Harlow family's assets?"

Sienna's pupils contracted sharply as she jerked her head up to look at me.

In that instant, the pop-up messages that had been scrolling frantically before my eyes suddenly got cut off. They dissolved into a complete mess of meaningless garbled characters.

[@￥%...&]

It seemed the person operating behind the scenes had lost control.

The scheme she had carefully designed was intended to have me marry an illegitimate son with no background, making it easier to sideline me later. If I married Drake and gained the Weston family as backing, how could she possibly compete with me?

The banquet did not end because of this episode. Instead, it became even livelier. However, I knew Sienna would never let this go.

Soon enough, new pop-up messages appeared.

[The Harlow parents are actually giving the family heirloom to the fake heiress!]

[My God, they're not even pretending anymore. They favor the real heiress openly but secretly prioritize the fake heiress in everything?]

[I feel so bad for her! She should just destroy the heirloom. After all, it'll become the key weapon the fake heiress uses to bring her down later.]

Looking at the messages, I sneered inwardly. It was the same trick yet again. This time, however, the script needed rewriting.

I turned and walked straight into the room where the family heirloom was kept. Ten minutes later, the family's old butler, Caleb Hughes, ran into the hall with a panicked expression, heading straight for Dad.

"Sir! Something terrible has happened! The emerald ring your father left behind is missing from the study!"

Dad's expression changed. "What? That's a family heirloom! Who went to the study just now?"

Caleb's gaze shifted nervously. He glanced at me reflexively and stammered, not daring to speak.

Sienna immediately jumped in, her face full of shock and pain. "Caleb, why are you looking at Violet? Could it be... Could it be her?"

She walked quickly to stand in front of me, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Violet, I know you spent years on your own and probably had it rough. Some habits might be hard to break right away. But that's Grandpa's relic! If you need money, you can tell me. I'll give you all my allowance. Just take out the ring!"

Callum added helpfully from the side, "Sienna, don't say that. How could Ms. Violet steal anything... Maybe she just thought it looked nice and took it to admire, then accidentally forgot to put it back."

The guests' gazes focused on me again, this time filled with disdain.

"As expected of someone who grew up in the countryside. No class at all."

"So what if she's the real heiress? Deep down, she's just a thief."

Mom looked at me anxiously. "Vy, did you... Did you really take it? If you did, just take it out. I won't blame you."

I looked at all these faces and calmly set down my champagne glass. "Sienna, you keep insisting I took it. Where's your proof?" I asked lightly.

A flash of triumph crossed Sienna's eyes. "You were the only one who went to the study when you went to change your clothes! And just now, I think I saw your pocket bulging..."

She pointed at my dress pocket, completely certain.

"Since you're so certain, then search me."

I spread my arms wide in the center of the hall. "To prove my innocence, I'm willing to accept being searched."

Sienna looked thrilled. She had not expected me to cooperate so easily and was about to call someone over.

I changed tack abruptly, my gaze cutting to Callum. "But it's not fair if I'm the only one who gets searched. Quite a few people were present just now. Mr. Lockwood, who bumped into me earlier, was standing very close too. For the sake of fairness, everyone who came near me should be searched."

Sienna froze for a moment, then sneered, "Fine, search away! There's no way Callum would take something like that!"

Dad nodded to calm the situation. "Alright, then we'll search everyone. Martha, you search Vy. Caleb, you search Mr. Lockwood."

The housekeeper, Martha Harper, reached into my pocket. Sienna stared at Martha's hand, a smile already creeping onto her face.

The pop-up messages scrolled: [Just admit it quickly, or you'll lose your parents' trust forever.]

However, when Martha's hand came out, it was completely empty.

"There's... nothing here." Martha looked stunned.

Sienna's smile froze. "Impossible! Search the inner pocket! The hidden pocket in the skirt of her dress!"

Martha searched again. There was still nothing.

"How is this possible?!" Sienna shrieked and rushed forward to search me herself. "She must have hidden it somewhere!"

Just then, Caleb let out a cry of surprise. "Good heavens! Here it is!"

Everyone's gaze instantly shifted over. Caleb pulled an emerald ring from Callum's suit pocket. It was exactly the one Dad had lost.

The entire hall fell silent. Callum stared at the ring, utterly bewildered. "No... It wasn't me... I clearly..." He could barely get the words out.

I smoothed out my skirt unhurriedly and looked at the stunned Sienna with a light laugh. "Sienna, why do you look so surprised?"

Callum collapsed to the ground in terror, trembling all over.

In the elite circles of the capital, stealing from the host, especially a family heirloom, was a crime that would ruin one for life once proven. The Lockwood family would be disgraced along with him.

"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me!" Callum suddenly grabbed onto Sienna's legs. "Sienna! You have to save me! You know I didn't steal anything, right? It was..."

He wanted to tell the truth. Sienna's expression changed drastically. Without any hesitation, Sienna raised her hand and slapped Callum hard across the face with a sharp crack. "Callum! You've truly disappointed me!"

Sienna looked utterly heartbroken, her finger trembling as she pointed at Callum. "I treated you as a friend and kindly brought you to my family's banquet to broaden your horizons. And you... You actually had sticky fingers and stole from my family!"

"I didn't..." Callum clutched his face, staring at the woman before him in disbelief.

"Still making excuses! You were caught red-handed!" Sienna gave him no chance to speak and turned to Dad.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I misjudged him and brought someone like this into our home. I suggest we call the police immediately, or at least throw him out. The Harlow family should have no further dealings with the Lockwood family!"

The pop-up messages fell completely silent at this moment. Clearly, Sienna was panicking so much that she had forgotten to operate her little high-tech setup.

I watched this spectacle of betrayal and found it deeply ironic.

In my previous life, Callum betrayed me and poisoned me for Sienna's sake. Now, he was being kicked aside like trash by the woman he loved most.

"Wait." I slowly spoke up.

Sienna's whole body stiffened as she looked at me warily. "Violet, the facts are laid bare. What more do you have to say?"

I walked up to Callum and looked down at him. "Just now, Sienna insisted with absolute certainty that I was the one who took it. When the ring was found in Mr. Lockwood's pocket, she immediately called him a thief. She changes her tune awfully fast. Can I reasonably suspect this was a performance you two staged together to frame me? But something went wrong in the middle?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Cold sweat appeared on Sienna's forehead. "Violet, don't make baseless accusations! How could I possibly conspire with an outsider to harm my own family?!"

Dad might be getting older, but he was no fool. His gaze swept between Sienna and Callum before finally settling on Sienna. His eyes held an unprecedented scrutiny and disappointment.

"Enough." Dad's voice was heavy. "Today is a joyous occasion. We shouldn't make a scene. Escort Mr. Lockwood out and notify the Lockwood family to pick him up. As for Sienna..."

Dad paused. "As a daughter of the Harlow family, you chose your friends poorly and nearly wronged your sister. You'll be confined to your room for two hours to reflect on this."

Sienna breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was being punished, at least she was not thrown out. She lowered her head, hiding the venom in her eyes. "Yes, Dad."

Security dragged Callum out. Before leaving, he stared at Sienna, his eyes full of hatred.

Drake walked over while carrying two glasses of red wine and handed me one. He leaned against the railing, his suit jacket fluttering in the wind as he looked at me with a half smile. "That ring just now… You slipped it back into Callum's pocket during the chaos, didn't you? Nice move."

I took the wine glass and did not deny it. "Right back at you. When Sienna tried to rush over and interrupt me, you stepped on her foot, didn't you? Very well coordinated."

Drake let out a soft laugh and clinked his glass against mine. "Looks like we're the same type of people. Violet, I don't care what you've been through before. Now that we're in this together, I won't let you lose."

He tilted his head back and drained his glass, arrogance evident in every line of his face. I looked at him, warmth flooding my chest. In my previous life, I missed out on an ally like this. I would never let go, not this time.

I reached out and hooked my arm through his, pulling him closer. "Don't worry. I won't lose."

Just then, from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Sienna in a dark corner, glaring at us with pure venom.

Before my eyes, the pop-up messages appeared again.

[Don't fall into Drake Weston's trap so easily!]

[This is all a setup Drake designed for you. At your engagement party, he'll get together with the fake heiress and completely betray you. Callum will be drugged by Drake while trying to protect you and violated by others. You must protect Callum at the engagement party!]

I narrowed my eyes. This would be entertaining to watch.