Suddenly, all the guests’ attention turned toward the entrance of the banquet center.
Peter, Stacey, and Ashley instinctively looked in that direction.
Bianca entered wearing a long white dress embedded with tiny pearls. Her long black hair was elegantly pinned up with a hairpin. The smooth silk of the dress highlighted her figure, and her transparent crystal high heels added grace to her slender legs.
The necklace around her neck sparkled brightly in the light.
She stood among the crowd, radiating an ethereal and majestic presence.
Ashley blinked in disbelief, wondering why Bianca was there.
Stacey’s expression soured. She still remembered the incident at the Reed family dinner and worried that Bianca might be there to cause trouble again.
Peter watched Bianca with a wary look.
As Bianca approached them, Ashley quickly exclaimed, “Bianca, how did you get in here?”
Bianca met Ashley’s gaze and smiled. “I was invited, of course.”
Ashley scoffed and laughed scornfully, “Today’s banquet is for the elite of business and high society. What right do you have to be here?”
“You think I don’t deserve to be here, but your little company on the brink of bankruptcy does?” Bianca smiled at the three of them, adding, “You should realize that if I’m here, it means I was invited just like you.”
“Who sent you the invitation?” Peter asked with a stern look.
Bianca glanced at Peter and replied casually, “It was a director from LMH Group.”
Peter froze in disbelief.
The idea of an LMH Group director knowing Bianca and inviting her seemed unbelievable to Peter.
He suspected she was just joking.
Ashley couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Bianca, do you really expect us to believe your ridiculous story?”
Stacey responded coldly, “Bianca, telling too many lies will only make you a joke. It’s one thing to embarrass yourself, but don’t drag our family into it.”
Family? Bianca sneered, feeling Stacey saw herself as part of the family while she was just an outsider.
The people around them couldn’t help but laugh at Bianca’s comments.
Among them were CEOs of big corporations and well-known business figures. None of them had ever received a personal invitation from an LMH Group director. So how could this young woman they didn’t know claim such a thing?
They thought she was just seeking attention, trying to connect with powerful people through her exaggerated claims.
They looked at Bianca with disdain.
As the crowd began to mock Bianca, Ashley visibly enjoyed the moment and stood proudly. “Bianca, the LMH Group director is a very important person. How could they invite you, a small business owner, personally?”
“Why not?”
Just as Ashley finished speaking, a calm and authoritative voice cut in.
Ashley and the onlookers turned to see none other than Graciel, the founder of Cherish!
Leonel was right behind her.
Peter’s face went pale seeing the two, and he stood frozen like a statue.
“Peter Scott, your choices are going downhill fast.”
Madison’s simple velvet dress didn’t compare to Stacey’s in terms of style, but her presence was much more impressive.
“Peter, who is this?” Stacey asked, noticing the change in Peter’s expression and realizing their situation wasn’t as clear-cut as she thought.
“It seems you don’t know me. Let me introduce myself,” Madison said as she gracefully approached Stacey in her stylish high heels, casting a disdainful glance.
“I’m a director at LMH Group and the founder of Cherish, the well-known luxury brand. My name is Madison Lopez, and I was once married to Peter.”
Stacey was visibly shocked.
The poised, elegant woman in front of her was Peter’s ex-wife!
Stacey suddenly found it hard to breathe. She tried to stay upright but nearly stumbled. Despite the blush on her cheeks, her face was as pale as ever.
Ashley was also shocked and left speechless.
“Madison, Leonel, how could you…” Peter stuttered, panic rising. He stared blankly at his ex-wife and the son he hadn’t seen in over a decade.
Leonel looked at his biological father with cold indifference, saying nothing.
With Madison now a director at LMH Group, Peter felt an intense sense of inferiority and embarrassment, even more than he had during their marriage.
“If I hadn’t divorced you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, thank you,” Madison said with an icy gaze that seemed to chill Peter to the bone. She then turned her attention to Stacey.
“You’ve gone for this kind of low-quality woman, Peter. You really never fail to disappoint me.”
Peter’s face darkened. Stacey, biting her lip and clenching her fists, felt as though she had been struck physically. Her pride was hurt.
Faced with Madison’s prestigious position at LMH Group, Stacey felt helpless and unable to respond.
Just mentioning Madison’s role made Stacey feel insignificant.
Madison then warmly took Bianca’s hand and asked softly, “Bianc, where’s your boyfriend?”
Bianca replied, “He’s caught up with some important work at his company, so he’ll be a bit late.”
“I’ll show you to your seat for now,” Madison said, taking Bianca’s hand and guiding her to the front of the banquet hall.
As Bianca walked ahead, she glanced back at Ashley with a playful smile and asked, “By the way, should you be changing your name now?”
Ashley, who had been pleased moments ago, was now fuming with anger and on the verge of losing her composure.
Peter was completely stunned and speechless. He wondered if this refined and poised woman was really the Madison he once knew.
Madison’s presence made Stacey feel utterly inadequate. Stacey couldn’t compare to Madison in any way.
Peter’s emotions were a tangled mess.
“Stacey,” Peter said, but without waiting for a response, he simply walked off.
Stacey shivered. Peter’s look was filled with contempt and disappointment!
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin, and glared resentfully in the direction where Madison and Bianca had gone.
The banquet hadn’t started yet, but Madison had reserved Bianca’s seat near the stage.
Seats close to the stage were reserved for the top figures in the business world, while Peter could only find a spot in the far back corner.
“Your boyfriend can sit here when he arrives,” Madison said with a kind smile, patting the seat next to Bianca.
Bianca nodded, her eyes nervously scanning the room.
She saw several well-known faces-prominent figures she had read about in financial magazines and seen on the news. She never imagined she’d be sitting among such influential people with Dave.
Bianca sat stiffly in her chair, hands folded in her lap, trying not to show her anxiety.
A few notable business figures noticed Madison personally arranging Bianca’s seat and began to approach her for conversation.
Despite her inner anxiety, Bianca kept her composure. She engaged in the discussions with grace and charm, quickly winning over the influential guests.