Chapter 4

On the morning of the birthday banquet, the apartment was thick with the scent of expensive perfume.

I stood in the spacious walk-in closet, patiently helping Mia pick out her evening gown, just as Julian had instructed.

Holding a champagne-colored tulle dress adorned with crushed diamonds, Mia twirled in front of the row of floor-to-ceiling mirrors before turning to look at me.

A meaningful smirk played at the corners of her lips. "What do you think of this one, Maya? I've been preparing for tonight's banquet for a very long time. I promise you, this will absolutely be a birthday you'll never forget for the rest of your life."

My expression remained placid as I smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, casually agreeing with her.

Julian was leaning against the closet doorframe, holding his morning black coffee, watching the scene with eyes full of fond amusement.

Once Mia finally settled on a dress, Julian checked his watch and turned to instruct me. "Maya, Mia and I are heading to the hotel this afternoon to finalize some venue details. It's best if you head to the banquet hall an hour or two after we leave. This is your thirtieth birthday—a major milestone. I need enough time to prepare some massive surprises for you."

I nodded, obediently agreeing to his request.

I knew exactly what they were going early to do, but I didn't expose them.

At 4:00 PM, Julian and Mia drove off ahead of me toward the luxurious InterContinental Hotel downtown.

Listening as the roar of his sports car's engine faded into the distance, I turned and walked back into the guest room, grabbing the black carry-on I had already packed the night before.

Without a second of hesitation, I went downstairs, hailed a cab on the street, and crisply gave the driver the name of the international airport.

An hour later, I was sitting comfortably in the VIP first-class lounge.

Holding a hot oat milk latte, I stared through the massive soundproof glass at the huge commercial jets taking off and landing on the tarmac. Inside, I felt an unprecedented sense of absolute peace.

Over the past two weeks, I hadn't just been waiting idly. I had paid a heavy sum to bribe the AV control supervisor of the InterContinental Hotel’s banquet hall.

Just half an hour before boarding, I had zipped all the compiled evidentiary videos and sent them directly to him.

I opened my laptop and clicked on the link the supervisor had sent me, ready to watch the live feed through a camera he had discreetly set up in the banquet hall.

Over at the downtown InterContinental, the doors to the penthouse banquet hall were wide open.

Crystal chandeliers illuminated the spacious hall, making it as bright as day.

Hundreds of political and business elites, along with respected elders who were old family friends of Julian's, had all arrived.

They gathered in small clusters of twos and threes, sipping champagne and chatting.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, Julian navigated through the guests, smiling as he schmoozed with key clients.

Meanwhile, Mia wore that show-stopping dress. Clinging to Julian’s arm, she paraded around like the lady of the house, soaking in the compliments from everyone around about her beauty and taste.

However, as the minutes ticked by, it was long past the official starting time. Yet I—the absolute main character of the night—was nowhere to be seen.

Julian frequently checked his watch. Stepping into a quiet corner, he pulled out his phone and dialed my number several times in a row.

I glanced at my phone sitting next to my coffee and shut it off completely.

Realizing he couldn't get through, his brows furrowed, and a visible flicker of anxiety and irritation crossed his face.

"Why isn't she here yet? Was there an accident on the way? Or is she throwing another tantrum?"

Julian muttered under his breath, a wave of inexplicable frustration rising in his chest. His grand plan could not afford the absence of its leading lady.

Standing beside him, Mia was already losing her patience.

She didn't care in the slightest if something had happened to me. All she cared about was when the "humiliation show" she had spent months editing could finally take the stage.

She stepped forward quickly, grabbing Julian’s arm and giving it a shake to urge him on. "Julian, everyone's just standing down there waiting. A few of the elders are starting to ask questions. Maya is probably just stuck in terrible traffic. Why don't we play the video first to warm up the crowd? Who knows, maybe right in the middle of it, she’ll push open the doors and walk in. Having her see her old self under everybody's gaze—wouldn't that make the atmosphere even better?"

Julian turned to glance at the high-profile guests whose time was incredibly valuable. He hesitated for a moment.

Finally, under Mia's eager prodding and the mounting pressure from the restless crowd, he caved.

Julian adjusted the buttons on his suit jacket, picked up a microphone, and strode confidently to the main stage in the center of the hall.

Seeing this, the guests instantly hushed their conversations, all eyes fixing on him.

Julian cleared his throat, plastering on a deeply affectionate and polite smile. "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend tonight's banquet. While we wait for Maya, the leading lady of all our surprises, to arrive, my younger sister Mia has prepared a special retrospective video to show her appreciation. As we wait, let us enjoy this very special surprise together."

The moment he finished speaking, Mia stepped aside with a smug look, retreating to the edge of the stage.

She covered her mouth slightly to hide a snicker, her eyes gleaming with the anticipation of a good show.

Right on cue, all the primary lights in the magnificent hall dimmed.

Guests, drinks in hand, turned and lifted their gazes toward the giant high-definition screen in the very center of the room.

With a harsh bzzzt of static, the screen violently flashed a chaotic burst of white noise.

After a few seconds of buzzing interference, the frame jumped and then froze dead.

What popped up was absolutely not the compilation of humiliating pranks Mia had prepared. It was the face of a man, scarred and hardened.

It was Tom.

The instant Mia saw him, her victorious smile completely froze.