At that moment, the golden lights in the suite reflected off the woman's earrings as she finally turned to fully face Cecilia. Her eyes were sharp, her lips slightly pursed. She stood tall with elegance, but there was a coldness wrapped around her like perfume.
Her name was Lillian Myles, a name known across the social world. Daughter of the Myles Tech Empire, fashion darling, and one of the rumored candidates to become the next Mrs. Giovanni. Everything about her screamed wealth, power, and pride.
At that moment she looked at Cecilia from head to toe—slowly, like she was scanning a worn-out item in a luxury store.
She turned to Lady Willow with a raised brow and asked, her voice laced with curiosity and quiet insult, "And… who is she exactly?"
Before Lady Willow could respond, another voice broke through the tension, Grace Giovanni, Mark's younger sister, who had been silently watching until now.
"Oh, that's just one of the girls who used to flock around my brother," Grace said carelessly, flicking her freshly done nails. "She hasn't been around for a while though. Honestly, I forgot she even existed."
Then she tilted her head and gave Cecilia a sarcastic smile. "I wonder why she suddenly decided to show up today. What a strange coincidence."
Hearing what Grace just said, Lillian let out a soft, fake laugh and returned her gaze to Cecilia. Her eyes moved again over Cecilia's simple dress, her plain shoes, the tired expression on her face. Then her eyes dropped to the little girl beside her.
Immediately a smirk danced across Lillian's lips.
She reached into her designer purse and pulled out her phone. With a graceful flick, she opened a banking app.
"You know what?" she said with a hint of pity in her tone. "I'll give you a hundred thousand bucks."
She didn't even blink. Like it was nothing.
"Go home. Get something to eat. Buy yourself a few decent clothes. You don't look too well," Lillian added with a smug smile, her fingers already tapping on the screen like the matter was settled.
She didn't even look at Cecilia again. It was like she had thrown coins to a beggar and was waiting for a thank-you.
But then—A small, clear voice rose from below.
"My mom doesn't need your money."
Everyone turned.
It was Everly. The little girl stood in front of her mother now, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her tiny eyebrows furrowed.
"And you don't have any right to tell her what to do," she said boldly. "She's an independent woman."
At that moment, Everly's bold words hit the room like a small thunderclap wrapped in innocence.
All at once, Lady Willow, Grace Giovanni, and the rest of the Giovanni family shifted their eyebrows rising almost in sync, faces tightening with surprise and disbelief. It was as if no one expected such confidence from a child, let alone one standing in the lion's den.
Even Lillian Myles blinked in stunned silence. Her perfectly lined lips parted slightly as her eyes dropped back to Everly. For a second, she didn't speak. She was trying to process what just happened. The girl had just spoken like someone defending royalty, like a miniature warrior with no fear in her voice.
Lillian narrowed her eyes, her mind racing.
She had suspected that the child was Cecilia's daughter. The resemblance was clear, and the way Everly clung to her mother spoke volumes. But still—she hadn't taken the thought seriously. Because in her world, Cecilia didn't stand a chance.
Mark Giovanni was the most powerful bachelor alive. Even the most beautiful women in the world hadn't been able to hold his attention. What hope would a woman with a child have? A single mother? That didn't fit. That didn't make sense.
But now…That little girl had just spoken with the kind of fire that made things hard to ignore.
Then Lillian gave a stiff laugh and flicked her phone screen again. "Alright then," she said, her voice trying to regain control. "Two hundred thousand. You can use it to buy yourself something… and maybe something for the child too."
Her eyes sparkled with a new sharpness. "And then please, leave. You've already seen more than enough here."
But Cecilia still hadn't spoken.
She simply stood there, still, quiet. Watching them.
Then, slowly, she turned her head and gave the Giovanni family her full attention.
Her eyes weren't cold, but they were clear, Strong, Focused.
She took one slow breath, and then she spoke her voice calm, but filled with history.
"You asked who I was," she said, looking at Grace.
She paused. Then continued, "I wasn't just someone flocking around your brother."
She turned her eyes directly to Grace, then to Lillian, then to Lady Willow.
"I was his girlfriend."
The moment cracked like ice underfoot.
Immediately Lillian's mouth fell open, her expression frozen. She hadn't expected that. Not even close.
"Wait—what?" she blurted. "Mother… did Mark have a girlfriend before? Is she telling the truth?"
Immediately all eyes turned to Lady Willow, waiting.
She stood tall, her hands stiff by her sides, her mouth pressed into a line.
She cleared her throat slowly, her jaw twitching.
"Enough of Cecilia's nonsense," she said sharply, refusing to look at Lillian. "What the hell is she doing here, anyway? She left my son five years ago… without a word. No calls. No letters. Nothing."
Her voice rose.
"And now she dares walk back in like it never happened?"
At that moment, Lady Willow's voice sharpened, slicing through the thick tension like a blade.
"That is not possible," she snapped, her hand raised as if warding off a curse. "You Cecilia you have no place here anymore. You walked out five years ago. You don't get to walk back in and act like this is your home!"
Her eyes flashed with cold fury, and her voice was filled with venomous finality.
But Cecilia didn't flinch, She took a quiet breath and looked Lady Willow directly in the eye. Her hand rested on Everly's shoulder, grounding herself.
"I didn't just come back like that," she said firmly. "I came with a child."
The words dropped heavy, a quiet thunder that echoed louder than any scream.
The hint was too strong, the pause that followed was filled with slow realization. Faces shifted. Eyes widened. Someone gasped. And then the room exploded.
"What are you saying?!" Grace shouted, her voice rising with disbelief. "Are you mad?!"
"You must be joking!" another Giovanni uncle barked. "A child? His child? Do you think we're stupid?"
Immediately Lady Willow stepped forward, her heels slamming on the marble floor. "How dare you stand there and try this trick in front of us? In front of Giovanni family?! Who do you think you are?"
"You really think we'll fall for that?" another family member sneered. "What proof do you even have?"
"You've lost your mind, Cecilia!" Grace added. "You're just trying to force yourself back in!"
The voices clashed. Rage poured from every corner. The suite became chaos.
But Cecilia said nothing. She stood still, shielding Everly, her silence louder than all the noise. Her eyes didn't waver, and in the middle of it all, Lillian's legs started to shake.
Her hands trembled by her sides. Her heart pounded like a thousand drums in her ears.
'No...No, this couldn't be happening.'
She had played her part. Smiled when needed. Obeyed Lady Willow. Showed up to every event. Done everything right. She had waited waited for years.
She was supposed to be the one, this couldn't fall apart now.
At that moment her chest tightened with panic. Her eyes darted from Cecilia to the little girl and back again.
And then something inside her snapped.
Lillian screamed, a sharp, broken scream that startled everyone.
The room went silent at once. The voices stopped. Even Lady Willow turned, confused.
When her breath calmed, and the silence became still, she turned slowly to face Cecilia.
Her jaw clenched. Her voice shook with fury.
"Tell me right now," she demanded, her eyes locked on Cecilia like daggers.
"Is the child… Mark Giovanni's?"