She turned her attention to Ethan, looking him up and down with exaggerated pity. "Though I must say, Ethan, it's rather pathetic how far you've fallen. From pretending to be engaged to my daughter—living in luxury, spending her money, enjoying a lifestyle you could never afford on your own—to THIS?" She gestured around the ballroom. "Reduced to serving the very people you once tried to pretend you belonged among?""You really should have held onto that relationship," Helen added, her voice sharp with vindictive satisfaction. "You had it so good, living off my money, enjoying my success. But you got greedy, didn't you? Thought you could trade up to someone even wealthier. And now look at you—working as hired help at events you'll never actually be invited to."A small crowd had gathered now, watching the confrontation with varying expressions of discomfort and curiosity."Honestly, you should be thanking me," Helen continued, warming to her theme. "All those years you spent as my freel

Jenny cackled, the sound harsh and unpleasant. "That would certainly explain the expensive suit! No way he could afford something like that on a waiter's salary.""You know what they say," Jenny continued, addressing the crowd with theatrical wisdom. "Prostitution is the world's oldest profession. I suppose we shouldn't shame him for it. At least he's found a way to monetize the only assets he has—his face and his ability to fake charm."The two women laughed together, their voices carrying across the ballroom. Several guests looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the public cruelty, but unwilling to intervene on behalf of someone they assumed was indeed hired help.Helen stepped even closer to Ethan, invading his personal space, her voice dropping to something that was simultaneously intimate and calculated to be overheard."You're nothing, Ethan," she hissed, each word precisely aimed to wound. "You were nothing when I met you. You were nothing when we were together. And you're not

Helen gestured around the opulent ballroom—the crystal chandeliers, the expensive champagne, the designer gowns and custom tuxedos. "See all of this? This is a world you don't belong in. You're here on sufferance, probably because someone felt sorry for you and threw you some menial work to do."Her voice rose, playing to the crowd that had grown even larger, some people openly recording on their phones now."But you'll never actually be a PART of it," Helen declared. "You can serve drinks here, you can park cars here, you can even wear a nice suit and pretend to blend in—but everyone here can see exactly what you are. A nobody. A wannabe. Someone desperately trying to look like they belong among their betters."Jenny nodded enthusiastically. "Ladies and gentlemen," she announced, addressing the crowd like a ringmaster at a circus, "let me introduce you to Ethan Carter—the PERFECT example of what happens when someone has delusions above their station!""He actually thought he could ma

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, more agitated. People instinctively checked their belongings, and Patricia's expression set in firm, decisive lines."Sir," Patricia said to Ethan, her voice professional but clearly suspicious now, "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me while we verify your credentials. If you cannot provide legitimate proof of your invitation and authorization to attend this event, I'll have to ask you to leave."She paused, then added more seriously, "And depending on how you gained entry, we may need to involve security and potentially law enforcement."Helen practically glowed with triumphant satisfaction. Jenny was beaming, her smile vicious and vindicated. Several people in the crowd were nodding approvingly at Patricia's handling of the situation.Susan looked distraught, her voice rising desperately. "This is all a misunderstanding! Ethan is a legitimate guest! He was personally invited! If you'd just—"But no one was listening to her. The narrativ

A murmur rippled through the crowd—confusion, surprise, growing scandal."Furthermore," Patricia said, her tone becoming colder, "the manner in which these accusations were made—loudly, publicly, and with clear intent to humiliate and cause harm to an invited guest's reputation—violated this event's code of conduct in the most egregious way possible."Several people turned to look at Helen, whose face was draining of color."I have contacted the Spencer family's office to inform them of this incident," Patricia continued. "They have reviewed the situation and requested that the two individuals who made these false claims be removed from the premises immediately and permanently banned from all future Spencer-affiliated events."The crowd's murmur became a buzz of shocked whispers.Jenny's face transformed from smug satisfaction to horrified understanding in the span of seconds. "What? No, that's not—we were trying to help—""That's impossible," Helen said weakly, her voice barely carry