Maggie?"

Iker stood frozen, equally stunned.

Why would it be Maggie?

A hush fell over the crowd, and then whispers grew anew. "So Maggie engages in such behavior behind closed doors?"

“AppalLing."

“Wasn't she hailed as the paragon of virtue in showbiz?"

“What virtue? She's nothing but a hypocrite. Just another starlet using her charms for gain."

Sneers and jeers filled the hall. Iker, mind reeling, struggled to sever the live feed, but it stubbornly persisted. In his turmoil, his phone was suddenly wrested from his grasp.

A sinister voice chilled the air. "Mr. Lewis, care to explain?"

Gerard smashed the phone to the floor, the incriminating imagery plain for all nearby to see.

“Look, it's Iker's phone streaming to the screen!"

"Has he lost his mind? Why would he broadcast such footage of his own sister?"

"It's not hard to guess. He didn't mean to humiliate his sister; this plan must have been intended for someone else."

The gathered social savants rapidly pieced together Iker's plot.

“No, no, it's manipulated; it can't be real!" Iker protested in haste.

"This was streaming live," Gerard retorted icily. "Mr. Lewis, what possessed you to orchestrate such a spectacle at my mother's birthday celebration?"

"No, you don't understand..." Iker stammered, but his words were cut short as he was unceremoniously ushered out.

The shocking images on the big screen were quickly shut off, and the murmuring crowd tactfully shifted their conversations.

Yet, the rich lady in the Versace dress was seething, internally berating Maggie for her ineptitude.

A bodyguard approached her, stating, "Miss, our employer requests your departure. We'll be informing your father of tonight's events after the banquet."

Blood drained from the rich lady's face as she stammered, "There's been a misunderstanding... I haven't done anything!"

Her objections fell on deaf ears as she was firmly escorted out.

Whispers flourished among the attendees. Outwardly composed, many privately resolved to distance themselves from the rich lady's family.

The repercussions were immediate and severe. Upon discovering the night's events, the rich lady's father was incensed, verging on violent reprimands. His subsequent overtures for reconciliation with the Harris family would unfold later, a tale unto itself.