Diana Harris let out a soft laugh, her eyes flashing with scorn, though the smile on her lips remained perfectly polite.

"Honestly, some people really come from nothing. It's just half a million, and she's acting like the world's ending." Diana turned to Isabella Austin with a sigh, her tone full of mock sympathy. "Asking her to move out of the Lane house was the best decision we could've made."

Lifting her chin with practiced arrogance, she added with a derisive little scoff, "If you were even a tenth as considerate as Isabella, you wouldn't be slumming it in some shabby little apartment right now."

Ethan Lane, who'd been silent this whole time, finally raised his eyes. His gaze was cold as he looked Diana up and down, a frown creasing his brow. “The Lane family would never default on such a trivial sum. Stop making a scene in front of everyone. It's embarrassing."

Emily Blair, standing nearby, nodded as if she agreed with every word. But then she smiled, her expression sharp. "If it's such a little thing, why not just wire it to me right now? It takes seconds. Once it's in my account, I promise I'll stop 'embarrassing' you."

Kyle Lane's face instantly darkened.

Their voices weren't exactly quiet, and with Andrew Lane being the center of attention tonight, plenty of guests were already glancing their way.

Andrew stepped forward, his tone low and commanding. "I'll have my assistant transfer the money. Go back to your room for now, change, and come back down once you're ready."

People usually listened when Andrew Lane spoke.

Emily gave a tight nod. "Change? That won't be necessary. If I recall, my room's been cleared out for ages."

She shrugged. "Once I get the money, I'll be on my way."

Andrew's dark eyes narrowed, his face unreadable. "Your room's still there. Your dress is inside-change, then come down."

His voice dropped even lower, almost a warning. "Don't you even think about leaving."

From the living room window, Emily could see several house staff stationed at the front gate. Clearly, she wasn't going anywhere until they said so.

Emily paused, then turned and headed upstairs, easily finding her way back to her old room.

Everything was just as she'd left it—except for the things she'd taken when she moved out. The rest of her belongings remained untouched.

At the foot of the bed, a formal dress was laid out, waiting for her.

She barely spared it a glance before sinking into the chair by the window. She had no intention of changing and going back downstairs, only to give the Lane family another opportunity to humiliate her. She'd wait out the birthday party and leave as soon as she could.

Kevin Lane's reputation in the city was formidable, and his birthday celebration was packed with guests, laughter, and endless rounds of flattery. Even with her door shut, Emily could still hear the voices praising Kevin and Andrew echoing through the halls.

Out of boredom, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling. Thanks to the algorithm, the first thing that popped up was a gossip post about Isabella Austin- specifically, about that night she'd been trapped at a nightclub, and the rumors that Isabella had deliberately set up an innocent girl.

Emily's forehead creased in a frown.

Something about it felt off.

Even if Andrew and Isabella were slow to manage the situation, it had been five or six days already those posts should have died down by now, but here they were, still circulating.

A vague sense of unease prickled at her.

She got up and pulled open the heavy curtains, glancing out into the garden below.

There were plenty of people milling about, but Andrew and Isabella stood out immediately—tall, poised, impossible to miss. They stood close together, their backs to Emily.

She couldn't see their faces, but the uneasy feeling in her chest only grew stronger.