The silence in the banquet hall was so heavy it felt like it could crush bones.
Mark Qin stood frozen, his face alternating between pale white and a humiliated shade of purple. The champagne glass shards crunched under his expensive leather shoes as he shifted his weight.
"Well?" Julian Qin asked, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable weight of authority. He didn't raise his voice; he didn't need to. He simply adjusted the diamond cufflink on his sleeve. "Mark, did you forget the family rules? Or do I need to ask the butler to bring the Discipline Whip?"
The mention of the "Discipline Whip" made Mark shudder. In the Qin family, hierarchy was absolute. Even though Julian was younger than Mark's father, his status as the head of the corporate empire and the Old Master's favorite son made him untouchable.
Mark gritted his teeth. He looked at Aria.
Just this morning, she had been washing his shirts. She had been the woman he could yell at, the woman who would apologize even when he was wrong. Now, she sat on the velvet sofa next to the "Demon King," looking down at him with a faint, amused smile.
"I..." Mark choked out. He looked at his mother for help.
Mrs. Qin, however, was trembling with rage. She couldn't hold it back any longer.
"This is ridiculous!" Mrs. Qin shrieked, stepping forward. "Julian! You are being deceived! She is a discarded woman! A woman we threw out! How can she be your wife? How can she be an Elder of the Qin family? She's barren and poor!"
The crowd gasped. To insult the Family Head's wife in public was social suicide.
Julian's eyes slowly shifted from Mark to Mrs. Qin. The temperature in the room seemed to plunge into the negatives.
"Sister-in-law," Julian said softly. "Are you questioning my judgment?"
"I... I am just looking out for you!" Mrs. Qin stammered, intimidated by his gaze but fueled by her hatred for Aria. "She is clearly doing this to spite Mark! She is a gold digger! She—"
"Enough," Julian said.
He didn't shout. He just spoke one word, and Mrs. Qin's mouth snapped shut as if by magic.
Julian turned to the butler standing in the shadows. "Butler Wang. Pour a cup of tea for Mark. He seems to have forgotten how to serve his Aunt."
Butler Wang, a man who had served the Qin family for forty years and knew exactly where the power lay, immediately brought a delicate porcelain cup on a silver tray. He handed it to Mark.
"Young Master Mark," Butler Wang said solemnly. "Please."
Mark's hands shook as he took the saucer. He walked over to where Aria and Julian sat. Every step felt like walking on knives. He could feel the eyes of his business rivals, his friends, and the socialites burning into his back. They were all laughing at him.
He knelt on one knee. He had to. It was the rule for apologizing to an Elder.
He held the cup up to Aria.
"Auntie..." Mark whispered, the word tasting like bile in his throat. "Please... drink tea."
Aria looked at the man kneeling before her. For three years, she had tried so hard to please him. She had cooked his meals, ironed his clothes, and tolerated his mother's abuse. She had lost herself trying to be the perfect Mrs. Qin.
And what did she get? Betrayal.
She reached out and took the cup. The ceramic was warm against her fingertips. She brought it to her lips, took a small sip, and then frowned.
Clink.
She set the cup back down on the saucer Mark was holding.
"It's lukewarm," Aria said, her voice clear and melodic. "Nephew, is this how much sincerity you have? You can't even serve a hot cup of tea to your Aunt?"
Mark's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. She was nitpicking? She was actually acting like an Elder?
"You—"
"Mark," Julian interrupted, his voice lazy. "Your Aunt is speaking. Why are you glaring at her? Go brew another pot. Personally."
"Uncle!" Mark cried out.
"Go," Julian said, his eyes narrowing.
Defeated, Mark stood up, his face burning with shame. He grabbed the cup and turned to the tea station, avoiding eye contact with Chloe, who was hiding behind a pillar, terrified that Aria would target her next.
Mrs. Qin couldn't take it anymore. She marched up to Aria.
"You little vixen," she hissed, low enough so Julian wouldn't hear, but loud enough for Aria. "Don't think that just because you climbed into Julian's bed, you are safe. You are still the same orphan nobody wants. Once Julian gets bored of you—"
Aria didn't let her finish. She stood up smoothly, towering over her former mother-in-law in her high heels.
"Mrs. Qin," Aria said, correcting her address. "Please remember your identity. I am now your husband's brother's wife. In terms of hierarchy, we are equals. But in terms of the company shares my husband holds..."
Aria leaned in, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"...I am your boss. If you insult me again, I will ask Julian to cut your monthly allowance. I heard you lost a lot of money on mahjong recently. It would be a shame if you couldn't afford your spa treatments."
Mrs. Qin's face turned pale. Her allowance? That was her lifeline!
"You wouldn't dare," Mrs. Qin gasped.
"Try me," Aria smiled. It was the same smile Julian often used—predatory and calm.
Just then, a booming voice echoed from the top of the grand staircase.
"What is all this noise?"
The crowd parted instantly. An old man with a cane, supported by two nurses, slowly descended the stairs. It was Elder Qin, the patriarch of the family and the birthday star.
Mark, seeing his grandfather, felt a surge of hope. Grandfather valued tradition and bloodline above all else. Surely he wouldn't allow an outsider like Aria to humiliate the main branch of the family!
"Grandfather!" Mark rushed forward, acting the victim. "Grandfather, you have to seek justice for me! Uncle Julian brought Aria back! She is disrupting your birthday banquet!"
Elder Qin stopped at the bottom of the stairs. His sharp, hawk-like eyes swept over Mark, then Mrs. Qin, and finally landed on Julian and Aria.
The room held its breath.
Elder Qin looked at Aria. He saw the "Heart of the Ocean" necklace around her neck. He saw Julian's protective stance next to her.
The old man thumped his cane on the floor.
"Disrupting?" Elder Qin scoffed at Mark. "Julian is the head of this family. If he chose a wife, then that is the Lady of the house. Why are you shouting like a market vendor on my birthday?"
Mark froze. "But... Grandfather..."
"Useless thing," Elder Qin spat. Then, his wrinkled face broke into a rare smile as he looked at Aria. "So, this is the girl? Julian told me on the phone he found someone capable. Come here, granddaughter-in-law. Let me see you."
Mark and Mrs. Qin looked like they had been struck by lightning.
Grandfather knew? Julian had already called him?
Aria was surprised too, but she didn't show it. She walked forward gracefully and bowed slightly. "Happy Birthday, Father."
"Good, good," Elder Qin nodded, handing her a thick red envelope he pulled from his jacket. "This is your meeting gift. Just a small deed to a villa in the Southern District. Welcome to the family... properly this time."
Mark watched, his world crumbling. The villa in the Southern District? That was the property he had been begging for!
Aria took the envelope. She turned slightly, catching Mark's eye. She didn't say a word, but her expression said it all:
I told you. Today, you kick me out. Tomorrow, you kneel.