Music swelled as the lights dimmed slightly, drawing attention toward the central stage.
A well-known celebrity stepped forward beneath cascading gold spotlights, the crowd instantly erupting into cheers.
Her voice flowed smoothly through the hall, rich and controlled, blending perfectly with the live band positioned behind her.
Backup dancers moved in synchronized precision — sharp turns, fluid spins, heels striking rhythm against the polished stage.
Some performances leaned toward elegant ballroom fusion, partners gliding across the extended platform, while others carried modern choreography, bodies moving in confident, seductive patterns meant to energize the elite audience without breaking the evening's refined atmosphere.
On another side of the hall, violinists played soft harmonies between verses, their music weaving seamlessly into the performance.
A pair of aerial entertainers descended slowly from silk ribbons above, twisting gracefully in the air, drawing gasps from guests below.
Servers moved expertly through the crowd, replacing empty champagne flutes before hands even noticed they were empty. Laughter rose, glasses clinked, conversations grew louder — the party finally alive.
Aria's phone vibrated.
She glanced down.
Uncle Simon did have a child.
"…Fuck," Ava muttered under her breath as she read the confirmation text.
Before she could think further, Grace approached, smile perfectly practiced.
"Well, someone looks beautiful tonight," Grace said warmly. "Your parents are on holiday and clearly not here to look after you, so I thought I should take responsibility."
Ava already looked tired.
"You've reached the age, haven't you? Eighteen. You should already be engaged." Grace sighed pleasantly. "I might as well start looking for a husband for you."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"Not everyone wants to become a birth machine trapped in marriage like you, aunty who starved after her parents property."
Grace scoffed lightly.
"I'm only looking after you. In the end, you'll be married off anyway — that's life. Even your mother went through it." She chuckled as if discussing harmless tradition.
Then her tone shifted casually.
"Actually, I'm thinking of setting Lucia up with Milo. A perfect match, don't you think? I heard you're close to him. You could put in a good word."
Ava stared at her for a long second.
Then simply turned and walked away.
Across the hall, Prim stood with Daniel and Michael near the bar, half watching the stage, half ignoring it entirely.
"Grace wants to set Lucia up with Milo," Ava said flatly as she joined them.
Prim tilted his head slightly, expression blank, as though searching his memory.
"…Lucia?"
"Your aunt's first daughter," Michael supplied, sipping his wine. "I thought she was the favorite out of her three children."
Prim hummed faintly, still uninterested, eyes drifting back toward the crowd instead — as if the information barely registered.
The music rose again, applause echoing through the hall while dancers spun beneath golden lights, unaware that beneath the celebration, alliances were already shifting quietly between families.
"Lucia is the only one who truly inherited her personality," Ava said with a tired yawn.
"She'll probably use her to trap Milo the same way she trapped her husband. As for her son — the apple of her eye — she's likely waiting to swallow the entire Carter family just to secure the perfect match for him."
She swirled her drink lazily.
"And her third child, Nyra… I don't really know much about her. She's like her father."
Prim nodded slowly in understanding.
"Oh… Lucia," he muttered. "The witch."
He clicked his tongue.
"She's worse than Elena — first uncle's daughter."
Their gazes shifted toward the Hade family gathering across the hall.
Grace was already there, laughing elegantly among them. Everyone appeared relaxed — except Milo, who looked visibly bored, and Daisy, whose expression suggested she was seconds away from slapping Grace in public.
Then
The lights went out.
A collective murmur rose.
When they flickered back on, a man wearing a mask stood at the center of the stage.
Ava's heart dropped instantly.
Something was wrong.
Her eyes moved instinctively through the crowd — and met Mia's.
Mia smiled.
Slow. Knowing.
"Fuck," Aria cursed under her breath, already pulling out her phone.
It rang immediately.
Her assistant's panicked voice came through — the laboratory where the DNA test had been conducted had leaked the results… under Ava's name.
On the stage
"Everyone," the masked man announced loudly, voice echoing through the silent hall, "who is willing to hear the story of Mister Simon's affair?"
The entire ballroom froze.
Simon Hade's face drained of color.
Milo glanced sharply at his father before signaling the security guards.
"Remove him."
But the masked man laughed as guards approached.
"Don't be so quick to chase me away!" he shouted. "Surely everyone deserves to know that Mister Simon had an affair — and a son the same age as his legitimate children!"
Gasps spread like wildfire.
The guards dragged him away, yet whispers had already begun crawling through the crowd.
Then—
Every screen in the hall turned on by itself.
Ava exhaled faintly.
"I'm cooked," she whispered.
Prim glanced sideways at her.
"You know what this is about," he murmured quietly.
Around them, guests leaned toward one another, voices lowering into excited gossip as eyes continuously shifted toward the Hade family table.
The party was no longer a celebration.
It had become a public execution.
Ava lowered her voice as she stood beside Prim, Daniel, and Michael.
"I heard Mia on the phone earlier," she said quickly. "She mentioned Uncle Simon had a child."
Michael's brows lifted slightly.
"So I investigated."
Ava exhaled.
"I had my assistant destroy whatever evidence Mia claimed to have first. I needed to confirm whether it was real before anything spread."
She paused.
"…And it's true."
The three men looked at her.
"Uncle Simon does have a son," Ava continued. "Same age range. He attends the same school as us."
Michael let out a low whistle.
"Well," he muttered, swirling his drink, "that's explosive news."
He smirked faintly.
"Mia really lives for chaos, doesn't she?"
"Wait."
He turned toward Ava.
"If you destroyed the evidence she had… what exactly was she planning to use?"
Daniel chuckled softly, already understanding.
"She never intended to release it herself."
All eyes shifted to him.
Daniel took another calm sip of wine.
"She let Ava overhear the conversation on purpose," he said evenly. "Then planted traceable evidence knowing Ava would act."prim counties to sip his wine as if this doesn't involve him
"If Mia released the news," Daniel continued, "no one would believe her motives. But if Ava Carter—a close friend of the Hade family—became connected to the evidence…"
Michael finished the sentence.
"…everyone would assume Ava tried to blackmail the Hade family."
Daniel nodded once.
"She creates conflict between both families while keeping her hands clean."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Smart."
Prim sighed heavily, already tired.
"This," he muttered, rubbing his temple, "is what happens when people start acting beyond their pay grade Ava all this would be avoided if you did come "
He glanced toward the massive screens surrounding the hall.
"Let me guess."
"The real evidence is about to drop publicly."
And right on cue—
The ballroom televisions flickered.
Music cut off mid-performance.
The celebrity on stage froze as confusion spread through the hall.
Then—
A hospital recording appeared on every screen.
Security footage.
A laboratory room.
Ava's assistant stood beside a doctor holding documents.
The audio echoed clearly through the silent ballroom.
"The DNA results are confirmed," the doctor said professionally.
He handed over the report.
"Mister Simon Hade and Mister Asher are biologically father and son."
The screen went black.
Silence.
Complete.
Heavy.
The grand hall—once filled with laughter and music—felt like a graveyard.
Glasses stopped mid-air.
Whispers died before forming.
Across the hall—
Mrs. Veronica Hade turned deathly pale, one hand flying to her mouth as nausea overtook her.
Daisy's eyes reddened instantly.
Her gaze locked onto Ava.
Rage.
Betrayal.
Humiliation.
She strode forward without hesitation and raised her hand—
SLAP—
Ava stepped aside smoothly.
The strike cut through empty air.
Before Daisy could react again, Michael caught her wrist firmly.
"It's alright," he said calmly, voice low but commanding.
"Let's get you out of here before you completely lose control."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I'll tell you who really did this."
Around them—
the storm had only just begun.
"My God… so Simon Hade really has another child outside marriage? And the boy is the same age as his legitimate children? How disgusting."
A richly dressed woman covered her mouth as she whispered to her companion.
"Please," another guest murmured quietly, eyes glittering with gossip. "No powerful family is ever truly clean."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
Phones were already out.
Reputations shattered faster than glass.
Across the hall, Mia lowered her champagne glass, a slow smirk forming on her lips.
"Oh my… Ava actually went as far as investigating this just to blackmail the Hade family?" she said loudly enough for nearby guests to hear. "Tsk, tsk… how disappointing."
The murmuring intensified instantly.
All eyes turned toward Ava.
Grace cleared her throat awkwardly, distancing herself at once. Without another word, she quietly stepped away from the Hade family—as if afraid scandal itself might stain her.
Daniel watched everything carefully.
"…Why do I feel like this has something to do with them?" he muttered.
His gaze shifted.
Prim understood immediately.
Both men looked toward the upper balcony.
High above the chaos, where three figures lounged casually, completely detached from the disaster unfolding below—laughing, drinking, watching as though it were entertainment though they can't see them due to how the balcony was created they could feel more than one person gaze from there.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"I heard the Blake representatives are attending tonight," he said quietly. "You think that guy is here?"
Prim calmly pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and placed it into his mouth.
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Ava followed their gaze—but by the time she looked, the balcony was too far to see anyone.
"So… someone helped Mia?" she asked.
Daniel and Prim both nodded faintly.
A sharp cough echoed.
Milo stepped forward, authority instantly returning to his posture.
"What is everyone still standing around for?" he said coldly. "The party is over."
Security moved immediately.
Guards began guiding stunned guests toward the exits while whispers continued behind trembling smiles.
Soon, only a few figures remained.
Daniel.
Prim.
Ava.
And the Hade family.
Simon Hade stared directly at Ava, disappointment and anger mixing in his expression.
"…Why did you do this?" he asked heavily.
Ava shrugged.
"I didn't."
Her voice remained calm.
"Someone used me. And honestly, I don't want to be involved in your family matters more than I already am."
She glanced briefly at Milo.
"I'll tell you who used me later."
Without waiting for permission, Ava turned and walked away.
Behind her—
Veronica's voice trembled.
"She… she's the mother of the child, isn't she?"
Simon closed his eyes and sighed.
That silence was answer enough.
Veronica broke down instantly, tears spilling as years of dignity collapsed in seconds.
The Balcony
Hidden in shadow above the emptied hall, three men watched the aftermath unfold like victorious generals observing a battlefield.
Neo chuckled softly.
"I gotta admit… that Mia girl is smart as hell."
He leaned against the railing.
"But why do I feel like there's more to this story? She acted like she already knew who her husband cheated with."
Luis nodded slowly.
"And it seems…" he murmured, "…we've already been discovered."
Beside them, Kai simply watched the chaos below, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"The game," Kai said quietly, "is finally getting interesting."
Back in the Hallway
The noise of the dispersing guests echoed faintly from the grand hall, replaced now by heavy silence.
Simon Hade's expression was dark as he faced Prim.
"Your sister has caused us serious trouble," Simon said coldly. "Even if she was used, what she did was foolish. She had no right investigating matters that do not concern her."
Prim shrugged lazily, completely unmoved.
The lollipop shifted between his lips as if this conversation bored him.
"Then go tell her," he replied casually. "I'm not her guardian."
Simon's jaw tightened.
Prim continued walking slowly past him before stopping halfway, turning slightly.
"Oh—and Uncle…"
His tone changed just enough to make everyone listen.
"You might want to tighten control over your family business."
He licked the lollipop thoughtfully.
"It seems the Blake family is preparing to move."
A pause.
"…No. Scratch that."
A faint smirk appeared.
"This would actually be the perfect time for them to sue your company and clear their path. The same method they used to crush the other families that had issues with our company and the company trying to defend against us didn't stand the chance for t they propoably want to take control of our country underground system."
Simon's face darkened further.
Prim's eyes gleamed lazily.
"Especially now, when you're about to secure that major project. They could easily use this scandal to trap my idiot Uncle James too."
He sighed dramatically.
"He's already neck-deep in debt negotiations and he does not know."
Prim clicked his tongue.
"I really don't want extra stress cleaning up everyone's mess."
Daniel rolled his eyes beside him.
"This idiot only worries about things that inconvenience him probably won't even think to remind his uncle about the issue cause it is not his bussiness ." Daniel thought
Then Daniel turned toward Milo.
"I've already contacted the media company. Nothing leaves tonight everything would be peaceful."
He adjusted his cuff calmly.
"Oh—and secure your hotels why have blindspots you are unaware of Ks k if security "
Without waiting for a response, Daniel turned.
Prim followed beside him, hands in his pockets, humming lightly as though nothing disastrous had happened minutes ago.
Their footsteps faded down the corridor.
Silence remained.
Milo looked at his father.
Then at his trembling mother.
"…Let's go home," Milo said quietly.
He gently supported Veronica, guiding her forward while security surrounded the family.
Behind them—
The grand hall lights dimmed.
And the night that destroyed the Hade family's reputation officially began and ended the same day