Edith felt like she was at the peak of her life, basking in the glory brought to her by her two most cherished granddaughters.


    Jessica and Trish, the two shining stars, both wore smiles that rádiated pride.


    The second and third branches of the family were all wrapped in a joyful atmosphere.


    Wendy stood quietly in the corner, watching the bustling andvish Crone family gathering. She had always been an outsider, never truly a part of their world. The only contection she had to this family was her father, who had long since passed and been forgotten by everyone here.


    Suddenly, Wendy felt a gazend on her face. She looked up and found Stanley''s eyes fixed on her.


    Why was he staring at her?


    Tonight, he was here with Jessica, standing by her side as her support.


    It was as if everyone had forgotten that she was Mrs. Hawk


    Howughable.


    Wendy shifted her gaze away.


    "Alright. Now that everyone''s here, Mr. Hawk, Dr. Cen, let''s begin the dinner," Edith said with a smile.


    The table was set with a variety of fine dishes and wines, and everyone began to take their seats.


    Seats had already been arranged. Edith, as the eldest, naturally took the seat of honor. Stanley, Jessica, Harry, and Lilian sat on the left side, while Dr. Cen, Trish, Archer, and Natalie took the right side. The whole family seemed to be in perfect harmony.


    Wendy, however, realized there was no seat for her.


    Trish had invited her to dinner, but no one had prepared a ce for her.


    It seemed that Trish just now noticed the oversight. With a smile, she asked, "Wendy, you don''t have a seat?"/


    At once, every eye in the room turned toward Wendy.


    She had always been looked down upon by the Crone family and no one had paid attention to her until now.


    Edith sighed impatiently. "The seats are fixed, and there''s no extra space. Wendy, you''ll have to eat with the servants in the kitchen."


    Lilian, still harboring resentment for Wendy for causing Harry to p herst time, gave her a smile that didn''t reach her eyes. Her voice wasced with malice as she suggested, "How about this? I''ll have the servants add a seat in the corner for you. You can eat there."


    Edith and Lilian were clearly trying to humiliate Wendy, and everyone was watching her, waiting for her to be embarrassed.


    Dr. Cen nced at Wendy, curious. "And who might this be?"


    Trish casually smiled. "She''s just a servant in the house."


    Trish calling Wendy a servant was a p in the face. Inviting Wendy to dinner was her way of getting back at her for witnessing Trish''s humiliation at the Medical Museum when her academic paper was retracted. Now, she was unting her sess in front of Wendy.


    Jessica shot Wendy a disdainful nce, thinking she had overestimated herself for wanting to beat her.


    Wendy stood alone, her clear eyes calmly observing the Crone family. She gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "It''s fine. There''s no seat for me here, so I''ll skip dinner."


    She turned to Dr. Cen. "I actually came back just to meet Dr. Cen."


    Edith scoffed. "Well, guess it''s your luck to be around Trish and get to meet Dr. Cen through her."


    Dr. Cen held Trish''s hand, and Trish shed him a sweet smile.


    Wendy spoke again, her tone indifferent. "Just a word of caution. No one has truly seen Dr. Cen before, so you all should be careful of frauds."


    Frauds?


    What was she talking about?


    The room froze.


    Dr. Cen''s eyes flickered with a hint of unease. He looked at Wendy, wondering


    if she had discovered something.


    But it was impossible. His n was wless.


    Wendy said no more. She simply turned and walked away.


    As soon as Wendy left, Edith muttered under her breath, clearly displeased, "What nonsense is she talking about? Is she saying Dr. Cen is a fraud?"


    How could that be?


    Trish was the first to deny it. Everything about Dr. Cen checked out. He was, without a doubt, Dr. Cen!