?Chapter 988:


    Darwin acted quickly, pushing Tina back before she could get close to Brenna. The nearby guests stepped aside, and Tina crashed to the floor in an ungraceful sprawl.


    Lilith’sughter rang out first, soon joined by chuckles from the crowd.


    Humiliated, Tina scrambled to her feet, her face flushing with fury. She red at Brenna. “Don’t think you’ve won! Just wait until my brother deals with you! Brenna, you won’t be smug for long. Wait until Ethan deres Gracie as his new girlfriend. Let’s see if you can still hold your head high then!”


    “His new girlfriend? Not my concern. I dumped him. He can chase whoever he wants,” Brenna retorted sharply.


    Lilith joined in, taunting Tina, “Exactly! Just because you dated someone doesn’t mean you can’t move on and meet new people. I heard you’re into Mr. Mitchell. Why not go for him? Oh, wait—didn’t you already try, getting naked and sneaking into his hotel room, only to get tossed out?”


    Tina’s cheeks flushed deeper as the mortifying memory of that surveince footage being yed in the auction hall flooded back.


    “Mark my words—I won’t let you off easily!” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.


    Confusion creased Lilith’s brow as she shot Tina a pointed look. “There’s something off about her. Every time you cross paths, she tries to stir up drama. Maybe she thinks that now that you’ve broken up with Ethan, she can humiliate you.”


    With a shrug, Brenna clinked her ss with Lilith’s. Rather than mingle, the two slipped into a secluded corner, away from the crowd.


    Brenna said, “Tina has had feelings for Ethan for ages but has never had the guts to tell him. Her brother is tight with Ethan, so she’s always trying to use that connection, but Ethan barely spares her a nce.”


    As the conversation carried on, Brenna spotted Gracie and Ethan exiting the lounge together. Gracie was holding onto Ethan’s arm, but Ethan calmly removed her hand, maintaining a polite distance. His eyes scanned the room, clearly searching for Brenna.


    Uninterested in a confrontation, Brenna signaled to Lilith to stand up and block her from Ethan’s view.


    Lilithplied and stepped right in front of Brenna, even tossing a disapproving nce over her shoulder at Ethan.


    Feel inspired by g?lnσν????s???????


    She turned back to Brenna. “There was a time when I thought Ethan was good for you—loyal, someone you could count on. But now? He’s standing there ying support for another woman. Did he even ask if you were okay with that? Is he about to give you some speech about how he and Gracie are just friends?”


    Brenna let out a sigh, shaking her head. “He bends over backwards for Gracie, then expects me to believe there’s nothing between them. Who would believe that?”


    Lilith turned again, catching sight of Ethan introducing Gracie to the city’s most influential families. Jayceon and Ernst hovered nearby, and Denis was there with Judy beside him. Gracie seemed to be the star of the evening, with everyone’s attention locked on her.


    “Just look. Ethan’s making her the focus, and now, even your brother’s ying along. Didn’t your brother just promise to ask Ethan about his rtionship with Gracie for you? Seems like he doesn’t mean that at all.”


    Annoyance bubbled up in Lilith. Her disappointment in Ernst was clear.


    .


    .


    .