Ruining the Party

The Grand Hotel ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers and the laughter of high society guests.

At the center of the room—

Selena Laurent stood elegantly in an expensive white gown, holding Jason Valdis’s arm while accepting endless congratulations.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Perfect.

Exactly like the beloved daughter of the Laurent family.

Until—

THE BALLROOM DOORS SWUNG OPEN.

The noise inside instantly faded.

A woman walked in slowly.

A simple black dress.

No jewelry.

No excessive makeup.

Yet the icy aura surrounding her made the entire ballroom feel suffocating.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The sound of her heels echoed across the marble floor.

And with every step—

Selena’s face grew paler.

“Ve… Vessara…?”

Selena’s smile froze completely.

Jason frowned immediately.

Mr. and Mrs. Laurent abruptly rose to their feet.

Whispers instantly spread throughout the ballroom.

“Wasn’t she in prison?”

“The fake heiress?”

“She actually came back?”

Vessara stopped a few feet in front of them.

Her gaze casually swept across the ballroom decorations.

Balloons.

Flowers.

A champagne tower.

A massive pre-wedding photo of Selena and Jason.

How beautiful.

Vessara smiled faintly.

“Beautiful.”

Her gaze slowly returned to Selena.

“My engagement party really changed a lot while I was away.”

The atmosphere instantly froze solid.

Jason’s expression darkened.

“Your engagement party?” he mocked coldly. “Don’t forget your place.”

“The Valdis family’s marriage agreement was always meant for the real daughter of the Laurent family.”

His eyes filled with contempt.

“You’re nothing but a fake.”

“And an ex-convict.”

Vessara stared at him for two full seconds.

Then—

she laughed softly.

“How strange.”

“I was only gone for five years…”

“And somehow my fiancé became my little sister’s man?”

“Vessara!” Mrs. Laurent snapped furiously. “Stop embarrassing this family!”

“Family?”

Vessara finally turned toward her.

The look in her eyes instantly made Mrs. Laurent choke on her words.

“I’m not even sure you people ever considered me part of one.”

Selena hurriedly bit her lip, her eyes reddening.

“Sis…” her voice trembled softly. “I know you hate me.”

“But I truly never blamed you…”

“If you’re angry, just take it out on me…”

Tears began falling down her cheeks.

Weak.

Fragile.

Pitiful.

Just like always.

And the guests immediately fell for the act.

“Miss Selena is too kind…”

“After everything, she still calls Vessara her sister?”

“Vessara really has no shame.”

Selena slowly stepped closer.

“Sis… I’m sorry…”

SLAP—

The sharp sound exploded through the ballroom.

Selena’s body staggered sideways.

Her lip split open instantly, blood dripping down her chin.

The entire room froze.

Vessara casually flexed her wrist.

Her gaze was ice-cold.

“Good.”

“Because I came here to take it out on you.”

Selena stared at her in shock.

Before she could react—

SLAP—

The second slap landed even harder.

Selena nearly collapsed to the floor.

A sob broke from her lips.

Vessara looked down at her emotionlessly.

“The first slap…”

“Was for the family you killed.”

Her eyes turned even colder.

“And the second slap—”

“Was for the five years of my life you stole.”

The ballroom exploded into chaos.

Jason’s expression changed drastically.

“Vessara!”

He rushed forward furiously, reaching for her arm—

Only for Vessara to grab his wrist and flip him over her shoulder in one clean motion.

BANG!

Jason crashed heavily onto the marble floor in front of everyone.

The guests screamed in shock.

Vessara looked down at him indifferently.

“You were involved too.”

Jason’s face twisted in humiliation and fury.

Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Laurent finally snapped.

“You ungrateful little brat!” Mr. Laurent shrieked.

“How dare you hit your sister?!”

Mr. Laurent raised his hand furiously and stormed toward Vessara—

But before he could touch her—

“What are you doing?!”

A cold voice suddenly rang through the ballroom.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Everyone turned.

A man in a tailored suit hurried across the ballroom and stopped in front of Vessara, slightly out of breath.

Even so, his posture stayed respectful.

“Miss Ve,” he said politely, “the acquisition has been completed. The hotel officially belongs to you now.”

Then he lowered his head slightly.

“Would you like us to clear the ballroom?”

Silence swept across the room.

Everyone froze.

The Grand Hotel was one of the most exclusive hotels in the city.

Rumor said the owner, known only as Mr. Foster, controlled an enormous underground network with connections everywhere.

More importantly—

People knew he was close to Razen Valdis.

Because of that alone, even the hotel staff acted like royalty.

People spent months trying to get a meeting with General Manager Parker.

And now—

The same man was bowing respectfully to a woman who had supposedly just gotten out of prison.

Meanwhile, Vessara simply smiled faintly.

Roy really did work fast.

Buying an entire hotel in this amount of time wasn’t easy.

As for Mr. Foster—

A year ago, he’d been kidnapped during an international conflict and held hostage on a private island by mercenaries.

He probably could’ve escaped eventually.

But Vessara reached him first.

Not only did she pull him out alive—

She wiped out every mercenary on the island.

Since then, Mr. Foster owed her a debt he could never repay.

One hotel meant nothing.