Chapter 2

The staff stopped hesitating and stepped forward to drag me out.

I shook them off and snapped, "Let go! Don't touch me. I'm here on behalf of Samuel Storm. I'm his daughter!"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Yvonne covered her mouth as she jeered, her tone dripping with mockery. "Mr. Storm's daughter graduated from Shefford University. Since returning to the country, she has practically taken over the entire Storm family business in just two years.

"The only thing you two have in common is a surname. You're just a nanny, yet you're pretending to be her? You really don't know your place. Since we're former schoolmates, I suppose Nicholas and I could hire you to look after our children someday."

I shot back, "That depends on whether you're even capable of having children. Besides, what career do you have? Stealing a man's heart?"

I had clearly struck a nerve. Yvonne's face contorted with rage.

She had been desperate to have Nicholas' child to finally secure his family's approval. But after several miscarriages, conceiving had become difficult. She had secretly tried countless supplements, but nothing had worked.

Furious, Yvonne shouted at the staff, "Are you deaf? Why are you still standing there? Throw her out!"

The staff didn't give me another chance to explain. They rushed forward, grabbed my arm, and began dragging me toward the exit.

Frightened by the commotion, Eli began to cry. Afraid they might hurt him, I wrenched myself free from their grasp. "I'll leave on my own. Don't touch my son!"

Nicholas' expression shifted instantly. He stared at me in disbelief. "Elizabeth, what did you just say? That's your son?"

"That's right. This is my son."

"You're already married to someone else? Impossible. I don't believe you could ever move on from me!"

I stared at him, baffled by his ego. "Why wouldn't I move on? We broke up ages ago."

Nicholas refused to believe me. His gaze locked onto my wrist. I looked down and realized that during the scuffle, my sleeve had been pulled up, revealing my bracelet.

Nicholas smirked with smug certainty. "Ha! Elizabeth, you still want to pretend? I knew you could never forget me. Why else would you still be wearing the butterfly bracelet I gave you? If you tell me the truth right now and beg for my forgiveness, I might consider giving you another chance."

The bracelet he gave me? He had given me a cheap silver bracelet that had rusted away years ago. This one was a platinum and diamond piece that my husband, Dixon Smith, had personally designed for me because he knew I liked butterflies.

I was speechless. "Look at the diamonds. Do you really think you could afford this? My husband gave this to me. It has nothing to do with you."

The diamonds sparkled brilliantly, clearly worth a fortune. But Yvonne snatched the bracelet off my wrist, a sinister smile spreading across her face. "Elizabeth, how could you possibly afford such an expensive bracelet? Everyone here today is wealthy. You must've stolen it.

"If you can't afford to eat, you could've just asked me. You can pack up the leftovers from the banquet later. But stealing? You're setting a terrible example for your son. Sooner or later, he'll get himself killed acting like this."

Hearing her insult Eli, I shouted, "Yvonne, shut your mouth! I won't allow you to speak about my son that way!"

Yvonne opened her mouth to snap back, but suddenly, she looked closer at Eli. Her eyes widened as she realized he looked familiar.

A second later, she gasped. "That's Dixon Smith's son! Elizabeth, why is he with you? Are you trying to kidnap him? How dare you!"