“Isn’t that so?”

Dalton and Moran Albright were there too. They didn’t know about the long- standing feud between Charlene and the Hawkins and Spencer families. So when Katie mentioned the guests had mistaken someone’s identity, they barely reacted.

Henley and Laverne Hawkins listened quietly, not bothering to defend Charlene. Leah Spencer observed all of this, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Janetta looked on, wanting to say something, but with so many people around, she kept her head down and remained silent.

At that moment, Helena, Nadine, and Carl Ross stepped out of the elevator.

“Cousin?”

Nadine and Carl barely had a chance to process the crowd before spotting Charlene about to leave. Hearing Carl’s voice, Charlene turned around and saw her grandmother and her cousins.

Soon enough, Carl and Helena noticed Thorne, but Helena also saw Henley, Maureen, Katie, and the others.

Charlene pressed her lips together, turned on her heel, and returned to Helena’s side. “Grandma, the wedding reception is over there,” she said, gently supporting Helena.

Katie had invited a mix of family, friends, and local New York City elites to her birthday celebration. Some of these guests were aware of the Hawkins and Ross family’s history. Though it had been a while since they’d seen Helena, they recognized her immediately.

When they heard Charlene call Helena ‘Grandma’ and saw Charlene looked to be in her mid-twenties, they quickly pieced together that this striking young woman must be Katie’s other granddaughter This granddaughter hadn’t been part of the Hawkins family ever since Katie’s son divorced his first wife. swnovel

They had heard rumors that after Katie’s son remarried, she had disregarded her previous granddaughter entirely. What they had thought were just rumors seemed

to hold some truth, judging by Katie’s indifferent and dismissive demeanor towards the girl.

Even Henley, the biological father, stood by without uttering a word, showing no intention of acknowledging his daughter.

Years ago, when Henley decided to divorce the Ross family heiress to marry a woman of modest means people thought he’d lost his mind. However, over the years, the Ross family had nearly gone bankrupt, losing their former glory, while the Hawkins family had risento prominence, thanks to the granddaughter from that modest background. swnovel

Word had it that Katie’s grandson was also quite remarkable. Witnessing the Hawkins family’s current prosperity, compared to the Ross family’s decline, people realized Katie and Henley’s choices had been right all along.

Because of the Hawkins family’s newfound status, when they received invitations, many had traveled all the way from New York City to attend Katie’s celebration. Among them were some of New York City’s most elite, people who previously wouldn’t have associated with the Hawkins family. Yet, today, they made the effort to attend, honoring the Hawkins family’s

invitation and cementing their elevated status. swnovel