While they were talking, Miss. Versta passed by.
Louis's eyes followed Miss. Versta's movements and then stuck to her, "Miss. Versta, you look really beautiful today..."
Mark: "..."
He shouldn't have wasted that bit of sympathy...
Haley walked with Ivan to the balcony.
The two of them, one with captivating beauty and the other astonishingly handsome, walked side by side to the balcony, instantly attracting countless attention.
"Oh my god, as soon as Cuenca's number one beauty returns, she steals Ivan's heart?"
"Isn't Ivan uninterested in women? Why would he go to talk to Haley alone?"
"We're done for. Now that Haley is back, will we still have a way out?"
The socialites sighed as if their vitality had been sucked away.
They still remembered when five years ago, Haley had made her debut.
Whenever Ms. DeRoss attended a banquet, wherever she went, she would shine brightly. Even if she didn't wear any makeup and dressed in the simplest clothes, she would still be the most dazzling presence in the crowd.
Everyone was full of envy and jealousy, but there was nothing they could do. They could only anonymously express their opinions online... So even before the Martínez family's dinner had ended, the internet had already exploded, with news bites, pictures and numerous speculations on Haley’s return.
A slight night breeze blew on the balcony, bringing with it a cool chill. Haley's black hair was blown onto her crimson lips. She reached out to tuck the strands behind her ear and calmly spoke, "Mr. Winston, let's make a deal."
Ivan calmly raised an eyebrow and asked, "What kind of deal? Tell me."
"If there's no information online about Mr. Winston having a son, it shows that Mr. Winston doesn't want to expose his son to the media. I am willing to help Mr. Winston keep this secret. At the same time, I hope Mr. Winston can understand from a parent's perspective and keep the fact that I have a child to himself."
Ivan thought about the rumors in the banquet hall. Those hurtful, piercing, and ugly words. Even he, as a man, felt a pang in his heart, let alone a woman like her. If that little girl with her fluffy hair heard someone insulting her mother, she would probably be sad and cry.
Ivan didn't know why, but he suddenly wanted to see that little girl. However, this strange thought was soon suppressed by him.
He casually said, "I can agree to your request, but what do I get in return?"
Haley didn't anticipate that he would agree so readily.
She paused for a second and smiled, "What does Mr. Winston want in return?"
"If I need your help, you cannot refuse," Ivan said in a pondering tone.
Haley was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. She didn't think she had anything to offer the Winston family, but she had no room to refuse.
She raised her glass and said, "Thank you, Mr. Winston." Her red lips left an imprint on the glass, causing Ivan to suddenly feel a dry mouth.
He turned his gaze away and asked in a gentle voice, "Did you really give birth to a pair of stillborn twins four years ago?"
He wasn't intentionally poking at her sore spot; he genuinely wanted to clarify. The news said she gave birth to a pair of stillborn twins, so where did her daughter come from?
Haley's fingers tightened.
The thing she couldn't stand the most was someone mentioning those two children.
Every time they were brought up, the image of two infants covered in bruises would appear in her mind.
She took a deep breath and said, "Everything the news said is false, Mr. Winston. It's better not to believe it. I need to go and greet the guests in the banquet hall. Excuse me."
She picked up her dress and hastily walked away.
Ivan frowned.
So, those two children didn't die, maybe only one died, in any case, there is still one daughter alive by her side...
Haley's figure had just disappeared in the corridor when a little head popped out from the corner.
It was Todd, who had been hiding behind the curtains...
Todd slowly walked out from behind the curtains.
He looked at Ivan's figure and quietly followed him.
Angela felt a strong connection with this man. The only thing she could think of was that this man could very well be their father.
Therefore, he had to get a sample for a paternity test.
Hair, saliva, blood, nails... all carry DNA cells...
Todd tightly pursed his thin lips and followed Ivan from a distance.
Ivan held a glass in his hand, took a sip, and walked towards the banquet hall. Just as he had taken a couple of steps, he felt a small tail behind him.
How could someone dare to track him in such a situation?
Ivan sneered.
He casually placed the glass on the table and continued walking.
His long legs took a few steps forward, and then he suddenly turned back.
Todd's heart stopped in fright.
He quickly turned around and pretended to pass by casually.
Seeing his back, Ivan's sneer gradually turned cold.
Owen.
How dare this kid secretly come out to attend such an occasion?
Can't the Winston family's group of bodyguards even keep an eye on one child?
He coldly commanded, "Stop."
Two words, filled with coldness.
Todd had never been afraid of anyone or anything, but upon hearing these two words, the palms of his hands involuntarily became sweaty.
He pretended not to hear and continued walking forward.
"Owen, if you dare to take another step, I'll have someone send you out of the country tonight."
Ivan's voice contained a hint of threat.
Finally, Todd's steps came to a halt.
He turned around, and a hint of confusion appeared on his innocent face, "Sir, did you mistake me for someone else?"
Ivan looked at the unfamiliar face in front of him and suddenly felt embarrassed.
He had actually mistaken his own son!
But!
Why does the back of this child in front of him look exactly like Owen?
He faintly pursed his lips and said, "What were you doing following me just now?"
"I wasn't!" Todd blinked his eyes, "I lost my toy car, have you seen my car?"
Ivan shook his head and turned to leave.
Todd let out a sigh of relief.
Only after Ivan's figure disappeared from this corridor did he quickly walk to the table and pick up the glass Ivan had drank from.
He took out a sample paper from his pocket and pressed it on the spot where Ivan's lips had touched.
He was just about to put the paper back into his pocket.
In there, Haley's voice sounded from behind.
"Todd, what are you doing here?"
Todd was startled and stiffened all over.
He was very aware of how much Mommy hated Daddy, the kind of hatred he couldn't even ask about.
If Mommy knew that he had secretly checked Daddy's information, she would definitely be unhappy.
He took a deep breath, let go of the hand holding the test paper, and raised his head with a smile, "Mommy, I came out to get cake for my Angela. She loves Black Forest cake the most."