Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Serena's POV

I leaned back against the passenger seat, my body still carrying that post-hospital laziness. I sank into the leather, soft and boneless. October's cool night air poured through the half-open window.

Ethan's phone rang.

He picked up. Lucas's voice came through the line. "Mr. Blackwood, the Vanderbilt family is throwing a homecoming banquet for Vivian tomorrow night at The Summit Club. They're officially recognizing her."

I turned to look at him.

Ethan's grip tightened on the steering wheel. A cold smirk tugged at his mouth. His eyes flicked to me, voice lazy. "Got it. Tomorrow night, I'm bringing Serena."

After he hung up, I raised an eyebrow. "You're bringing me? Want me to expose Vivian on the spot?"

"Can't let her parade around the Vanderbilt family using your identity, can we?" His fingers drummed lightly on the wheel, his tone carrying a cool, careless edge. "Perfect chance to show Manhattan's elite who really belongs there."

I smiled, a flicker of amusement rising in my chest. Vivian had been hopping around like a smug little rabbit. If I didn't step on her tail, what kind of person would I be?

Honestly, I didn't care much about the Vanderbilt identity itself. But I did want to watch her crash and burn in person.

"Fine. I'll go."

---

The next evening, Ethan led me into The Summit Club's banquet hall. The room blazed with light. Champagne bubbles hissed and popped, mingling with the hum of conversation that drilled into my ears. Crystal chandeliers bathed the hall in shimmering brilliance. Everywhere I looked, evening gowns and jewelry glittered.

I followed the crowd's gaze. Tiffany stood at the center of the hall in a sleek black dress. Beside her, Vivian wore a custom pink gown, clutching a limited-edition platinum bag. Her makeup was flawless. She looked like a flower arranged on display for admiration.

Vivian saw me.

She shrank back toward Tiffany, her knuckles turning white around the bag's handle. Her eyes flashed with panic I could read from across the room.

I said nothing. Just let my lips curl into a faint smile.

Tiffany strode over, her tone tinged with displeasure but maintaining upper-class restraint. "Ethan, why are you here? I don't recall sending you an invitation…"

Ethan smiled, his gaze drifting toward Vivian. His tone was leisurely. "Tiffany, you're throwing such a grand homecoming banquet. If I didn't show up for the fun, wouldn't that be a shame? Besides, Serena here has a bit of history with Vivian. She wanted to come watch the show too."

Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

I turned. Nina was being half-dragged into the hall by her father. She wore a mint-green cocktail dress, her face etched with reluctance. She muttered under her breath, "Dad, why do I have to come to this thing? I have surgeries at the hospital."

"There are plenty of doctors at the hospital. They won't miss you!"

"But if I'm not there, they'll have to work overtime."

"Then let them work overtime! I'll pay the overtime! Stop using work as an excuse! You're at the age where you should have a boyfriend by now. If you had one, I wouldn't care if you worked around the clock!"

"Dad, where am I supposed to pull a boyfriend out of thin air?"

I stood there listening, barely holding back laughter.

Nina was thoroughly annoyed by her father's nagging. Her eyes darted around, clearly looking for an escape route. Then she spotted me. Her eyes lit up instantly. She yanked her arm free from her father and rushed over, latching onto my arm. "Serena! What are you doing here? You just got out of the hospital! Ethan, what were you thinking, bringing Serena to a crowded place like this?"

Ethan smiled helplessly, saying nothing.

I patted her hand, smiling. "I'm fine. Just here to watch the drama."

Nina finally shifted her attention, glancing toward Tiffany and Vivian. When she saw Vivian, her expression darkened. She deliberately raised her voice. "Oh, isn't that Vivian? What are you doing here?"

Vivian, called out in front of everyone, flushed red and then pale. She clutched her bag, unable to form words. The little confidence she had left began to crumble.

Tiffany's face soured. Before she could speak, Nina's father hurried over, grabbing Nina's arm and hissing, "Nina! Watch your manners! Show some respect!"

He turned to Tiffany and Vivian with a fawning smile. "I'm so sorry. Nina's young. She doesn't know better. Please don't hold it against her."

Nina yanked her arm free, indignant. "Dad! How am I being disrespectful? Do you even know who Vivian is?"

Nina's father glared at her. "Of course I know! Vivian is Tiffany's niece. Tonight's banquet is specifically to recognize her! Now apologize to Vivian!"

Nina looked like she'd heard the world's greatest joke. She laughed, nearly doubling over. "Dad, don't let her fool you! Vivian isn't part of the Vanderbilt family at all. She's an illegitimate child! Her mother, Jade, was Marcus's mistress. Jade only got into the Sterling household because she gave birth to Vivian!"

The words dropped like a bomb.

The banquet hall fell silent, as if someone had hit a mute button. I felt the air freeze for a split second. Then every pair of eyes in the room swiveled to Vivian. The chandelier light fell on her carefully made-up face, which had gone paper-white. Her whole body trembled. Her finger shook as she pointed at Nina.

"You… you're lying! I'm not illegitimate! My mother is Marcus's legal wife! I'm part of the Vanderbilt family! Stop slandering me!"

"Slandering you?" Nina sneered, stepping right up to Vivian. Her eyes dripped with contempt. "Vivian, are you seriously denying that your mother, Jade, was a mistress? When Jade first showed up, Serena's mother, Grace, was still alive! Your mother used dirty tricks to drive Grace to her death, then seized her position! Everyone knows this. Plenty of people are laughing at you behind your back. But here you are, pretending to be a Vanderbilt heiress!"

Hearing Nina mention my mother, my chest tightened for a moment. It was like an old wound being gently touched, releasing a dull, aged ache.

But I quickly pushed the feeling down.

Nina turned to Tiffany, her tone urgent. "Tiffany, don't let her deceive you! That paternity test she gave you has to be fake! Think about it—if she really were your sister's daughter, why didn't she come to you all these years? Why show up now? It's because she wants to climb the social ladder using the Vanderbilt name!"

I watched Tiffany's face. The doubt in her eyes was impossible to hide. She stared at Vivian, her voice dropping. "Vivian, is what she's saying true? Tell me the truth."

Vivian, pinned under that stare, turned red-eyed. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Her voice trembled with sobs. "Tiffany, I didn't! Nina's doing this on purpose. She's Serena's best friend. Serena must have put her up to this to frame me! Don't believe her!"

Nina scoffed. "Frame you? Do I need to? You know exactly what you are."

Vivian stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance. A server caught her. Her champagne glass clinked against the edge of a nearby table, a sharp little sound.

I stood there, watching her panic. A calm, settled feeling washed over me. Not satisfaction. Just the quiet certainty of something inevitable finally arriving.

Ethan gently squeezed my hand, murmuring, "Looks like we're in for a show."

I nodded, a faint smile on my lips.

Tiffany's gaze shifted to Ethan. I could see her thinking, something clicking into place. She asked, "Ethan, you knew about Vivian's background all along, didn't you? Those things you said to me before—you were trying to warn me, weren't you?"

Ethan nodded, his tone steady and clear. "Yes. I had Lucas investigate Vivian's background a long time ago. She has no Vanderbilt blood. That paternity test report? She forged it using Serena's hair. I tried to warn you. You just didn't take it seriously."

The words landed like a stone thrown into still water. Ripples spread outward.

Low murmurs filled the hall, like a thousand fine needles hitting tile.

"You're lying!"

Vivian suddenly screamed. I saw her composure shatter completely. Like a drowning person clutching at the last straw, she shrieked, "Ethan, Serena must have blinded you! This is all Serena's plot! She's jealous of me, so she convinced you to do this!"

Silence.

Then I heard a few dismissive whispers.

I lifted my gaze to her.

Her makeup had started to smudge. Her eyes were red-rimmed. Mascara streaked gray-brown at the corners. But her eyes still darted around wildly, searching for an escape.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The scattered conversations in the hall seemed to recede. All that remained was the crisp click of my heels on the marble floor.

"Vivian, you're still lying." My voice carried a chill. "I'm asking you—you keep insisting you're Vanderbilt blood. So tell me, who was your mother? What's your relationship with Jade? You can't keep dodging the question forever."

Vivian's eyes flickered. She swallowed, forcing herself to shout, "Jade is just our housekeeper! After my mother died, she came to the Sterling household to take care of me! My mother was Tiffany's sister. I'm a Vanderbilt child! Stop trying to twist the truth!"

I almost laughed at the absurdity. My voice turned cold. "Housekeeper? Vivian, do you dare put your hand on your heart and say that the way Jade has cared for you all these years is how a housekeeper treats an employer's child? For your sake, she schemed to harm me. She forged medical reports to deceive Marcus. She even hired someone to kidnap me and destroy me. And you call her a 'housekeeper'?"

Nina stepped forward beside me, her tone dripping with challenge. "Since you claim you're a Vanderbilt, why don't you take a DNA test right now? Tiffany's right here. Go get tested. If you're really her niece, it'll prove itself! If you refuse, it just means you're guilty. You're a fraud!"

"I won't do it!"

Vivian rejected the idea without a second thought. The panic in her voice was impossible to hide. Her hands clenched the fabric of her gown so tightly her knuckles went white. The platinum bag's chain rattled faintly on her trembling wrist.

"I already gave Tiffany the test report. Why should I take another one? You're just trying to humiliate me! Serena, you can't stand to see me happy, so you teamed up with Nina to corner me!"

The more she refused, the guiltier she looked.

I felt the murmurs around us thicken. The gazes directed at Vivian now dripped with scorn.

I stood there, watching her. I said nothing more.

Some things didn't need another word from me.