Chapter 73 How Is It You?
On the bed, the two bodies were tangled together, bare skin against bare skin, locked in a feverish embrace. The woman straddling Alaric had her hair in a wild, tangled mess, the dark strands falling forward to hide her face completely.
When the crowd burst into the room, this was the sight that froze them in place. A ripple of gasps swept through, sharp and immediate.
Everyone's first thought was the same—it had to be Bianca. That assumption lasted only until Odette stormed forward, grabbed a fistful of the woman's hair, and yanked it back.
"Bianca, you little—ah!"
Her scream tore through the air, shrill enough to make eardrums ring. She stumbled back a step, her finger trembling as she pointed at the woman in Alaric's arms.
"How… how is it you?"
Odette's breathing turned ragged. The edges of her vision went dark, and she collapsed backward in a faint.
In that instant, everyone else saw the truth. The woman clinging to Alaric wasn't Bianca—it was Blair. Shocked exclamations erupted from every corner of the room.
Thea, who only moments ago had been basking in smug satisfaction, lunged forward in a panic. She pried the two apart with frantic force, stripping off her own jacket to drape over Blair's exposed body.
Jennifer's voice cracked like a whip. "Enough!" The command sent half the onlookers scattering.
Blair stirred, groaning faintly as she came to. Her vision was still blurred when a sharp slap snapped her into awareness. She clutched her cheek, staring in disbelief.
"Have you lost your mind?" Odette's voice trembled, her hands pressed to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. "Alaric is young and doesn't understand… but you? You should know better! You two are—"
She broke off, stomping her foot, turning her head away as if the words themselves were too much to speak.
Blair blinked rapidly, the haze in her mind clearing just enough for memory to come rushing back. Her fingers shot out, clutching at Thea's sleeve as fat tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Mom! Mom, it was Bianca—that vicious woman drugged me!"
Jennifer's cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. "At my birthday banquet, such disgraceful behavior… I will not spare anyone with such malicious intent!"
Blair dressed quickly, her movements shaky, then stumbled toward the stairs. Her gaze swept the crowd until it locked on a familiar figure in a black gown.
"Bianca!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "How could you? Why would you drug me and ruin me like this? I've always yielded to you, always stepped aside! I even gave up the man I liked for you! Why couldn't you leave me alone? Why destroy my reputation?"
Her voice carried through the hall, dripping with indignation and wounded pride. The crowd, who moments ago had looked at her with contempt, now shifted uneasily—some even glancing at Bianca with pity.
Bianca's eyes narrowed, her tone cool and razor-sharp. "So with nothing but your word, you think you can condemn me? Do you have proof?"
Blair's gaze flickered, her eyelids lowering halfway. "I have no quarrel with anyone else. You're the only one I've ever had issues with. And you were the one with Alaric. You took his phone to send me that message, lured me upstairs, and drugged me."
Her words were deliberately vague, crafted to make her the helpless victim of a calculated scheme. In her version, Bianca was the architect of her humiliation, and she was nothing more than an innocent caught in the trap.
Bianca's laugh was low and cold. Ignoring the judgmental stares from the crowd, she pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. A recording played, filling the room with unmistakable voices.
"Thea, you deliberately introduced me to Alaric, left us alone, and even prepared those special drinks. How thoughtful of you. The drinks still have residue… I'd suggest sending them for testing."
Bianca's voice in the recording was steady, each word a nail in Thea's coffin. Thea and Odette stood frozen, their faces drained of color. There was no room left to deny it.
The murmurs from the crowd rose like a swarm of needles, pricking at Blair until her face went chalk-white. Her glare at Bianca was venomous, her eyes brimming with hatred and humiliation.
Quentin's face was thunderous. He jabbed a finger toward Odette, his voice a roar. "Look at the mess you've made!"
The tension in the air was a live wire. Then the heavy doors of the banquet hall swung open.
Terrence entered, walking just behind the sharply dressed, silver-haired Quentin Sharp. He was a vision of controlled power—black tailored suit, broad shoulders, posture straight as a blade. His presence alone was enough to silence the room.
He didn't glance at the chaos, didn't spare a look for the pale-faced Blair. His eyes cut straight through the crowd and locked on Bianca.
In the next heartbeat, he was moving toward her. He stopped at her side, his stance protective, his shadow falling over her like a shield.
He said nothing at first. His gaze swept the room, deep and unyielding, carrying a weight that pressed down on every chest until the air itself felt thin.
"Looks like I walked in just in time for the grand finale."
Bianca's fingers slid into the crook of his arm. She leaned in, her voice low as she told him everything that had transpired.
Terrence stood silent, the temperature around him dropping with every second. The crowd instinctively drew quieter, their breaths shallow.
When he finally spoke, his voice was like a blade. "Bianca is my lawful wife."
The declaration landed like a hammer blow, the hall falling into absolute stillness.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on Quentin with a calmness that was more dangerous than rage. "If I don't get an answer I'm satisfied with…" His pause was deliberate, the faint curve of his lips carrying a lethal promise. "I won't hesitate to erase the Sharp family from this city."
Quentin's body jerked, his complexion ashen. His eyes darted to Blair crumpled on the floor, to Thea's unwilling glare. He knew Terrence's reach, knew the cost of defiance. There was no choice.
"From this day forward," he ground out, each word forced past clenched teeth, "the Sharp family severs all ties with the Ember family. There will be no further association."
"As for Odette, she will be punished according to family law."
Odette staggered, barely keeping her balance. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. She opened her mouth to protest, but one glance at Terrence drained the fight from her. She slumped back against the wall, defeated.
"Remove anyone who doesn't belong to the Sharp family," Quentin ordered, his voice cutting through the air. His gaze swept over Thea and the others with cold finality.
The guards moved in without hesitation, their grip unyielding. Blair screamed, thrashing as her designer gown slipped askew, her makeup smeared beyond recognition. The elegance she once wore like armor was gone, leaving only disgrace in its place.
When the uproar finally died, the outcome was set in stone. Bianca left the Sharp estate at Terrence's side.
She tilted her head, resting it lightly against the warmth of his chest. Her fingers curled into his palm, giving the faintest squeeze.
"You said you weren't coming," she murmured, her eyes lifting to his with a trace of curiosity.
Terrence's hand closed over hers, his grip firm. His voice carried a quiet edge. "You knew they planned to drug you… and you still came to the banquet. Hm?"