Rosalind’s words were perfectly logical. Xavier nodded and prepared to leave, but after a few steps, he didn't forget to call out to the person inside the door.

"June, I’ll wait for you at the venue. Don't forget, today is our big day. As long as you win my mother’s favor, we can truly and rightfully be together."

Just this one step, and they could finally be blessed and stay together forever.

Chapter 10

The banquet hall for the matriarch’s birthday was teeming with people, drawing guests from many prestigious families. Xavier Thorne moved through the crowd with a wine glass in hand, distractedly engaging in social pleasantries while his mind remained entirely on June Rivers.

"Mr. Thorne, the mistress still hasn't come out of her room."

"I know."

June was already thirty minutes late.

He downed several gulps of wine and slammed the glass onto the table with such force it shattered. Shards nearly pierced his palm, but he didn't even notice.

"Xavier, why the long face today? Who managed to upset you?"

His friend, Julian Vane, first politely greeted Rosalind Vane—who was standing by Xavier’s side—and then leaned in with a playful, knowing smirk.

"Is that little caged bird of yours acting up again? Don't let it get to you. Just hand her over to me; I’ll break her in for you. I guarantee she’ll be perfectly obedient in no time."

Xavier’s brow furrowed in confusion. "I don’t keep caged birds."

"Don't play dumb. That beauty you brought out to drink with us the other day—pale skin, incredible body in that cheongsam..."

"Watch your mouth!"

Xavier loathed it when others coveted his treasures. He had always kept June hidden away to prevent others from noticing her, but he hadn't expected a single appearance to spark such interest.

He grabbed Julian by the collar, warning him with the ferocity of a wolf guarding its kill. "That is my wife. Don't you dare even think about her!"

Humiliated in front of so many people, Julian refused to back down and began to scuffle with him.

"You aren't even married—what 'wife' are you talking about! You're raising a hand against me for a woman? Do you still want to cooperate with the Vane Group or not?"

"June isn't someone a playboy like you can dream about!"

The commotion quickly drew a crowd. As the whispers grew, the matriarch was forced to step in to end the farce.

"Are you going to throw away every bit of the Thorne family's dignity for that woman? I’ve allowed you to keep her for five years. You've had your fun; it’s time to move on."

Xavier didn't understand what had gone wrong. Why did everyone think his relationship with June was just a game?

"Mother, I truly love June and intend to marry her. I hired an instructor to teach her; she has changed a lot. Tonight, she even prepared a piano performance as a gift for you..."

The matriarch waved her hand, refusing to hear another word.

Unable to get a word in, Xavier followed her out of the private room, only to see the large screen in the restaurant power on. He assumed June was about to begin her performance.

"Mother, give me a chance. Just listen to June's performance."

The matriarch shot a sharp, piercing glare at her infatuated son, but her expression immediately softened into its usual benevolent mask when she looked at Rosalind.

"Matriarch, today is your sixtieth birthday. I, Rosalind, wish you a life as long as the pines and cranes, and boundless fortune."

"The Vane family?"

Sensing the older woman's question, Rosalind immediately added, "I am a descendant of the Vane family from the East Gate of North City. Today, I have specially prepared a piano piece to add to the festivities."

Not wanting to see June, the matriarch reluctantly accepted Rosalind’s offer.

"Very well."

Few people at the banquet could draw more than two sentences from the matriarch. Suddenly, all eyes were on Rosalind. She was ecstatic, feeling as though she had secured the elder's favor, yet she fought to keep her expression calm.

"I will go prepare now."

Meanwhile, Xavier continued to search for June. His calls to her went from a busy signal straight to a powered-off notification. He could no longer suppress his anxiety and stood up to find her.

Suddenly, a video of Rosalind and Dr. Sterling appeared on the massive screen.

"Darling, did that animal Xavier Thorne hit you again?"

Chapter 11

Rosalind’s face turned deathly pale.

"What are you doing here? Go back, quickly, before someone sees you."

"Didn't you message me to come? How did you get hurt?" Dr. Sterling pulled the woman into a distressed embrace, his eyes fixed on her wounds. "I already helped you hide the fact that June Rivers was pregnant. That child was the only thing holding them together; now their relationship is completely shattered. Why won't you leave with me? Do you actually love him and not me?"

The room erupted into an uproar. Xavier could barely stand; he leaned heavily against the table for support. Remembering June’s pale face as she tried to explain herself that day, his mind cleared, but his chest throbbed with a sharp, rhythmic pain.

She loved children so much; she had endured so much bitter medicine just to prepare her body for pregnancy. She had told him she didn't do it, yet he had been so consumed by rage that he hadn't listened to a single word...

Rosalind realized she had been set up and tried to push the man away.

"I did this to myself. You're the one I love. Go back for now, I have things to handle. I'll reward you properly tonight."

"Fine. I'll wait for you at the usual place."

After Dr. Sterling agreed to leave, Rosalind uploaded her pre-recorded piano music to the computer. She straightened her appearance and sat on the moving platform behind the curtain, ready to make her entrance.

She was completely unaware that the screen in the banquet hall was now playing a video of their previous social gathering.

It showed how the woman had moved provocatively among the men, and how those "prestigious" families had mocked and slandered others behind closed doors...

Several insulted families immediately stood to leave.

"Is this how the scholarly Thorne family treats its guests? There’s no need for us to associate anymore."

"One face in public, another in private. You're nothing but hypocritical beasts!"

"Noble families? In private, you're all just a rabble!"

...

The birthday banquet, which was supposed to be a grand celebration, ended in a disastrous fallout. Not only did the guests leave in cold anger, but the Thorne family would be the laughingstock of the entire social circle by tomorrow.

The matriarch was livid. She delivered a resounding slap to Xavier’s face.

"You disgrace! I don't care how you mess around in private, but what kind of woman have you brought into this house? To let a jealous spat ruin my birthday banquet!"

Xavier’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. He stared fixedly at the floor, his mind in a state of turmoil.

Why did June secretly record this video and plan to broadcast it today? Did she no longer care about making a good impression on his mother to win her approval?

"Get out! I have no son like you!"

The matriarch tore off the jade bracelet he had personally given her and hurled it to the ground, where it shattered into pieces.

"You worthless thing. From now on, the Thorne family has nothing to do with you."

Her final, resolute departure completely crushed Xavier’s arrogant pride.

As a child, he was the son his mother liked least. He wasn't as clever as his eldest brother or as charming as his younger brother. Nothing he did ever earned him praise; his memories were filled only with his mother's smiles for his siblings.

Later, he worked tirelessly, using a ruthless hand to help the Thorne family survive several crises. Only after proving his worth did he finally earn a modicum of his mother's attention.

But now, everything he had fought so hard to obtain had vanished like smoke because of this mistake.

"Mother, I planned this banquet myself. I've managed the Thorne Group with my own hands. I’ve done so much—and you’re disowning me over just this?"

The matriarch let out a cold snort of derision.

"You are rotten to the core. You're just like your unfaithful father; you both have a taste for those wild women. Come talk to me when you're no longer obsessed with that slut."

So, his mother had never intended to let June into the family!

Xavier had no strength to argue, nor did he want to. He loved June; he wouldn't let her go.

As his heart grew cold, he was forced to accept the reality that his mother did not love him.

"In your heart, you've never truly acknowledged me as your son."