Chapter 331
The words cut too deep.
Though the Winstons and Valdemars were connected by marriage, such insolence was unacceptable.
"You misunderstand," Gabrielle Winston hastily defended. "I meant you're unworthy."
Sophia Laurent remained silent.
The crude remark left her momentarily speechless.
Sophia didn't flare with anger. A faint smile curled her lips as she regarded Gabrielle with pity.
Grace versus hysteria.
The difference in breeding was obvious.
Though the surrounding guests maintained polite smiles, their disdainful glances pricked at Gabrielle like needles.
The spoiled heiress had never endured such humiliation.
Blind with rage, she suddenly hurled her wine glass at Sophia.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you compete with me?"
Sophia sidestepped the attack with practiced ease. Wine splashed across the floor, staining several guests' attire.
The amused spectators' expressions darkened instantly.
A glacial glint flashed in Sophia's eyes. "Is this how the Winstons raise their children?"
She turned to the flustered event organizer. "If this is the caliber of guests at your functions, the Valdemars will no longer require invitations."
Her commanding presence silenced the room.
The organizer wiped his brow. "Mrs. Valdemar, please understand—we can't control individual behavior."
Caught between two powerful families, he was trapped.
"I'll have the mess cleaned immediately."
Sophia scoffed and turned to leave.
As matriarch of the Valdemar family, upholding their dignity was non-negotiable.
The organizer panicked at her decisive exit.
"Mrs. Valdemar, wait! We'll make this right."
He hurried after her, already deciding his course.
Sophia paused. "How?"
Mopping his forehead, he declared, "Miss Winston's conduct was unacceptable. She'll be escorted out."
Gabrielle exploded. "How dare you!"
The organizer nearly fainted.
This spoiled brat would be his undoing.
His expression hardened. "This is a charity gala. Decorum is expected."
The unspoken message: Gabrielle had disgraced herself.
Before she could protest, security moved in to "assist" her departure.
A polite expulsion.
By tomorrow, this scandal would ripple through high society.
Gabrielle's future invitations would dry up instantly.
Humiliated before the elite, her face burned crimson.
She glared venomously at Sophia, sputtering, "You'll never be welcome in the Winston family!"
Sophia regarded her with one last pitying glance.
"Security," she said coolly. "Remove this lunatic."