At the same time, Mr. Carter's eyes moistened as he trembled while touching the three paintings.
"Good, good. Being able to live a peaceful and joyful life is your mother's greatest wish. As for me, this old man, whether I can live to see Cathy turn eighteen or not, I can rest assured!"
His words held a deeper meaning. There were rumors about Eleanor and Charles, which had also exhausted the old man's heart.
After speaking, he ordered someone to display the three paintings to the crowd.
The guests who came to attend the birthday banquet were not only business tycoons but also many celebrities in the art world.
Although Eleanor's three paintings were simple, they showed extraordinary artistic accomplishment in both color and composition, not inferior to those of well-known painters!
In fact, Eleanor's mother was a famous painter, and she had inherited her mother's talent and graduated from a well-known art academy abroad.
But in her past life, under the brainwashing of Emily and her stepmother, she completely abandoned this talent and hurt Mr. Carter's heart several times.
In this life, she would never repeat the same mistake!
She would make use of all the resources she had and become someone just as outstanding as Charles, standing by his side all the time!
At this moment, Eleanor stood calmly beside Mr. Carter.
She wore a light blue gown that set off her fair skin, and her black hair cascaded down her delicate shoulders.
She looked like a medieval noblewoman stepping out of an oil painting, exuding an unapproachable air of nobility.
Meanwhile, the faces of Emily and her daughter twisted in anger, as the situation was completely different from the plot they had designed.
"What exactly did you do?" Olivia demanded, her voice filled with frustration.
Emily, however, scoffed. "What's the point of scolding me now? It's been so long, and your so-called medicine still hasn't taken effect, has it?"
"Hmph, there's no way the medicine failed." Olivia glared at Eleanor, standing confidently on the stage. The resemblance to her mother, Charlotte—the woman who had overshadowed Olivia her entire life—was uncanny. Rage burned in her chest. "I knew I couldn't count on you. Fortunately, I had a backup plan. Once the medicine takes effect, that little slut's reputation will be completely ruined!"
Just as Olivia finished speaking, a sudden dizziness overcame her. Her vision blurred, and she stumbled slightly. Emily instinctively reached out to support her, a deep sense of unease settling in her stomach.
Meanwhile, Eleanor continued speaking. "Oh, by the way, Grandpa, Emily also prepared a gift for you. Let's open it together."
She raised her hand, and a group of men in luxury store uniforms entered, carrying an elegant gift box. Though Mr. Carter wasn't particularly interested, he still signaled for someone to open it.
Emily was caught completely off guard. "No! Wait—" But it was too late.
The lid was lifted, and Mr. Carter's expression darkened instantly. The entire hall fell into silence. Then, suddenly, he let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Impressive. Very impressive. You've truly outdone yourself, Emily."
He tossed the box onto the floor. The guests craned their necks to see what was inside.
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
It was a finely crafted, antique copper snuff bottle—an item once used for smoking opium.
The pipe itself was exquisite, clearly expensive, with impeccable craftsmanship. But...
Mr. Carter had dedicated half his life to fighting drug trafficking along the border. Everyone in high society knew that some of the most painful moments of his life were tied to the war on opium.
In the Carter family, this kind of thing was absolutely taboo.
"My God, is Emily trying to cause trouble on purpose?" someone murmured.
"Who knows? I always felt like she had a flair for drama, but I never imagined she'd go this far!"
Emily stood frozen, her face pale. "You—" She turned to Eleanor, her voice trembling.
Eleanor stepped closer, lowering her voice so only Emily could hear. "This gift was your idea. I simply made sure Grandpa received it. I wouldn't want all your hard work to go to waste."
Her smile was gentle, almost concerned—yet every word cut like a knife.
Emily's nails dug into her palms. She hadn't noticed that Olivia's face was growing alarmingly red. Desperately, she tried to salvage the situation. "No, it wasn't me! It was obviously Eleanor who arranged for this gift!" Her voice wavered, tears brimming in her eyes, making her look pitiful.
Then, she whirled around and pointed at the store employee. "Who sent you?! I don't even know you! Who told you to impersonate me and send this gift?!"
The man simply bowed politely before producing a receipt. "Miss Emily, this is the credit card record for the deposit you paid when placing the order. You personally requested this handmade snuff bottle and specified the completion date. If necessary, we also have security footage from our store confirming this transaction."
Emily's face turned ashen.
A few months ago, she had indeed visited that luxury store with Eleanor to place the order. But she never imagined the situation would backfire like this!
She tried to argue, but the man held up the receipt, pointing to the name on it.
It was hers.
She suddenly remembered—she had convinced Eleanor to freeze all the Harrison family's bank accounts. To gain back Eleanor's trust, she had given her own credit card for personal expenses.
So yes, the purchase was indeed under her name.
At this point, denying it was useless.
Before Emily could react further, a small figure broke free from Charles's grasp and ran toward Eleanor.
Cathy tugged on the hem of Eleanor's gown, tilting her head up with innocent, wide eyes. "Aunt Emily, don't blame Mommy. You're usually so smart, but my mommy always gets confused about things like this. She must have thought that, since it was a gift you carefully picked, it must be meaningful. So she just followed your plan!"
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Emily forced a stiff smile. "It... it was my mistake."
But internally, she was seething.
She still had a trump card. As long as it worked, she could turn everything around.
Eleanor picked up Cathy and kissed her forehead. "There are lots of surprises tonight, sweetheart."
Just then—
BANG!