From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 224: Chapter 224

"Mom, I still don't get it. Why did Grandpa agree to host this recognition banquet? Shouldn't the Godard family be handling it?"
Byron treated the family's reputation as paramount—no one was allowed to tarnish the Beaumont family's name in his presence.
Even toward Nathaniel, his own grandson, he never showed favoritism.
He was also an absolute authoritarian, caring only about results, not the process.
That was why, despite knowing that Nathaniel had been framed by the Morris siblings, he still showed him no mercy.
After all, Nathaniel was the one who lost in the end, and he was the one who embarrassed the Beaumont family.
Yet, despite being that kind of man, he had actually agreed to the Sullivan family's request to hold this recognition banquet for that so-called cousin.
Moreover, he had invited so many guests, making the event even grander than his own birthday celebration.
Diana took a sip of her wine, her expression somber. "Byron feels guilty toward his sister, Enya. That's why he agreed. He probably didn't expect it to become this extravagant."
Otherwise, his expression wouldn't have been so unpleasant.
Diana sighed, thinking to herself, 'This must be my eldest brother and sister-in-law acting on their own again.'
Their real motive was to curry favor with Brittany and, more importantly, Tyson, who stood behind her.
If they could secure Tyson's support, her brother's position as the family's successor would be unshakable.
Diana knew Morris was ambitious. He and Dominick from the Vanderbilt family were of the same generation.
Yet, while Dominick had already become the legitimate leader of the Vanderbilt family, guiding Vanderbilt Group to surpass Axion Enterprises, Morris was still struggling.
As for the Beaumont family, Byron never fully relinquished power, making Peter nothing more than a puppet ruler.
Morris had no idea how long he would have to wait before he could truly take charge of the family.
If it were like the Vanderbilt family, where Dominick was the sole legitimate heir, it would have been a different story.
But the Beaumont family had far too many children. Not to mention the cousins who were eyeing the position greedily—just Nathaniel alone was enough to keep Morris up at night.
Even though Nathaniel had always shown no interest in the heir's position, he still posed a constant threat to Morris.
After all, no one could predict the future.
Morris had to eliminate his rivals and strengthen himself to ensure that the position would truly be his.
If Diana could figure out Morris's thoughts, there was no way Nathaniel couldn't.
Just then, a commotion broke out on the second floor of the banquet hall.
Diana lazily glanced upward. "Well, here comes the main act."
Nathaniel followed the sound and looked up. At the top of the staircase, by the opulent crystal chandelier, stood a dazzling young woman.
The uproar was so loud that all the guests on the first floor stopped their conversations and looked up at her.
Nathaniel frowned and muttered, "What does she think she's doing? Does she think she's the Queen of Lynford?"
Hearing her son's remark, Diana also furrowed her brows in displeasure.
This Brittany was far too ostentatious.
Everyone knew that Byron despised this kind of brainless arrogance—behavior that completely failed to reflect the depth of a noble family.
Sure enough, Byron's face darkened when he saw the scene.
"Was this Julia's idea?" he asked Morris with obvious displeasure.
Sensing Byron's irritation, Peter didn't dare make a sound.
Morris tensed up and quickly explained, "It was all done according to Great-Aunt's wishes. Julia didn't want to go against her, since she is an elder, after all."
Byron narrowed his cold eyes at Morris and let out a low snort. "Don't think I don't know what you and your wife are scheming. Let me warn you—if the Beaumont family loses face today, don't expect me to let you off the hook."
His words sent a wave of panic through Morris.
This banquet was entirely organized by him and his wife. If it went well, everyone would be happy. If not, they would be the ones to suffer.
"Don't worry, Grandpa, everything will be fine. It's mainly to make Great-Aunt happy. If she's happy, won't that make you happy too?"
Byron's expression softened slightly, and he didn't press the matter further.
He looked up at Brittany, who was gracefully descending the staircase, his emotions conflicted.
He thought, 'Enya, I've found your daughter. I owe you too much. From now on, I will do my best to make it up to this child.
'But she was raised by those people and turned out so petty—her personality is nothing like yours. Forget it, she's still young. She can be taught over time.'
Just as Diana had said, Byron did feel guilty toward Enya, though he had never shown it openly.
On the staircase, Brittany mimicked the way actresses did it in TV dramas, holding onto the railing with one hand while basking in the attention of everyone below. Surrounded by a group of maids, she stepped down gracefully, one step at a time.
At that moment, she felt like the queen of the world, and everyone else had to bow before her.
Brittany truly believed she was born to bask in the spotlight.
Below, the guests murmured among themselves at her grand entrance. Among them were people who recognized her.
A young lady tugged at Daisy's sleeve and whispered, "Isn't that Brittany from the Ladies' Association?"
"Yes, her name is Brittany. I know her. Wasn't she just a small-time web drama actress? She was even kicked out of a production not long ago, and it was all over the news. Why is she here?"
"I thought her family was on the verge of bankruptcy."
"No, you got it wrong—she was kicked out of the Sullivan family."
"Look over there! Isn't that Evelyn Beaumont Julia from the Beaumont family behind her?"
"No way... She couldn't possibly be the one the Beaumont family is introducing tonight, could she?"
Although the Beaumont family's invitations didn't explicitly state that this was a recognition banquet, they had mentioned that it was being held for Byron's recently found niece.
Moreover, her biological father had a powerful background—Tyson from the Godard family.
The moment the Levine mother and daughter arrived, they overheard the surrounding discussions, and their faces turned pale.
Ever since Byron's assistant personally went to the police station to bail Brittany out, they had sensed that something was off.
They had tried to gather information multiple times but found nothing.
Eventually, they assumed that the Sullivan family must have pulled some strings and reached out to Dylan for help.
After that, everything remained normal for the Levine family. They hadn't suffered any suppression from the Beaumonts, which further reinforced their belief.
Today, they received an invitation from the Beaumont family. Unlike the other guests, they had not been told the reason for the invitation.
At first, they thought it was just an ordinary banquet hosted by the Beaumont family. Being invited was already an honor for their family.
The family of three dressed up excitedly and attended the event. It was only after they arrived and heard the other guests talking that they realized the banquet was a celebration.
At this moment, they watched Brittany descend the stairs.
The mother and daughter of the Levine family felt as if the sky had collapsed in an instant. Chris stood beside them, his face ashen, as if the end of the world had arrived.
That morning, when Brittany had been on the stairs, she had already noticed the Levine mother and daughter pair.
She had specifically asked Julia to invite them. Not just them—every single woman from the Ladies' Association who had once looked down on her was also on today's guest list.