Selina let out a cold laugh.

Mr. Hayes' words sounded polite, praising her for being composed under pressure, but in reality, he was implying she was cunning and calculating. Meanwhile, Rachel was just an innocent girl who wore her emotions on her sleeve, which was why Selina "stole" the man from her.

Faced with this carefully crafted verbal trap, Selina nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm, yes, reaching this age and still not knowing right from wrong probably indicates a brain issue. It makes sense Logan wouldn't be interested."

Rachel's face flushed red with anger. "You—!"

Liam held his daughter back, turning to Selina with a mocking smile. "Miss Clark certainly has a sharp tongue."

Selina gave a nonchalant shrug. "You flatter me."

The disdain in Liam's eyes was barely concealed. He clearly thought continuing the conversation with Selina was beneath him. Instead, he shifted his focus to Logan.

"Logan, what's done is done. Rachel was at fault, and the Hayes Family will take responsibility. However, I hope you'll hear me out."

Logan leaned back slightly, his lips curving faintly. "Go ahead."

Liam sighed, his tone measured. "Our families have a long-standing relationship. We shouldn't let one mistake ruin that bond."

"At this point, I'm no longer asking you to marry Rachel. But you grew up together—can't you at least preserve her dignity? I promise she won't trouble you again."

Logan's gaze flickered, his tone flat. "Preserve her dignity?"

Liam paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Rachel was originally your fiancée. Now that you've married someone else, she's already lost all face. Logan, surely you understand the importance of leaving some room for others."

"What's more, I've done you a favor in the past. If you're too harsh on Rachel, people might think you're ungrateful, and that wouldn't reflect well on you either."

Selina leaned back against the sofa, a faint smile playing on her lips.

This family is something else.

Using a "favor" to morally blackmail Logan, and dressing it up so self-righteously at that.

Logan took a sip of tea, his movements unhurried. "I've never cared about how others perceive me."

In other words, even if people call it ungrateful, so what?

Rachel's eyes brimmed with tears again as she threw herself into Liam's arms. "Dad, I knew Logan was angry with me. It's my fault for being too willful. I've already given up on being with him, but… how can he be so heartless?"

Mrs. Hayes wiped at her own tears helplessly. "Rachel, stop crying. I know you love Logan, but he already has Miss Clark. You shouldn't fight it anymore. Be like your sister—stay friends with Logan and preserve the friendship."

Finally, Liam got to the point. "Logan, the Hayes Family will be hosting a banquet in a few days."

"I hope that during the banquet, you'll publicly clarify that you've only ever seen Rachel as a sister, that she's leaned on you for support, but you've never been engaged. This way, things can end on good terms."

Selina blinked in surprise. They're giving up on the position of Mrs. Reid?

If Logan publicly denied the so-called engagement at the banquet, Rachel would lose any pretense for staying close to him.

Even though the engagement had never been real—just a joke between the families—Rachel had been implying for years that she was the future Mrs. Reid.

For the Hayes Family to give up without coercion or bribes was unexpected.

Logan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is that what you're proposing, Uncle Hayes?"

Liam's expression was earnest, as though he truly had Logan's best interests at heart. "That's right, Logan. Any losses to Reid Group, Hayes Group will do its best to compensate. Rachel knows she's at fault—how could she dare bring up the engagement again? Better to part ways peacefully."

Logan didn't reject the proposal outright. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he replied, "Since you're inviting me personally, Uncle Hayes, I'll be there."

Liam finally smiled. "Good. On behalf of Rachel, I thank you. Bella will be returning to the country soon as well—you should catch up when you have the chance."

Then, he turned to Selina. "If Miss Clark is free, you're welcome to join the Hayes Family banquet as well."

Selina rested her chin on her hand, remaining silent.

Bella… is that the name of the Hayes Family's eldest daughter?

Logan and Ethan both seemed to have a good impression of her, but could this Hayes Family really produce a pure and untainted young lady?

Liam stood, leading his tearful wife and daughter out the door. "We'll take our leave now."

On the surface, the conversation seemed to have gone smoothly. The Hayes Family reconciled with Logan, he agreed to attend their banquet, and the Hayes Group promised compensation to Reid Group.

But Selina couldn't shake a sense of unease. It's strange. The Hayes Family doesn't seem like the type to give up so easily.

Yet Liam's attitude had seemed genuine, as though he truly wanted his younger daughter's engagement to Logan annulled. So where was the catch?

Forget it, Selina thought. I'm not planning to attend the Hayes Family's banquet anyway. It has nothing to do with me.

Just then, Logan's voice broke through her thoughts.

"This so-called engagement was blown way out of proportion by the Hayes Family. I doubt they'll let it go quietly."

Selina realized he was speaking to her and nodded immediately. "What should we do, then?"

Logan's lips curved into a faint smile. "If people know I'm already married, there won't be anything for the Hayes Family to exploit."

He paused, his tone casual. "So, Mrs. Reid, will you come with me?"

Selina froze, her expression stiff. Was he suggesting that they announce their marriage publicly?

But… what about the Carter Family?

Without thinking, she shook her head. "No, no way. We agreed to keep our marriage a secret. It's not appropriate for me to go."

Logan's gaze darkened slightly.

Sensing the shift in his mood, Selina opened her mouth to say more, but just then, her phone buzzed with a new message. One glance, and her expression changed drastically.

Without so much as a word to Logan, she bolted upstairs.

...

Ethan called Logan after hearing about the situation. "Logan, the Hayes Group hasn't been aligned with you for a while now. That banquet won't be as simple as it seems."

He reminded Logan of a decades-old anecdote: when their grandfathers had once joked, "If I had a granddaughter, I'd marry her to your grandson."

Everyone had taken it as a joke. The Reid Family had never given it a second thought, but the Hayes Family had clung to the idea, seeing it as an opportunity to forge a connection with the Reids.

Logan's eyes glinted dangerously, though his tone remained indifferent. "It's just a banquet. The Hayes Family's tricks are easy enough to handle."

Ethan hesitated. "But—"

"Bella is coming back to take over the Hayes Group," Logan interrupted.

He spoke evenly. "Rachel has already made a mess of things. If Reid Group remains an enemy, Bella will have an even harder time."

Ethan was taken aback. Logan's willingness to attend the banquet stemmed from his concern for Bella's situation.

After a long pause, Ethan sighed in agreement. "That makes sense. If you attend and show goodwill, it'll smooth things over for Bella. Otherwise, even if she successfully takes over as the Hayes Family's heir, she'll be dragged down by the mess Rachel left behind."

"Bella's too kindhearted. The Hayes Family hasn't treated her well—they've always favored Rachel—yet she's still willing to clean up their mess."

Ethan hesitated, leaving one thought unspoken:

If the old engagement joke had involved Bella instead of Rachel, would Logan still reject a business marriage outright?

But he dismissed the idea. Bella had only ever seen Logan as a friend.

"Alright, see you at the Hayes Group banquet in a few days."

Selina returned to her room, reading the message on her phone carefully once more.

"We've found what you've been looking for. The ruby brooch will be displayed as part of the Hayes Family banquet. According to them, it's a treasured heirloom worn by their eldest daughter, Bella, since childhood."

Selina's grip tightened on her phone.

That brooch couldn't possibly belong to Bella. It was her mother's!

Her vision blurred slightly, and she struggled to calm her breathing.

It looks like I'll have to attend that banquet after all.

But… she had just confidently told Logan she wouldn't go. Asking him to bring her now would feel like a slap in her own face.