“Grandpa! Grandma!” Luna’s sweet voice chirped as she flung herself into Mrs. Hayes’s embrace. Then, her eyes landed on me, and her smile instantly froze, a fleeting flicker of disgust crossing her face. “Why are you still here?” “Mom, what are you trying to stir up now?” My older brother, Ben Hayes, stepped forward, shielding Eleanor Hayes. Before I could speak, Mrs. Hayes snapped, “I invited Elara back.” “Honestly, it’s almost the New Year, and you just had to make her come back. What a jinx…” Julian Hayes, my father, mumbled, his face clouding over. Ben and Luna also looked visibly displeased. “It’s rare for Sister to come home.” Eleanor stepped forward, exuding the graciousness of a hostess. Among the guests, whispers broke out. “Indeed, the younger Miss Hayes is truly sensible.” “Yes, I heard she studied abroad. Her perspective is just different.” “How could a mother be so cruel, abandoning her children…” “Grandpa, we have a gift for you. My assistant arranged for it; it should be delivered soon.” At these words, old Mr. Hayes’s face lit up with delight. “I hear all three of the Kingstons’ children are exceptional.” “The eldest son is the head of Kingston Enterprises, the second daughter is a viral influencer with millions of followers, and the youngest son is a top student at Imperial University.” “Mrs. Kingston must be living the dream! Honestly, to think the elder Miss Hayes was so foolish, abandoning her husband and children for such a paltry gain…” Someone beside him tugged at his sleeve, motioning for him to stop. Old Mr. Hayes’s face darkened, and he immediately turned his displeasure on me. “What are you doing back? No word for over a decade, and now that things aren’t going well for you, you suddenly remember to come home?” He scanned the empty space behind me, his eyes full of disdain. “Are you back alone?” “You have three grandchildren, sir,” I said calmly, meeting his gaze. “They’re busy with work. They’ll arrive later.” “When did you get married? How come I don’t know about this?” Julian’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion as he demanded. “You mean they’re already working? So you’ve been secretly raising bastards behind my back all this time!” Old Mr. Hayes slammed his cane heavily against the floor at his son-in-law’s words. “A disgrace!” Before he could finish, a polite, well-dressed man appeared at the doorway. Everyone gasped, struck by his extraordinary bearing. “That looks like a delivery company specializing in expensive luxury gifts. They only take orders for millions and above, and I hear their delivery fees alone are hundreds of thousands…” “Excuse me, is Mrs. Hayes present? These are New Year’s gifts sent personally by your children. Please sign for them.” Eleanor, all smiles, stepped forward to greet the distinguished man. “Mrs. Hayes’s three children are truly filial! Look, even the delivery person is so refined. These gifts must be incredibly expensive!” Eleanor walked forward with a triumphant smile, but after signing, the lead delivery man stopped her. He looked at Eleanor with a complicated expression, gently blocking her hand as she reached to unseal the packages. “The signatory on these packages is Ms. Elara Hayes. Madam, we do not allow proxy signatures.” “Who did you say the signatory was?” Ben walked forward, disbelief etched on his face. When he saw the sender’s information, he visibly relaxed. “It must be a mistake on their end. The signatory should be my mother.” Kingston Corporation, Horizon Media, and the research team at Imperial University. Weren’t these his older brother’s business partner, his younger sister’s investor, and his own university? The Kingston family had some reputation in their circle. With the holiday season and his grandfather’s birthday banquet, these gifts must certainly be for them. The delivery address was, coincidentally, the Hayes residence. But Elara didn’t live at the Hayes residence anymore. It must be that the delivery company hadn’t clarified and made a mistake. I looked at Ben, a flicker of irony in my eyes. “Sir, these items are extremely valuable. We can only allow the designated person to sign.” The lead delivery man looked apologetic. I smiled, stepped forward, and signed my name with my ID. The delivery team member breathed a sigh of relief, bowed politely, and left. His company never made mistakes about who the packages were for. These were gifts from those three titans. Eleanor, however, squeezed past me, tore open the packages, and displayed the contents for everyone. “How thoughtful of these three children to prepare such gifts for us.” Expensive jewelry, exquisite wines, and priceless health tonics unavailable on the market. “This…” Luna and Ben paused, a slight discrepancy between these gifts and what they had prepared. Looking at the items, they knew Elara could never afford such things. Besides, Elara was only a high school graduate. How could she possibly know people of such high standing? It must be for them, just a name misprint. Thinking this, they naturally claimed the credit. It was all Elara’s fault. Just the thought of having once shared a household register with her made them feel cursed. Hearing the guests’ praises, they smiled and elevated Eleanor. “Yes, we’re very proud to have such a mother.” “Indeed, Eleanor is a good one. Elara comes home, and she brings nothing.” “During the holidays, no matter how hard things are, you still have to show filial piety, right?” “Truly, the eldest daughter is an embarrassment…” Eleanor stepped forward, smiling sweetly. “Sister, I know you’ve had a tough time these past years, but as the younger generation, we should set an example, right?” She gave a slight tilt of her head. “Coming back empty-handed isn’t really… ideal. Even though the children are grown and don’t need cash gifts, you should still show respect to Mom and Dad, right?” She clasped her hands together. “How about this? You wish Mom and Dad a proper Happy New Year. It’s the holidays, after all, and we want to keep spirits high.” Eleanor covered her mouth, smiling coyly as she looked at me. “Eleanor, don’t forget, I was the one who signed for these. Are you so sure these things are yours?” “Dad, Mom,” I said, my voice cool, my eyes flicking with coldness as I looked at Eleanor. “These are gifts from your three grandchildren for you.” At my words, Ben, Luna, and Julian all frowned in unison. “Elara, you are truly shameless!” Ben roared at me. “Who doesn’t know those nutritional tonics are made by Imperial University’s research team, unavailable on the market?” “Yeah,” Luna chimed in, stepping forward. “Ms. Hayes, this jewelry is from Horizon Media. It’s obvious it must be from my investor, the empress of pop, Layla Thorne.” “And Kingston Corp is the Hayes family’s latest project partner,” Julian added, looking at Eleanor. “Mom, don’t talk nonsense and offend important people.” Luna and Ben both nodded in agreement. “Sister, I know you’ve always loved to steal things from me since we were little, but some things aren’t yours. Forcing it won’t do any good…” Eleanor finished, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Julian. Julian stepped in front of her, his gaze towards me laced with icy contempt. “Elara, don’t push your luck.” His voice was low and menacing. “What kind of occasion is this? What are you trying to stir up? Quickly, get down on your knees, apologize properly, and say something auspicious to bring some good cheer.” “Alright, alright, let’s just keep the family harmonious…” Mrs. Hayes said, seeing the tense atmosphere, trying to mediate. She knew her eldest daughter’s character all too well. “Mom… you always favor Sister! This is Dad’s eightieth birthday!” Eleanor’s words choked off Mrs. Hayes’s attempt at peace. Mrs. Hayes hesitated for a long moment, then turned her head away. “Elara, if you don’t kneel and apologize properly to Eleanor today, you will no longer bear the Hayes name,” old Mr. Hayes declared, successfully incited. Not only was this daughter a disappointment, but her divorce scandal had been public knowledge. Now, on his eightieth birthday, was she going to humiliate him again? Julian, watching my calm demeanor, found himself inexplicably annoyed. She shouldn’t be holding her head high like a swan. She should be bowing to him her entire life. Why did Elara seem to be living better after leaving him? No. Elara would always have to look up to him. He quietly whispered something to his assistant beside him. The assistant, seeing Eleanor’s face, immediately understood. Their boss wanted to stand up for his wife! And on New Year’s, who didn’t want a little extra something? It seemed this eldest Miss Hayes was penniless and powerless. If they could make the boss’s wife happy, they’d make the four Hayes seniors happy. “Don’t touch me!” I frowned, twisting my body to evade the approaching assistant. Ben and Luna frowned too, but they didn’t intervene. I didn’t expect, however, that Julian Hayes, standing behind me, would kick me hard in the waist. I stumbled and fell to the ground. The assistant immediately grabbed me, trying to force my head to hit the floor. “Who dares touch my mother!” A furious shout rang out, and everyone in the room instinctively turned towards the doorway. Liam Thorne and Alex Hayes strode in, their faces ashen. Alex kicked the assistant away and helped me to my feet. “Mom, are you alright?” Liam’s eyes darkened. “My sister’s dealing with a lot of people; she’ll be a little late. She told us to come first.” His gaze swept over the scene, full of cold fury. “Mom, do you want me to handle…” I shook my head, a deep, bitter disappointment in my eyes as I looked at Julian Hayes. “Elara, you really are something else, bringing such disreputable people to ruin my birthday banquet!” Old Mr. Hayes frowned, letting out a furious roar. “You’re not welcome here, get out! From this day forward, I, Arthur Hayes, have no daughter named Elara!” “Yes, and we don’t have a mother like you either!” Ben yelled at me, his face contorted in anger. Luna and Julian, though they said nothing, showed their agreement in their eyes. The guests began to buzz with whispers, pointing and muttering about me.
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