Chapter 601: Such an Eyesore

Chapter 601: Chapter 601: Such an Eyesore

Claire Sinclair picked up her phone, thinking of messaging The Great Demon King Quincy about what had happened, but she suddenly hesitated. ’Is it really necessary to tell him?’

’But, for the sake of the baby,’ she reasoned, ’it’s far better for both of us to be on guard than for me to handle this alone.’

In the end, Claire Sinclair decided to tell Adrian Quincy what Mrs. Quincy had said.

Ten minutes later, Adrian Quincy sent her a reply: "There’s something wrong with my mother. I’ll tell you more when I get back. Don’t let your imagination run wild. We’re not getting a divorce."

’Something’s wrong with Mrs. Quincy?’

Claire Sinclair desperately wanted to press him for details, but since he said he would explain when he returned, all she could do was wait.

’Come to think of it, I haven’t called Ivy Tanner in days. I wonder how she’s doing.’

Claire Sinclair picked up her phone and dialed the number for The Golden Brocade Palace.

As soon as the call connected, Claire Sinclair spoke into the phone, "Hello, this is Claire Sinclair. Is Ivy Tanner there?"

"Miss Sinclair, I’m sorry, but Miss Linden picked Miss Tanner up. She said they were going to a party, and Mr. Kingsley approved it. You might have to try reaching her later."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you."

Claire Sinclair hung up, but a sense of unease washed over her.

’Corinne Linden taking Ivy Tanner to a party... Bringing a girl with the mental age of an eight-year-old—her own love rival, no less—to a party? How could that be anything but malicious?’

Claire Sinclair went upstairs, opened her laptop, and searched online for any high-society parties happening in Aethelgard that evening. She only found one connected to Corinne Linden.

——

Mrs. Linden’s 50th birthday banquet was held in a historic, century-old hotel renowned for its traditional ambiance. The guest list consisted entirely of Linden family relatives and the children of close family friends; it was, in effect, a matchmaking event in disguise.

Mrs. Linden was quite influential in Aethelgard and held the esteemed title of the "Mother of Charity." Naturally, the younger guests in attendance were all socialites and celebrities known for their own charity work.

These guests may not have been there purely to celebrate her birthday; the intent to curry favor was undeniable. Now that the Linden Family was officially joined with the Kingsley Family by marriage, getting on Mrs. Linden’s good side was a direct path to pleasing Ethan Kingsley. And who didn’t want to improve their standing in Aethelgard?

Of course, there was one exception.

After Corinne Linden brought her, Ivy Tanner was simply abandoned in the main hall and left to her own devices. To put it bluntly, she had been brought there to be publicly humiliated.

"Isn’t that the Tanner family’s idiot? What’s she doing here?"

"Young Master Kingsley probably brought her. She’s his ex-fiancée, after all. Now that she’s simple-minded, he can’t just cast her aside, so I guess he has to drag her along."

"What was Young Master Kingsley thinking, bringing an idiot like her to a place like this? Isn’t he afraid of upsetting his fiancée?"

"Why would she get angry? The girl’s an idiot now. Still, she’s such an eyesore. It’s like she can’t even understand what anyone is saying."

Ivy Tanner listened silently to their shameless remarks but paid them no mind. She was simply bored.

’On such an important day, Ethan Kingsley still hadn’t arrived. She’d heard he was stuck in a meeting at his company. Not that any of it had anything to do with her. She was just here to kill time.’

Just as her mind began to wander, a stumbling drunk approached her. "Hey, little beauty, come give me a hand. This young master is feeling dizzy."

With that, the drunk reached a hand toward her.

Ivy Tanner shrank back instinctively, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Brother Kingsley... Brother Kingsley..." she called out subconsciously.

Unfortunately, no one was coming to her rescue.

The man was completely wasted and didn’t recognize who Ivy Tanner was. He only saw that she was beautiful and was overcome with lust.

He staggered toward her again, reaching to grab her arm. But he suddenly lost his footing, and his bloated, heavy body crashed right into Ivy.