"What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'Carolyn Mason'?" "Still don't get it? I'm saying you have no right to the Lewis name. Your real father is someone else entirely." As she spoke, Chloe's gaze drifted meaningfully toward the disheveled figure of Ernesto standing in the crowd below. The moment Ernesto caught her look, he flinched, his nervousness obvious for all to see. Carolyn clearly noticed the flicker of panic on his face. She stood frozen, unwilling to believe what was being implied. Was Chloe saying she wasn't Scott's daughter, but the child of that disgusting man over there? That man, Ernesto. The man her mother had once casually introduced as a "business associate"? Impossible! She was the daughter of the Lewis family. She had been the Lewis Group heiress her entire life. To be told now that her father was someone else... It was preposterous. "Chloe, shut your mouth! What kind of lie is that? I am my father's daughter! How could I possibly be that... that creature's child?" Carolyn snapped, her voice trembling with rage. She struggled to her feet, poised to lunge at Chloe. "I'm warning you—" "Whether you are or not, why don't you ask your mother? She's the one who knows best." Chloe's icy remark brought Carolyn up short. Carolyn's body began to shake. Slowly, she turned to look at Monique, who was crumpled on the floor. "Mom... is it true? Am I really not a Lewis?" Monique was stunned for a moment. She looked up at her daughter, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. When her eyes darted to Chloe, her expression hardened, and she quickly denied it. "Carolyn, of course you're a Lewis!" She then whipped her head around, directing her fury at Chloe. "Chloe, you can't just spread these vile rumors because you hate me! Yes, I was wrong! Ernesto and I... We had a history from our early days at the company. I was lonely, I was weak, and I fell into it. But now you're dragging my daughter into this with your outrageous lies? I won't stand for it!" Her cry of defiance echoed in the hall, met only by Chloe's soft, derisive laugh. "Won't stand for it?" Chloe's expression suddenly turned severe. "Monique, do you remember what I said to you earlier?" "What?" Monique noticed the dangerous darkness in Chloe's eyes and instinctively shrank back. That familiar, chilling sense of dread washed over her. Every time she saw that look, something terrible followed. "I told you that if I really wanted to deal with you, I wouldn't bother with underhanded tricks. You know me, Monique. I'm just a simple girl from the sticks. I prefer methods that are direct. For you, it has to be straightforward." A cold smirk touched Chloe's lips. "As for whose child Carolyn is... We can simply run a test and know for sure. How convenient that your... partner... is right here in the room." Chloe turned slightly, adopting the posture of a spectator enjoying a show. "Anyway, with this many people already here for the evening's entertainment, I'm sure they won't mind waiting a little longer. We can have someone from a private lab come to the hotel. They can run the test right here, on the spot. Then we'll all have our answer." Carolyn was livid. How dare Chloe insult her like this? "Fine! Test me then! Who's afraid? I am my father's daughter. I don't believe a word of—" Carolyn said, rolling up her sleeve as if ready to march forward. "No test! We are not doing any test!" Monique cried out, her voice frantic. She scrambled up and grabbed Carolyn's arm, pulling her back. "Carolyn, we are not doing this!" "Mom, why not? If I'm Dad's child, what are you afraid of? Unless... unless I'm really not his?" Monique was speechless. She stared at Carolyn, stammering, "I... I... Why should we play her game? If we jump to prove ourselves every time someone throws an accusation, we're just playing into her hands! She says test, so we test? If any random person slanders us, we have to drop everything and prove our innocence? What kind of life is that?" Hearing this, Carolyn caught on. She immediately sneered, "Why should we take a test just because you demand it? I could say the same about you! Your mother had quite the reputation back in the day. Who knows who your real father is? If anyone here isn't a true Lewis, it's probably you!" Chloe's eyes turned to ice. She fixed her gaze on Carolyn, the anger in it palpable. Meeting that look, Carolyn flinched and quickly ducked behind Monique again. "Mom, look at her face—I struck a nerve! She's definitely not a Lewis. Her mother was... well, everyone knew. She's probably some nobody's bastard child," Carolyn taunted from behind the relative safety of her mother. Hearing her daughter's words, Monique felt a flicker of grim satisfaction. Her usually inept girl was finally learning to fight back, to hit where it hurt. Yes, that's it. Grind her into the dirt.