Chapter 118: The imposter
Elena chuckled softly. The situation was almost laughable. Her own husband had organized this charity gala, yet Tessa was telling her to leave.
"You should worry about yourself instead," Elena replied coolly. "As for me..." A faint smile curved her lips.
"I’m quite certain whatever I donate today will far exceed anything you can."
Tessa’s face twisted with humiliation. She gripped her clutch so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"You..." she snapped. "You are nothing. Your husband is nothing but a loser. What could either of you possibly donate?"
She suddenly turned toward the surrounding guests.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Her shrill voice instantly drew everyone’s attention. Conversations died down as heads turned in their direction.
"This woman..." Tessa pointed accusingly at Elena. "She sneaked into the banquet. I politely asked her to leave, but she refused. She even insulted me."
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
"So she wasn’t invited?"
"What nerve."
"Security should throw her out."
"What a disgrace."
Noah snapped out of his daze the moment he heard Tessa. He had never expected her to create such a scene. He strode over at once.
"Tessa." He grabbed her arm, his voice firm with warning. "Stop making a scene."
"What?" She glared at him in disbelief before shaking off his hand. "You are blaming me?"
She pointed furiously at Elena. "She is here without an invitation! Instead of throwing her out, you are scolding me?"
Then she raised her voice. "Someone call the guards. Throw her out."
Elena didn’t even flinch.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of panic on her face. She stood there with quiet confidence, as though she belonged there more than anyone else.
Noah frowned. The calmer Elena remained, the more confused he became.
’What is she planning?’
Before he could think any further, two security guards hurried over.
"Guards," Tessa ordered sharply. "This woman entered without an invitation. Remove her immediately."
The guards approached Elena with stern expressions. Just as they reached out to escort her away, Elena stepped back.
"Don’t touch me." Her voice was cold and authoritative. "You have no right to throw me out."
She met Tessa’s gaze without the slightest fear.
One of the guards spoke politely. "Ma’am, this is an invitation-only event. You can’t remain here without an invitation."
"I am here to attend the gala," Elena replied calmly. "No one has the right to ask me to leave."
"Then please show us your invitation card," the other guard said. "If everything is in order, no one will trouble you."
Elena looked at them steadily. Her expression remained perfectly composed. She lifted her chin.
"I don’t have an invitation." After a brief pause, she added confidently, "And I don’t need one."
Tessa nearly burst into laughter. She had known all along that a nobody like Elena couldn’t receive an invitation to such an exclusive event.
A twisted sense of satisfaction filled her heart. She couldn’t wait to see Elena humiliated in front of everyone.
"Without an invitation, you can’t stay here," one of the guards said firmly. "Please come with us peacefully. Otherwise, we’ll have to escort you out by force."
"Lay a finger on me," Elena warned coldly, "and you’ll regret it."
Her unwavering confidence left everyone in the hall stunned.
They couldn’t understand where she was getting such courage. Seeing the crowd turning against Elena, Tessa’s smile grew even wider.
"Elena, if you are so desperate to stay," she said smugly, "beg me."
She slipped her arm around Noah’s. "I might ask Noah to let you remain here. Perhaps he’ll show you some mercy. Isn’t that right, Noah?"
Noah didn’t answer. His eyes remained fixed on Elena.
Their gazes met, but he saw no trace of surrender in hers. It irritated him.
’Even now, she is still this stubborn. She came to an event like this without an invitation. What exactly is she trying to do?’
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
’Maybe she came here because of me. Perhaps she’s finally regretted leaving. Maybe she is looking for an opportunity to reconcile.’
Hope quietly blossomed in his heart. If Elena truly wanted to come back, he was willing to forgive her.
But she had walked away from him first. She had even married another man.
He couldn’t let her off so easily.
’A little punishment is only fair,’ he thought. ’She should know what it feels like to suffer.’
With that thought, he stepped toward her.
"Elena, I can let you stay here with me." He paused deliberately. "You just have to ask."
Elena let out a cold snort. The mere thought of accepting Noah’s favor made her stomach churn.
"I don’t need your favor, Mr. Sinclair."
The instant she addressed him that way, Noah’s expression froze. His eyes darkened.
"What did you just call me?"
Elena ignored him completely. Instead, she looked back at the guards.
"I’m Mrs. Rowan," she said calmly. "My husband organized this charity gala. I don’t need an invitation to be here."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
"What? She is Mrs. Rowan?"
"Mr. Rowan has always kept a low profile. He has never attended public events. I didn’t even know he was married."
"I heard he got married," another guest whispered. "Someone close to the Rowan family once mentioned it."
"So... maybe she is telling the truth?"
The murmurs grew louder.
Tessa suddenly burst into loud laughter, silencing the crowd.
"Really, Elena?" She wiped away tears of laughter. "Don’t be ridiculous. Just because your husband’s surname happens to be Rowan, you’ve convinced yourself you are married into the prestigious Rowan family?"
She shook her head mockingly. "Stop saying such offensive nonsense. If the Rowan family hears you, you’ll be in serious trouble."
The guests immediately sided with her.
"She is pretending to be Mrs. Rowan? Unbelievable."
"How shameless."
"Throw her out."
"What an imposter."
"I am telling the truth." Elena’s clear voice rang throughout the banquet hall. "I am the daughter-in-law of the Rowan family. My husband is the owner of Novacrest Global. He is the man every one of you admires."
Her gaze swept across the crowd. "Are you really willing to offend his wife because of the baseless accusations of a clueless woman?"
Tessa’s face darkened at the last sentence.
"She even has the nerve to insult me." Elena looked directly at Tessa. "She should be the one thrown out of this banquet."
"You’ve got some nerve saying that," Tessa spat. "I’m not the one trespassing like you. I received a proper invitation."
She pulled an elegant invitation card from her clutch and held it high for everyone to see.
"No one has the right to ask me to leave." Then she pointed at Elena. "But you... Not only did you sneak into this event, but you even pretended to be Mrs. Rowan. An imposter like you should be thrown out immediately."
"That’s right."
"Throw her out."
"She doesn’t belong here."
The crowd grew increasingly agitated.
"Guards," Tessa ordered, "remove her."
Before the guards could move, Noah stepped forward and grabbed Elena’s wrist.
"Have you had enough?" His voice was low, his jaw clenched. "Everyone here is furious. Isn’t this humiliating enough? If you want to stay, just tell me. You don’t have to lie."
Elena forcefully pulled her hand free.
"I’m not lying." She looked him straight in the eye. "I’m telling the truth."
"That’s enough, Elena," Tessa snapped. "Aren’t you afraid of offending Mr. Rowan? He’ll be here any minute. If he finds out someone is pretending to be his wife, he’ll make you pay dearly."
She put on an expression of false concern. "And when the real Mrs. Rowan arrives, she’ll probably have you arrested."
She sighed dramatically. "Stop being stubborn and leave before it’s too late."
"I am not leaving." Elena’s voice was calm, yet every word carried unquestionable authority. She slowly swept her gaze across the crowd. "I’d like to see who dares to throw me out."