The next day, 10:00 AM, Riverforge, Sterling Heights Villa District.
Today was Old Madam Harper's eightieth birthday, and the banquet was scheduled at the finest hotel in Riverforge.
But first, she had summoned the entire family to gather at her villa.
"Grandma, happy birthday!"
"Mom, may you live as long as the mountains and reach two hundred years!"
A large crowd filled the villa—Old Madam Harper's children, grandchildren, and extended relatives.
Old Madam Harper had two sons: the eldest, Michael Harper, and the second, Robert Harper—Emily's father.
Michael had a son, Brandon Harper, and a daughter, Jessica Harper, both around Emily's age.
The Harper family's billions in assets and control of the family company remained firmly in Old Madam Harper's hands.
As a result, Michael and Robert were constantly vying to please her and secure the inheritance.
In the center of the living room, Old Madam Harper sat on an antique mahogany chair worth tens of thousands of dollars, cradling her poodle in her lap. She nodded contentedly as she examined the gifts from her descendants and listened to their birthday wishes.
Suddenly, she noticed a small pile the poodle had left under her chair.
"Where is that useless son-in-law? Tell him to come clean this up right now."
The "useless son-in-law" she meant was, of course, Jeff.
For the past three years, tasks like cleaning up after the dog had always fallen to him.
Michael glanced around. "Huh? It looks like Jeff isn't here."
Old Madam Harper's face darkened instantly. "What? Today is my eightieth birthday, and he dares not show up? Emily, what's the meaning of this?"
Emily replied respectfully, "He might be out working..."
"Working? Delivering food? Hahaha, that's rich," Jessica mocked with a laugh.
Brandon joined in with a sneer. "He's such an embarrassment to the Harper name! Once, when I was driving my Maserati, I ran into him and didn't even dare tell my friends he was family."
Old Madam Harper's eyes blazed with anger. "Get him back here to see me immediately! He has no manners at all!"
Seeing her grandmother's fury, Emily had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Grandma, the reason he's not here today is... we're getting a divorce."
"Divorce? Who gave you permission to divorce? Don't you know your marriage was arranged by your late grandfather!" Old Madam Harper's voice was sharp and commanding.
Not daring to defy her, Emily dropped to her knees and began crying out her grievances.
"Grandma, I wouldn't dare go against Grandpa's wishes, but Jeff... he's gone too far!"
Seeing Emily weep so pitifully, Old Madam Harper felt a surge of sympathy. She rose and helped her granddaughter to her feet.
"Emily, stop crying for now. You're a Harper granddaughter. He's just a live-in son-in-law. Tell me how he bullied you, and I'll handle him for you!"
Emily wiped away the tears she'd forced out and addressed the room.
"Jeff has another woman on the side!"
"What?"
Old Madam Harper trembled with shock. Michael quickly stepped forward to steady her.
She was livid. "That beast! For three years we gave him a luxury villa, expensive cars, and he still couldn't stay faithful—he went chasing other women!"
By flipping the script and accusing Jeff of infidelity first, Emily easily won her grandmother's sympathy and trust.
She had always been skilled at presenting a perfect image; in front of the family, she played the role of a well-mannered, innocent girl flawlessly.
If Jeff hadn't caught her himself at the hotel yesterday, even he might still have believed she was merely a bit arrogant but pure at heart.
Emily's parents, Robert and Susan Harper, were also completely taken in by their daughter and began cursing Jeff.
Meanwhile, Michael's side of the family reacted with glee.
Jessica said smugly, "Cousin Emily, aren't you supposed to be the number one beauty in Riverforge? With your figure and looks, how could some other woman steal him away?"
Jessica had a stunning figure. By posting short videos that showed only her body from behind—never her face—she had racked up hundreds of millions of likes and over ten million followers.
She was the biggest anonymous body-streamer online.
But her face was average—at best. Compared to Emily, she paled in comparison, so she had always been deeply jealous of her cousin.
Brandon laughed too. "Emily, don't blame me for saying it, but you're partly to blame. Three years married and you never let him touch you. No matter how perfect a melon looks, it's useless if you can only admire it and never taste it. No wonder Jeff went looking elsewhere, haha."
At that moment, Susan stepped forward to defend her daughter.
"Brandon, that's out of line. What is Emily's status compared to Jeff's? If she had actually given herself to that trash, wouldn't it have been a complete waste?"
Brandon snorted. "Tch, aren't you all just keeping her 'pure' so you can dump Jeff when the time's right and snag a real wealthy match instead?"
Susan snapped, "You—"
"Enough! Stop bickering!" Old Madam Harper barked. "Even if Emily did that, he had no right to cheat! What does he think the Harper family is? Bring that beast here right now—I'm going to discipline him with family rules!"