Talia shot a single glance at her sister, Valerie who immediately understood what she meant.

Though she was reluctant to leave Mrs. Huo, worried that she would be making the lady have an ill impression about her, she had no other choice but to follow her sister's commands.

'Jie will make sure that Mrs. Huo does not think too badly about me.' She reassured herself as she gave Talia a nod.

She then hurried to excuse herself from the group of older women that she had been greeting and walked in the direction of the newcomers.

Moira Huo and the women with her turned to see who exactly had arrived, causing the daughter of the Zheng family to rush in their direction.

When her gaze fell on the women who had arrived and were now following Valerie as they led them in their direction, Moira felt that something was not right.

'Why would the Zheng's invite her?' She wondered and wiped the frown away from her face.

Turning towards the elder daughter of Eve Zheng, Moira brought out her gentle smile.

"Your friends seem to have arrived, go have fun with them." She jested and nodded at the women behind her who agreed with what she had just said.

"Yes, Talia child! Go spend some time with the youngsters rather than with old women like us." The woman on the right giggled as she poked fun at their group.

Moira puffed up her cheeks and glanced over shoulders to the right at the woman who had just spoken.

"Who are you calling old? Speak for yourself, Grandma!" She sneered at her close friend.

"You are just bitter that Louis has not found a girl for himself. Don't blame my son for giving me a grandchild!" The woman chuckled and patted Moira's shoulder.

Though Moira was mocking her friend, she was also jealous that her friends all had either grandchildren or daughters-in-law in their families.

'If only Louis can find a bride for himself then even I can brag about it!' She cursed her son who would rather spend time in his company than with a girl.

"Don't start now, you two! Let us greet Eve and the others." The third and silent member of their group persuaded them to move ahead.

The women nodded to agree with her proposal and smiled at Talia before walking away.

Talia had promised to put in a good word to Mrs. Huo about Valerie but right now, she was focusing her attention elsewhere and had forgotten to fulfill her promise.

She nodded her head when she heard the women bid farewell and continued staring at the ones who were walking in.

'Aunt Renee has not yet appeared but at least these two clowns have!' She sighed and was grateful that something had gone according to her plans.

Soon, the people she had been awaiting reached her position and she gave them a once over.

"I'm glad you dressed for the occasion." Talia smiled as she complimented their clothing choice.

Somehow even her compliment seemed like a taunt as it fell on the ears of the women who had just arrived.

Valerie nodded to show her agreement with what her sister had just said and turned her gaze towards the women she had brought over.

"They do clean up well." She chuckled as she rolled her eyes while scoffing at them.

One woman had a mint green long gown which fit her curves perfectly while the other had a thigh-high peach crochet bodycon dress.

Though the styles of their dresses were distinct, they looked elegant nonetheless.

However, there was something about one of the women that was making Talia frown when she noticed a certain aspect in the guest's appearance.

"Did you really have to put on such a heavy cast for an injury that small, Miss Liang?" She sneered at the excessive effort that seemed to put in the act.

Jeanette Liang who had been glaring at Valerie felt her cheeks burn red when she heard the question being aimed at her.

Mandy Rong, her companion for the party bit her lips and stayed silent even though she wished to defend her best friend.

'Now is not the time for this!' She coaxed her heart which wanted to throw some insults back at them.

But she was just a guest at this party being hosted by these two women and moreover, a party that she would never have been able to attend if it wasn't for their invitation.

"Miss Talia, isn't this why we were called here?" Jeanette retorted after regaining her composure.

Jeanette and Mandy had been called here with a purpose and they were just here to play their part in the grand scheme that Talia had orchestrated.

This scheme had begun on the night of Lina's debut when a scorned Mandy was introduced to Talia who had an equal if not greater hatred for Lina Yang.

They had met on multiple occasions and even spoken over calls and video calls in preparation for this moment.

Therefore, Jeanette did not hide the unpleasant feelings inside her when she was blatantly being mocked.

Valerie frowned when she noticed this woman talk back to her Jie whom she had never dared to speak up against.

"Jeanette, don't you think that you are being too-" Her angry rant was cut back on when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Glancing sideways she found her sister staring down at her, making her stop in her tracks.

"Well if this is how you plan on doing your part then I have no problem with it." Talia shrugged as she gave her permission to do as she pleased.

Valerie pouted when she saw how lenient her sister was being with these women and could not help but feel aggrieved at the difference in their treatments.

Jeanette nodded at the hostess for the day and then turned around to find someone she knew at the party.

As always, Mandy who had no contacts in this place other than her best friend stuck close to her as she followed after her.

Once the two women were out of earshot, Talia leaned closer to Valerie and whispered something in her ears.

"Watch them. Make sure they don't make a fool out of themselves." She commanded once again.

"Jeanette is used to these parties but that ill-bred bastard child might be the one we need to watch out for." She explained her fear that the party might be ruined by something they do or say.

Valerie acknowledged the fear that was present in her sister's mind with a nod and followed after them.

Talia on the other hand turned around and moved in the other direction to find her mother in the group of ladies in this garden.

Looking around, she found her mother who was wearing an elegant and poised crimson gown that touched her ankles.

"Mom!" She called out once she was close enough.

Eve Zheng turned around and put on her best smile as she pulled her daughter along to greet her close circle of friends.

Talia glanced around the table as she greeted them with a picture-perfect smile yet she was empty inside.

The person she had been hoping for was not found at the table as well.

"Please, excuse us." She muttered and gently tugged her mother's arm, indicating that she wished to speak to her in private.

Understanding what her daughter wanted, Eve nodded at her friends and followed Talia to a remote corner of the garden.

"What is it, baby?" She inquired when she observed the sulking expression that was evident on her daughter's face.

Talia looked into Eve's eyes and pouted like a child whose candy had been snatched away from her.

"Mom, why has Aunt Renee not arrived yet?" She interrogated about the aspect that pricked her the most.

Eve's smile faltered for a second when she heard her daughter's query and she chuckled awkwardly while turning her gaze away.

Talia's eyes were sharp enough to catch the evasive actions of her mother and this made her suspicious that her mother knew something that she was unaware of.

"Mom, Aunt Renee did give a positive reply in her RSVP invite so why hasn't she come yet!?" She repeated her question once again.

This time Eve looked her in the eyes and sighed before she decided to reveal about something she had been concealing from her daughter.

"Baby, Renee caught a cold and was forbidden to make the journey to the city." She explained why Renee Ming had failed to appear at the party today.

The obvious look of disappointment and dismay on Talia's face made Eve feel worse for hiding this fact from her.

When she had received the call from her friend this morning, they were all at the breakfast table.

Seeing how Talia and Valerie were excitedly planning and squealing how the party would be one to remember for years, she did not have the heart to break this bad news to them.

Hence she had stalled until now but it looked as though her decision was not the right one as Talia looked worse than what she had expected.

"You know how overprotective and doting Felix is…" She tried to comfort her daughter whose head was lowered.

Even when Renee had tried to make it to the party, Felix Ming had forbidden her from even taking a single step outside the bedroom.

Thus the most important guest that Talia was waiting for with immense eagerness never appeared at the party.