Olivia continued holding Noah while desperately trying to calm him.
"You're safe," she whispered again. "I'm right here."
Doctors attending the gala stepped forward, offering to examine the little boy for injuries. Several guests gathered around, believing he had simply frightened himself after the fall.
Then the atmosphere changed.
The ballroom doors swung open.
A tall woman wearing an elegant burgundy evening gown strode confidently into the center of the room.
Her name was Victoria Hayes.
The moment Olivia saw her, the color drained from her face.
"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked quietly.
Victoria ignored the question.
Instead, she stared directly at Noah.
Years of heartbreak, anger, and unanswered questions filled her tearful eyes.
Then she slowly raised one trembling finger toward Olivia.
Her voice echoed beneath the crystal chandeliers.
"You're gonna die tonight!"
The words sent a wave of panic through the ballroom.
Several guests screamed.
Champagne glasses shattered against the marble floor.
Security guards immediately rushed toward Victoria, believing she intended to attack someone.
Olivia instinctively pulled Noah closer.
"Stay away from us!"
Victoria never took her eyes off the little boy.
She wasn't looking at Olivia anymore.
She was looking only at Noah.
The child suddenly stopped crying.
His breathing became slower.
His frightened eyes locked onto Victoria's face.
For several long seconds, neither of them moved.
The ballroom became eerily quiet.
Even security hesitated.
Then Noah reached one tiny hand toward Victoria.
Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.
His lower lip trembled.
Finally, through heartbreaking sobs, he cried out loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You're... not my real mommy!"
Silence.
The words struck Olivia like lightning.
Her arms loosened around Noah.
The little boy continued crying.
"I want my real mommy!"
Several guests covered their mouths in disbelief.
Others immediately began whispering.
"Did he just say she's not his mother?"
"What's happening?"
Olivia looked completely devastated.
"Noah..." she whispered. "Why would you say that?"
The frightened child buried his face against his knees.
He refused to look at her.
Victoria stood frozen.
The anger disappeared from her face.
Instead...
She began crying.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as she stared at the little boy she had dreamed about for years.
Only one person in the ballroom understood exactly what was happening.
Standing beside the champagne tower was billionaire businessman Richard Bennett.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, he watched the heartbreaking scene unfold with a cold, unreadable expression.
But inside...
His entire world had begun to collapse.