The young heir stood there, stunned. Themotion was beginning to attract attention from the surrounding crowd, and people started to gather, whispering among themselves.


    "Isn''t that Ste, the Williams family''s long-lost daughter? What''s going on?"


    "I just saw her throw a ss of wine in that guy''s face and tell the others to lick food off the floor."


    "Wow, that''s intense. Even if she is a Williams, she can''t be that outrageous, can she?"


    "There are always two sides to every story. Let''s not jump to conclusions. There might be something we don''t know."


    "I think those guys knocked over the food her bodyguard was getting for her, and she flew into a rage..."


    "That''s so disrespectful. A few days of being a rich heiress and she''s already throwing her weight around. Aurora is far more aplished, and she''s never this arrogant."


    The uninformed onlookers, having only caught a glimpse of the situation, began to pass judgment.


    The heir who had been doused with wine, despite the public humiliation, didn''t dare to offend Ste. She wasn''t some ordinary socialite; she held real power. Thebined worth of his entire group probably didn''t evene close to hers. Besides, public opinion seemed to be on their side. In the end, wouldn''t Ste be the one to lose face? The more gracious they appeared, the more the crowd would side with them, and Ste would have a harder time pressing the issue without looking unreasonable.


    He forced a cating smile. "It''s fine, really. Ms. Cameron didn''t mean it. It''s just a little wine. As for the things on the floor..." He feigned a troubled expression. "Ms. Cameron, how about we clean it up for you?"


    Of course, Ste had no intention of actually making them do something so degrading at the Chapman family''s g. Her voice was sharp. "This is thest time. Apologize to Joshua now. If there''s a next time, it won''t be this simple."


    The young men immediately bowed and scraped before Joshua.


    "Mr. Gardner, we are so sorry. We were blind not to recognize your importance. We hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us this once."


    "We promise, it will never happen again."


    "We''llpensate you for a new suit, of course."


    Seeing the heirs apologizing directly. to Joshua, the onlookers, though still unsure of the details, began to understand. "So, Ste was


    defending her date?"


    "Her date? I thought he was her bodyguard. I''ve seen him at several business signings before."


    "I''ve long heard rumors that Ste


    and her bodyguard have an


    ambiguous rtionship. I can''t believe she''d publicly humiliate these heirs fora pretty boy like him. Their families might not be on the same level as the Williamses, but they''re not nobodies either."


    "They say a king would rage for his queen. I guess she''d rage for her handsome man."


    "A love-struck fool will always be a love-struck fool. Making enemies over such an insignificant man... she clearly has no sense of priorities."


    "If she''s this protective, it''s probably best to stay away from that guy in the future... best not to provoke him."


    Opinions varied, but the oue


    was clear: seeing how fiercely Ste


    defended Joshua, most people resolved, not to cross him and warned their friends to do the same. Ste''s "infamy" now preceded her, and no one dared to underestimate her.  S