Bernard was furious. He had agreed to work with Sebastian because Sebastian had agreed to send Annie to Royal Garden Mansion. He had never truly planned to be Sebastian's family-in-law.

However, the Shaws had publicly announced Ariana's pregnancy as well as the fact that it was Ethan's child. Did they plan to cling onto the Austins forever?

Sebastian did not notice the ugly look on Bernard's face, so he kept smiling as he said, "Mr. Austin, it seems like we'll be even better partners now."

Bernard coldly snorted and slammed his hand against the table before standing up. There was a cold and sharp tone in his voice when he next spoke.

"Sebastian, did you plan for all of this?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but there was suddenly a loud commotion among the crowd. An elderly man imperiously strolled out of the crowd while protected by black-clad bodyguards. With a dragon-headed cane in his hand, he barked out at Bernard.

"Where is Ethan? Bring that scoundrel to me!"

Owen had been enjoying a cup of tea in the lounge when the steward rushed in and told him that Ethan had impregnated Ariana. He ordered his men to search for Ethan, but Ethan was nowhere to be found. Thus, he had no choice but to question Bernard.

The pregnancy might not be a big deal, but if it was not properly handled, the mother's name and the Austins' name would be in question. He would never allow anyone from the Austins to become the subject of ridicule.

Moreover, Ariana was now pregnant with his great-grandchild. That child was part of the Austin bloodline. The matter had to be taken seriously!

"Dad, this must be a misunderstanding. Ethan might like to play around, but he would never be so reckless as to impregnate Miss Shaw."

Bernard refused to believe that Ethan would so something that stupid. After all the years of fooling around without a scandal, Ethan simply got into trouble when it came to Ariana. It was too much of a coincidence.

Thus, he believed that it was all just a scheme by the Shaws.

Sebastian was angered by that. "What do you mean by that? Are you accusing my daughter of lying?"

"I don't mean that. I just need to speak to Ethan first to get the full picture."

Bernard pulled out his phone to call Ethan, but no one answered.

He immediately called for his bodyguards and angrily said, "Go and bring Ethan here immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Annie watched everything unfold with a mocking glint in her eyes. Sierra and Ariana really knew how to cause trouble. It made her wonder how they would resolve this whole issue.

Sebastian worked with Bernard to use Annie as a pawn, right?

Well, she would turn them against each other until they were the laughingstock of the city.

Standing behind Annie, Bradley quietly watched her beautiful face and the smile on her lips.

"You've already guessed the start and end of the matter, haven't you?"

His alluring voice snapped her back to her senses as it rang from beside her ear.

"No. I'm only a bystander in this. However, this plays out, it depends on Sierra and Ariana, the stars of the show."

"You can act as the supporting character who turns everything around, can't you?"

Bradley had only attended the banquet to test Annie's limits. He had not expected to run into a face like this.

Ariana, pregnant with Ethan's child? How interesting!

He wondered just how Sebastian and Bernard would clean up the situation.

"I don't know the ending, but I know the baby isn't Ethan's. Sierra merely wanted the Austins to bear the blame due to their wealth and power."

Annie knew the mother-daughter duo well. All these years, Sierra had been dreaming of Ariana marrying into a rich family. It just so happened that Ariana had spent a few days with Ethan. Now, Ariana was suddenly pregnant. How could they give up on such a golden opportunity?

She had invited Owen because he was a traditionalist who cared the most about the continuation of his bloodline. As long as he stood up for Ariana, the Austins had no choice but to bear the blame.

Bradley looked at Annie with raised eyebrows. "I'm curious. What do you plan to do next?"

"I just want to watch the show. Would you believe me?" Annie blinked back at him.

There was no place for her to interfere in this. Overplaying her ignorance would only cause trouble. Was it not more fun to watch the drama as a spectator?

Her calm and confident demeanor made it increasingly clear to Bradley just how extraordinary she was.

He had a strange feeling that she was like an onion where peeling back each layer could bring tears and heartache while the core would reveal something astonishing.

She had already carved a place for herself in his heart. He no longer wanted to let go of her.

Before them, a bodyguard hurriedly walked over to Bernard and whispered into his ear. Bernard's expression immediately twisted as he shot out of his chair and stomped out of the hall.

Annie looked at the direction Bernard disappeared to and asked with a sly smile, "Guess where Ethan is now."

The man beside her smiled as he looked down at her. "Do you know?"

"I did just see him leave with a beautiful lady in his arms. If I'm not mistaken, he should be 'playing' with her somewhere nearby."

Bernard should have stormed off to look for Ethan.

Bradley did not say a word and merely leaned against the wall in a relaxed yet arrogant manner with his arms crossed. While there was a mask over his face, the sly tilt of his smile made him extremely bewitching as he looked at her with eyes that burned with a passionate flame.

The more Annie looked at him, the more dangerous he seemed. Just the look in his eyes reminded her of Bradley.

The two men felt too similar to her, even though they were clearly not the same man…

Bradley raised his eyebrows upon noticing she was staring at him.

With a faint smile in response, Annie asked, "Don't you want to know what's happening between Ethan and that lady?"

"Do you like shows like this?" He playfully smirked.

Annie blushed and softly retorted, "Who would like that? Stop overthinking it."

Bradley's smile grew as he stared at her blushing cheeks. How very shy. Just one suggestive comment, and she's blushing in embarrassment.

She was so pure and innocent that her wedding night would be very interesting.

Just as Bradley was captivated by her beauty, there was a loud commotion.

Ethan was escorted into the hall by several bodyguards. It was clear that a struggle had happened as Ethan's shirt was crooked while his pants were not even fully zipped up.

There were lipstick smears on his handsome face. It was clear to everyone just what he had been up to.

"Mr. Ethan is here!" Someone in the crowd shouted, instantly turning everyone's attention to Ethan.