The Genius Ex-Wife’s Revenge Portfolio novel Chapter 208

Grandma Jill practically glowed with pride, soaking up the attention that came with having her two favorite granddaughters by her side. Jessa and Maureen both wore easy smiles, clearly enjoying being the stars of the evening.

The whole family buzzed with excitement and laughter.

Off to the side, Ella watched quietly. All the joy and sparkle in the Irvine family felt worlds away from her. The only person who ever linked her to this house was her father, and he was gone now, buried and forgotten by everyone here.

Suddenly, Ella sensed someone watching her. She glanced up and caught David staring at her from across the room, the chandelier light making him look almost unreal.

Why was he looking at her? He was here with Jessa, playing the supportive partner. It was as if everyone had decided to forget that Ella was actually Mrs. Harmon. The thought made her want to laugh.

She looked away.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s start dinner,” Grandma Jill said, smiling as she gestured to the table.

The food looked incredible, wine glasses sparkled, and people started finding their seats. Everything was planned out, from who sat where to which side of the table they were on. Grandma Jill took the place of honor, with David, Jessa, Peter, and Rachel to her left, and Doctor E, Maureen, Logan, and Ruby to her right. The whole scene radiated a kind of picture-perfect family happiness.

That’s when Ella realized there wasn’t a seat for her.

Maureen had told her to come for dinner, but nobody had set a place for her at the table.

Maureen seemed to notice, her lips curling into a sly little smile. “Ella, don’t you have a seat?”

Suddenly everyone was staring at Ella. She’d always been invisible to them, but now she was the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Grandma Jill looked annoyed. “All the seats are taken, Ella. There’s no extra chair. You can eat in the kitchen with the staff.”

Rachel gave Ella a look full of barely hidden spite. She still hadn’t forgiven her for what happened last time. “Actually, I’ll have someone put a chair in the corner. You can eat over there, Ella.”

Ella’s voice was steady. “No one here has actually met the real Doctor E. You should all be careful. You never know when you might run into… a fraud.”

A fraud?

The whole room fell silent.

Doctor E’s eyes darted away, just for a second. He looked at Ella, maybe wondering if she’d figured something out. No way. He’d covered his tracks too well.

Ella didn’t say anything else. She turned and walked out of the room.

As she left, Grandma Jill called after her, sounding annoyed. “What nonsense is that? Is she saying Doctor E is some kind of fake?”

Impossible. Maureen was quick to dismiss it. Everything about Doctor E checked out. He was exactly who he claimed to be.