Chapter 391

Meanwhile, over at the Allen residence. The banquet hall was packed to the brim. Pretty much all the major players from Smokefall's upper crust showed up—old-money families, new money, business elites, even some celebrities. But honestly, the stars were just background props for the real heavyweights. Getting an invite from the Allens was like getting a gold stamp—it meant your family still had status, still had power. The ones who’d fallen from grace? They’d been kicked off the guest list ages ago. These days, they didn’t even have the right to show up with a gift during holidays, let alone come to a birthday celebration. But here's the thing—half an hour had already passed since the banquet kicked off. While every guest had already arrived, the star of the night—Eleanor—still hadn’t made an appearance. As the head of the family, Harold was busy mingling with the guests, along with a few other Allen relatives. Natalie, on the other hand, was fully in “lady of the house” mode, bossing