Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 525

Four months later.

It was Liam and Joy's first birthday. A celebration was planned for noon at a hotel, with close friends and family expected to fill about twenty tables. But the final turnout was staggering—eighty tables.

Janina didn't recognize most of the new faces. As they arrived, guests introduced themselves; many were from the design world, while others were elites from various business sectors.

Since they were already there, Janina couldn't turn them away. She spoke with the hotel manager, asking them to add more dishes as quickly as possible.

What was supposed to be a party for two hundred guests had somehow ballooned to eight hundred.

To her surprise, the manager was completely unruffled. “Don't worry, Miss Holt. The hotel is fully prepared with enough food.”

Janina found this strange. It wasn't just a few extra tables, but sixty. Was the hotel using pre-made meals? But she had no time to dwell on it. As long as the guests were fed, that was all that mattered.

What she hadn't expected at all was the arrival of Julius and Elena.

Janina’s gaze froze. She hadn't invited them. Julius didn't even know when the children were born. How did they find out she was holding Liam and Joy’s first birthday party at this hotel, on this day?

To avoid the Aurelius family, she had deliberately booked a hotel over a dozen miles away, in the opposite direction from their estate. But it seemed she couldn't escape them.

Julius was dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, looking every bit the dashing executive. Elena was adorned with jewels, a broad smile on her face.

Their arrival caused an immediate stir.

Before they even reached Liam and Joy, many guests were already on their feet, greeting them warmly.

Janina was stunned. So, the extra sixty tables of people were their doing.

Regardless of her motives, shouldn't they have discussed something this significant with her beforehand? Elena might not have her contact information, but Julius certainly did. Yet they had acted on their own, inviting a horde of strangers under the guise of a 'surprise' for the children.

Janina fought to suppress her anger, her voice calm but laced with ice.

“Ms. Quinn, I don't recall inviting you. And I don’t need your so-called surprise. This isn't a surprise; it's a shock. Did you think to consult me before inviting all these people?”

Janina’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the relative quiet of their table, every word was crystal clear to Elena and Julius.

Elena's expression soured instantly. She thought Janina was being difficult. She had only invited a few people to help put on a good show for the children. Janina should be thanking her, not making snide remarks.