The swarm of journalists descended upon William and Victoria.

Patrick Montgomery leaned close to Elise Scott.

His voice was a soft murmur.

"Are you hurt? Can you walk?"

"I'm fine," Elise replied.

She rotated her ankles carefully.

There was a slight twinge of pain.

Nothing she couldn't handle.

"Don't overdo it," Patrick cautioned.

"I won't," she said firmly.

"Alright."

Patrick simply shrugged.

He didn't press further.

Elise straightened her posture.

She slipped her hand through Patrick's arm once more.

Together, they proceeded into the grand hall.

Behind them, William and Victoria observed the entire exchange.

They noted the apparent intimacy between them.

"I'm surprised my cousin has grown so close to Elise," Victoria remarked casually.

Her tone was deliberately light.

William showed no reaction.

His expression remained unreadable.

Perhaps he genuinely didn't care.

Or perhaps he was careful not to reveal anything in front of Victoria.

Victoria suppressed her own emotions.

Tonight was the night she would announce their wedding date.

That was what mattered.

Over the past month, her grandfather Charles Stuart had been relentless.

He pushed for the wedding with unwavering determination.

William had remained in Rockville the entire time.

He assisted with the Stuart Group's business affairs.

To any outsider, their marriage was a foregone conclusion.

William offered no resistance.

Not that he had much ability to do so.

He didn't object to announcing their wedding date either.

This was largely because Victoria gave William her word.

Even if it was a marriage in name only, she wouldn't demand more.

With the growing tension between her family and Patrick's faction, she needed this.

She promised William she would ask Charles for a discreet divorce once William helped them secure victory.

She swore she wouldn't trouble him again after that.

Victoria didn't know how much William actually believed her.

But he didn't protest.

He quietly accepted all the arrangements.

For her, his belief was irrelevant.

Her goal was to make him marry her.

That was the crucial step.

There would be no actual divorce, of course.

Their respective positions and statuses wouldn't allow it.

Step by step, she was drawing William into the trap she had meticulously laid.

She intended to bury him within it, completely.

Meanwhile, the journalists continued their barrage of questions.

"Mr. Levine, it's rumored you've been residing with Miss Stuart throughout your stay in Rockville. Can we take this as confirmation that the wedding is imminent?"

"There are allegations that you're already involved in managing Stuart Group. After marriage, will you abandon Levine Holdings and focus entirely on Stuart Group?"

"Miss Stuart, it's said that James Levine is your biological son. Is this true? We understand you and Mr. Levine were childhood friends. When did your relationship turn romantic?"

William remained completely silent.

He offered no responses.

Victoria, however, was far more approachable.

She answered with a gentle smile.

"It so happened that Stuart Group faced some particularly challenging issues during William's stay in Rockville. We truly needed his expertise. That said, after our marriage, we plan to focus on our respective careers. We haven't yet decided whether we'll reside in Rockville or Crestwood permanently."

"As for Jimmy—James Levine to all of you—he has always been my son. I raised him abroad. He's still young, and his growth and education are the top priorities right now. I earnestly request everyone to respect his privacy and refrain from disturbing him or publishing anything about him. Thank you all very much."

Victoria chose her words with deliberate care.

She intentionally left James's origins ambiguous.

She wanted everyone to draw their own conclusion—that the boy was undoubtedly her biological son.