As soon as the host finished speaking, Franklin's cold voice rang out, "Pay up! Don't you dare try to run now!"Charlotte nodded in agreement to his words.The host snapped out of his daze and packed up the necklace. Then he brought the POS machine forward, walking towards Kian unsteadily."Sir, I... need... to swipe your card to... complete the payment," he stuttered.Everyone in the room was focused on him and Kian. It made the former feel a bit nervous. If this masked man is indeed unable to pay, he may have to bear the brunt of Charlotte's anger later.Franklin and Charlotte had a similar cold but smug smirk on their faces. Subtly, they waved their hands in the air.To other people around, this was a simple gesture but Sophia was quick to notice the armed men in black that quickly sealed off the entrance and exit. They were undoubtedly guards from the Lane and Faye's families respectively.They looked as if they were ready to pounce out anytime Kian dared to make a funny move. It w

But Sophia was wiser. Her eyebrows had wrinkled beautifully as her eyes darted to Kian. The host seemed to have seen something on the machine's screen that knocked the breath out of his lungs."Master Franklin, this is not a hotel card!" Sophia looked up when the host finally spoke. He was trembling as he held the POS machine forward."This is really a bank card! It is an ATM card and the machine has a full display of its balance!"A hush fell upon the room. The guests who had been jeering at Kian and Wesley. Franklin and Charlotte were also taken aback.But Franklin wasn't too surprised. Instead, he asked casually, "How much exactly is in the card? Nine thousand dollars or nine dollars?"The host swallowed hard and shook his head. "One billion! Nine zeros in total!"As soon as the host's words fell, a wave of silence washed over the hall again. Everyone stared at the host blankly, stupefied beyond belief.Only Sophia wasn't as surprised as others. She arched her brow at Kian. Althoug

The nouveau riche thought to himself, 'I defended Charlotte and Franklin in front of everyone. If this masked man decides to come after me now, I won't survive!'Fearfully, he shrunk back into the crowd, trying to blend with the other guests. Tiffany was also beside herself with worry. She had been the one to provoke the crowd earlier and throw Kian's right into the limelight. If he decides to retaliate now, she definitely won't be spared! Just like the nouveau riche, she also tried to be invisible among the other guests. But Kian wasn't concerned about these people.There were more pressing matters at hand. After forcing Franklin to silence, he turned to Charlotte. "Have you received the money?"Charlotte, who was in a state of shock, could only nod. Kian didn't stop there. He smirked and asked, "With such a huge amount than you bargained for, are you satisfied?""Yes... Satisfied... Very... Satisfied..." Charlotte stuttered almost incoherently as she nodded again. "Good. Now it's

No matter what happens, Charlotte cannot reveal the truth of that incident. At least, not now. She has to stall for time and delay the truth until this masked man decides to leave out of frustration.Charlotte thought to herself, 'As long as I can stall for time, I'll call Tristan to help me.'It doesn't matter the true identities of these strangers and how influential they may be. They could never compare to the aristocratic Harrington's family!As for the guests present, Charlotte had no concern for them. She wasn't scared that after this event they would go out and tattletale to the public.She was now publicly known as Tristan's partner and the future daughter-in-law of the aristocratic Harrington's family. Even if these people borrowed guts and courage, they wouldn't dare to offend her or soil her reputation except Sophia of course.But in a moment like this, Charlotte doesn't have the chance or time to worry about Sophia.With these thoughts in mind, Charlotte inhaled deeply an

The heavy silence in the hall was only broken occasionally by Franklin's grunts and howls of pain. But apart from this, no one even dared to do so much as squeak.At this moment, Kian was now surprisingly calm and more composed than his angry outburst earlier. But his calm demeanor only made everyone more frightened.Some guests began to curse inwardly, regretting that they ever considered attending Charlotte's birthday party. If they had known that such a brutal and terrifying scene like today was going to happen, they wouldn't have dared step foot in this hall!No one knew what he was thinking. Actually, Kian was pondering. From the moment he suspected that Charlotte Lane might have something or was related to Garrett's death, he already had an inkling of something like this.But now suspicion and confirmation were two different things. Now that he confirmed that his suspicions were right, he was disheartened. Kian's fingers clenched tightly and painfully when he finally comprehen