After carefully examining Tessa’s body, Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly. What he discovered was far beyond what he had anticipated. Her constitution wasn’t merely spiritual—it was something much more potent, layered with rare attributes that spoke of dormant power. He could feel it pulsing faintly beneath her delicate skin, like a sealed treasure waiting to be unlocked.And then there was the other truth. Despite her confidence, despite the way she had thrown herself into this desperate gamble, she remained untouched. A virgin. She met every condition he had in mind.Adam’s thoughts deepened. His cultivation was already pressing against the bottleneck. He was on the brink of advancing into the rank of pinnacle grandmaster. With his foundation, it was only a matter of time before he broke through.Left on its own, without intervention, the process would take perhaps a year. But Adam had no intention of waiting idly. If he could gather century-old dragon toot and a stalk of century-old wh

Adam let out a dry chuckle at Tessa’s words, though his eyes remained cold. “You people really are something else. Every time we meet, whether it was before or now, it’s always you stirring the pot and painting me as the villain.”Elanour’s face flushed with rage. She stepped forward, her voice shrill and cutting. “Don’t twist things around! You came here looking for trouble, and it’s my duty to stop you before you ruin this event. People like you have no place here!”Adam tilted his head slightly, his tone mocking as he asked, “And what makes you so sure I’m here to cause trouble?”Elanour’s lips curled into a sneer. “Do I even need to explain? Let’s not drag up the disgrace you brought on us last time. Today is the Supreme Banquet. Only the most important figures in Ray City received invitations. What else would a shameless nobody like you be doing here if not to disrupt things?”A sharp glint flickered in Adam’s eyes, the kind of cold warning that made weaker men take a step back.

In the past, Elanour would never have dared to speak so boldly. Everyone knew Hollow Reach Hotel’s security guards weren’t ordinary employees—they were backed by the Zarholths family, whose influence stretched across Ray City like a shadow. Offending them was like poking a sleeping beast.But today, Elanour’s chest swelled with arrogance. She held a VIP invitation in her hand, and whispers of a ten billion-dollar deal with Bulgart Industry had already reached her ears. To her, that invitation was a shield, and the banquet her chance to cement the Armands’ rise. With such backing, she felt untouchable.The guards exchanged a glance, irritation flickering in their eyes at her tone, but they said nothing. Normally, they would have put someone like her in her place immediately, but a VIP guest was technically under the protection of the host. Their silence only emboldened her further.“Move along,” one of the guards muttered at last, lifting the velvet rope. Just as Elanour smirked in sat

The crowd froze in collective shock, whispers rippling like waves through the lavish hotel entrance. Most people couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed. Adam, the man who had been mocked, belittled, and cast aside by the Armands, was now standing proudly beside Aurora Montclair—the nation’s finest lady. Of all people, Tessa was the most shaken. She never imagined that Adam would move on so quickly after their divorce. And not just move on, but somehow end up with Aurora Montclair, the heiress every influential family in the country dreamed of allying with. Her heart sank, torn between disbelief and a sting of regret she couldn’t admit even to herself. “This is impossible!” Trent’s voice cut through the stunned silence, trembling with both rage and desperation. He stepped forward, pointing at Adam like he was exposing a fraud. “Ms. Montclair, surely you jest. You are the heiress of the Zarholts family, blessed with beauty, intelligence, and prestige. He’s just a castaway, dis

He first gave what he thought was a charming smile—half-sly, half-confident—and stepped closer to Aurora like a man who owned the room.“Aurora,” Dorian began, voice smooth as silk, “I intended to come with you. I even went to your house yesterday, but your brother said you’d already left for Storm City. Why didn’t you tell me?” He let the question hang, laced with a meaning everyone in the hall could read: I noticed, and I care.Back when Julian still cast a long shadow over these circles, no man dared approach Aurora without a dozen gatekeepers breathing down his neck. Julian’s fall had opened the doors. Men who’d watched from the wings were suddenly stepping into the light. Dorian was one of the boldest—elegant in cut and arrogance, the kind of man who believed his pedigree exempted him from courtesy.“Aurora, you know how I feel about you,” he added, dropping his voice to something that sounded like confession and command at once. “I swear I’ll marry no one but you. Give me a chan