Jericho Kane froze in place for a heartbeat, then burst into harsh laughter.“You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me like that,” he growled.Alex just smiled and flipped a small platinum badge through the air.Jericho snatched it, then felt his pulse spike the moment he recognized the symbol: the Kignswell, the secret task force working directly under the new King.“The Hunting Dogs of the King.”“Mind your tongue,” Alex said, stepping forward with a confidence that matched Jericho’s icy arrogance.“The King has had enough of you. You think Vermont is yours just because your father-in-law was the old king? It's time to return the state to its rightful ruler.”Jericho bared his teeth.“Never. The people voted for me to govern this place—nobody’s gonna change that!”“ You? You’re just another fool who thinks he’s the hero. All I have to do is end you here and now. Nobody will even know.”Alex’s easy grin didn't waver.“Kill me? You really think you can pull that off?”“You’re a pup,” J

Charles shot Mrs. Lancaster a conflicted look.“Mrs. Lancaster,” he began quietly.“The Best I can do is give you my sister Jessica’s number. Please explain everything to her.”“She’ll sort out Kane’s problem first, and in the meantime, I’ll see what I can do to help your company.”Florence scoffed, venom in her eyes.“Sure, hand me the damn number. This entire disaster? It's Alex’s fault—who else? That worthless stray had nothing until Jessica propped him up like a charity case.”“Now he thinks he’s untouchable, cocky enough to lay hands on Bella Kane?” She sneered, voice rising with every word.“Jessica should be the one groveling to the Kanes. She couldn’t leash her precious mutt, and now he’s ripped everything apart.”She snapped her fingers with icy finality. “Give me the number. I’ll spell it out for her—exactly what her filthy little boytoy has done.”At the Kingston estate, Jasmine lounged by the window, watching the private helicopter lift off into the midnight sky. Inside, K

“Everyone, hold it right there,” Sophia barked, her voice slicing through the bedlam like a whip.She’d already heard Florence’s frantic version—and everyone else’s—about how Alex had wrecked everything and how Charles was supposed to swoop in and save the day.She didn’t want to listen to another second of it, but shutting her ears was impossible.Still, she needed to hear Alex’s side of the story.“What’s going on, Alex? Care to enlighten the rest of us?” Sophia gave him a single, razor‑sharp chance to defend himself.“Bella was acting like an unruly brat, so I put her in her place,” Alex responded without a hint of remorse.“Did you lay a hand on her?” Sophia frowned, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.“I only slapped her once,” Alex shrugged. “After that, the other guests joined in with their own slaps.”“You all heard that, right? He laid hands on her first, so he started this entire mess! It’s his fault the Lancasters got banned!” Florence shouted, her anger flaring like wildfire.

“You miserable punk, so eager to meet your maker—then do it on your own and quit dragging us down with you.”Sophia’s uncle snarled, rage pumping through his veins, ready to swing at Alex without a second thought.“You’ve got some nerve, Alex. The Kanes spared you out of sheer pity, and you still spew this crap? Are you that desperate to get yourself killed?”Jack spat, contempt twisting his features.They all saw Alex as an unhinged loudmouth.Everyone had just settled their differences, so why the hell was he kicking the hornet’s nest again?If he riled the Kanes, who would bear the brunt when they struck back?Charles might bail them out once, but if Alex shattered that fragile truce, nobody would come to the rescue the next time.They wanted nothing more than to bury Alex six feet under.“Is it wrong to demand an apology from someone who attacked you? Am I out of line? Either way, can’t you see she’s already kneeling like she’s been practicing for it?”Alex said, his tone flat yet

The instant Clara ended her tale, Alex went rigid, rooted to the floor.He hadn’t expected her to flip the entire narrative in front of everyone and leave him hanging like a thief caught red‑handed.“Did you all hear that?” Florence screeched, her voice slicing through the ballroom chatter.“There it is—the naked truth! Let’s see you wriggle out of this one, Alex!”“Ungrateful doesn’t even begin to cover it,” she piled on.“You twist kindness into poison and spit it back at the people who saved you. Utterly shameless.”The Lancasters hissed and spat, recoiling as if he carried a plague.Their eyes drilled holes in him, seething with contempt.Tears streaked down Clara’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, everyone. I didn’t want to end up dead at Bella’s hands, so I hid the bracelet in Sophia’s bag. I did it to survive—because Bella’s real target is Alex. I’m sorry.”Florence swooped in, wrapping an arm around Clara. “Don’t worry, dear. We understand. This all started because of Alex. Sophia will for