“I thought you’d rather die?” Chester mocked, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips. Truthfully, he’d been hoping Julian would keep resisting, he enjoyed putting arrogant brats like him in their place. But it turned out the boy was even more of a coward than he’d given him credit for. "Please, I'll do it! Just don’t hit me again!” In the face of his mockery, the usual Julian, who would have shot back, this time, didn't dare even show any anger. Instead, he begged, lowering his head, his voice trembling. The sting of those slaps still burned across his face, and the thought of another one made his stomach twist. He couldn’t take any more pain, not after losing two teeth already. The humiliation was bad enough, but the disfigurement? That broke him. For someone so vain, it was unbearable. “Then what are you waiting for? An invitation?” Chester snapped coldly. “Sorry! I’ll do it now!” Julian blurted. He looked like a once-proud beast finally broken. Without another word, he immediate

“You—!” Julian’s face flushed crimson, his humiliation boiling over. “Just wait! I’ll make you pay for this! I'll make you pay!” He shouted wildly at Robin, then swayed his gaze toward Walter and Clara. “You two won’t get away with this either!” With that, he kicked at the gloves as though they were the source of his misery, then stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls rattled.Robin merely rolled his eyes at the outburst and turned to Walter. “Now that everything’s settled, we’ll be heading out.” His gaze drifted briefly to Lena and Chester. “I’ll be waiting.” Then he looked at Sheila. “Let’s go.”“Mr. Ramsey, please wait,” Chester called, hurrying over. Without hesitation, he removed his shoes and dropped to one knee. “Allow me to lend you these.”Robin frowned lightly. “That’s not necessary.”But Chester shook his head earnestly. “After all you’ve done, this is the least I can offer to show my gratitude—my personal gratitude. Please.”Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and

At the Dunns, the banquet was already in full swing.At the head table, Mr. Dunn Sr. sat with composed poise, radiating the quiet authority of the former family patriarch.On either side of him were Sheila’s parents. Next to her mother was Sheila’s designated seat—and an empty one beside her. Sheila occupied her place, but her expression was anything but settled. She kept darting glances toward the entrance. It had been several minutes… nearly an hour now. Robin should have arrived long ago, yet he hadn’t appeared.She’d tried calling him over and over, but his phone went unanswered. She even tried the chauffeur she’d sent, only to find his number switched off.That alone made her stomach twist. Their staff never had their phones off, not when emergencies were always possible. Something was wrong. She could feel it.“Sweetie? Are you still worrying yourself over that young man?” her mother asked, noticing her restless demeanor, her tone laced with mild teasing. “I thought you said yo

Jace’s words had Sheila freezing in shock. Did he just acknowledge her as heir? No, maybe she’d heard wrong.She rubbed her ears quickly, then looked up at him again, disbelief written all over her face. “What did you just say? I’m pretty sure my ears are messing with me.”Jace clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “Stop being dramatic. Everyone knows you’re the heir. I was only pointing out that, as the heir, your presence is needed here. So let me handle this.”His calm confirmation made her eyes go even wider. He really said it. She scanned him from head to toe—he wasn’t drunk, he wasn’t high. He was perfectly sober. Which only made the shock slam harder.Drake and the rest were equally floored. It was common knowledge that Jace had never accepted Sheila as the successor. To him, the title had always belonged to him. After all, he was the male, she was the female, and in all of Dunn history, a woman had never taken the position of Patriarch. And he definitely wasn't about to le

Instantly, tension spiked, like invisible daggers had been unsheathed. The guests exchanged glances, shocked by the sudden remark. They looked at the still-smiling host, who appeared harmless yet clearly dangerous, and then at Roman, who, surprisingly, remained calm. They couldn’t help but wonder—were the Dunns and the Huttons really about to fall out this time? But that felt too sudden, right? No matter what, they weren’t enemies… right? Or had both families been secretly displeased with each other for a long time? In the face of the host’s carefully concealed jab, Roman simply smiled faintly and replied casually, “Isn’t my presence enough? Must my entire family show up before it counts that we attended, or are you looking down on me, this heir?” Each word from Roman landed like a stab to the host’s gut. By the time he finished speaking, the older man was left speechless. He was in the right! The Dunn family and the Huttons stood on equal footing, and this was Mr. Dunn Sr.’s