Halston kept sipping his wine, which only made Harold more irritated. The guests stared at him in disbelief because none of them would ever act like that if they were in his place. With Harold's influence right now, he could throw Halston out of Rivertone this very moment."It seems the rumor I heard is true. You've lost your sanity, so you can't act like a normal human being," Harold snapped."He once hit Jack and me," Nolan said, adding fuel to the fire. "If a lunatic like him is left alone, there could be more victims!"Several guests nodded right away, their faces full of disgust and scorn."That's right, someone like him doesn't deserve to be here.""How could a loser sit at the same level as us?""Harold should get rid of him immediately before he causes more trouble!"The atmosphere in the hall became something like a trial. Eyes that were once only curious were now filled with rejection. They whispered insults, calling Halston poor, lowly, and shameless for daring to attend su

Unfortunately, Mia could not do anything to Kyra because she had to protect her image. She had to look like the victim so people would pity her."How cruel of you to say that! Silver Trust has been growing very fast lately. I'm sure Dominion Capital will give them much more funding than you received," she said firmly.Elsie, who had been sitting gracefully in her chair all this time, stood up. The heated atmosphere grew even more tense when her calm voice was heard. She was not only Harold's wife but also the illegitimate daughter of the capital's governor.Even though her identity was controversial, she gained influence from her father. In fact, Harold could develop his business in the capital because of her.With graceful steps, Elsie approached Kyra. "Young lady, you're too arrogant just because you received a little support from Dominion Capital. Do you think that makes you different from us?"Her lips curved slightly as she brushed Kyra's shoulder. "Your arrogance will only creat

The lights in the banquet hall finally came back on. Bright light bounced off the marble walls, revealing how ruined the scene was. Chairs were overturned, tablecloths were dragged, and shards of glass glittered on the floor.The rats that had caused the panic earlier were gone somewhere, leaving a faint stench that would make people pinch their noses.A man in a hotel uniform ran in a hurry, his face deathly pale. "Mr. Clark, we don't know how this could happen! Our power system has always been stable. We never had a problem before. And about the rats, we've never experienced anything like this."Before he could finish his sentence, a hard slap landed on his face. The man's head lurched to the side, almost losing balance.Harold stared at him with killing eyes, his breath coming fast. "You don't know? That's your answer? This hotel was paid a lot to make my son's wedding perfect! Do you think I'll accept a stupid answer like that?"The hotel man fell silent, his body trembling. He bo

"There's no way Mia would ruin her own wedding just to set us up," Nick's voice sounded doubtful, though his anger had started to fade.Kyra sat in the passenger seat, glancing now and then at Halston, who had not spoken since the car left the hotel. A strange feeling pressed against her chest, as if the man beside her knew far more than he was showing.The way Halston leaned back calmly, his unreadable gaze steady, only deepened her suspicion. But Kyra herself had no idea how he could disrupt such a grand event."Dad, I really don't know who did it," Kyra stressed over the call. "If you think about it, it must be someone who holds a huge grudge against the Clark or Brown families. But no matter what, Mia will use all of this. She could easily turn it against us, make investors pull their money out of our restaurant."Those words froze Nick's breath. There was no argument left for him to throw because every word his daughter spoke sounded logical. "Then I'll tell the staff to clear th

"Alright," Harold finally responded. "In that case, we'll place funds in a significant amount. Not only for our profit, but also to make sure Silver Trust is under our control. That way, Mia won't be able to refuse our requests to prioritize our investments!"Elsie still looked unconvinced, though this time she did not openly argue. She only folded her arms with a scornful expression. "As long as that woman doesn't start thinking she's too important. We must keep reminding her who's above."Nolan sighed but did not continue arguing with his mother. For him, the most important thing was to keep Mia standing in the middle of the storm.Inside the car, Weston kept crying with his body trembling. Thoughts of lawsuits, losing guests, and the destruction of the hotel's name spun endlessly in his mind. The phone rang on the dashboard, the screen showing a name that made his heart beat faster.His heavy voice shook as he answered. "Forgive me, Miss Mia! I'm willing to pay compensation, no mat