Julian's eyes narrowed at Ryan, and he barked, "What the hell do you mean by that nonsense? Are you out of your mind? The only people that would honor someone like you are your mates from the slums and even that would be in the streets, not at any high-class party."“This party is held for something more important, and not even close to honoring somebody, talk more of you, a nobody who won’t even get access to the venue,” Julian added.Elizabeth scoffed dramatically, turning her disgusted gaze to Ryan. "You must be seriously delusional," she said, her arms crossed and her nose in the air. "The Stallion Night VIP party isn’t some circus open to stray dogs. It’s organized by the high society of this state—CEOs, royalty, governors, and top businessmen who want to contribute to the development of our state."She didn’t stop there. "People who attend donate millions to the state government. They support causes like orphanages, hospitals, infrastructure. Hell, they even give awards to billi

After leaving the station, Ryan didn’t call a driver or wait for a car. He took a bus down to his mansion in Central Town. The luxury of his lifestyle didn’t matter right now. The only thing on his mind was his mother.Detective Mark’s voice and advice kept ringing in his head. He remembered how he had advised him to go to the party, even if Ryan didn’t feel like it.He sighed heavily. “Mark was right.”If he didn’t go, he’d miss a critical chance to study them up close. Maybe they’d let their guards down at the party. Maybe someone would slip and he would find out something. His mother’s life could depend on what he saw or heard at that party."Boss?"The voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Claudia descending from the large staircase, looking ever beautiful and stunning."Where have you been all day? I tried calling you several times. You didn’t answer. I was getting worried coupled with the thougts of the strange call in the morning before you left. Are you alr

“Okay,” Ryan said calmly as though nothing bothered him. He glanced at the security guard, then looked back at Julian. "Send the security guard the 500 million dollars."At that point, Julian narrowed his eyes, confused for a second. "And why exactly would I do that?"Ryan shrugged lightly. "So I know you're serious. If I win, I need to be sure I’m getting what you promised. Let him hold the money, consider it escrow."Julian scoffed and laughed dryly. "You really think you're going to win this bet? You're delusional. You, Ryan, on the list of guests? That’s comedy. But fine, I won’t let you use that excuse to back out later."Ryan nodded slightly and muttered to Julian,"I will appreciate that."Ryan turned to the security guard, who had been watching their conversation curiously. "Sir, please give your account number to Mr. Julian Knight. He’ll be transferring five hundred million dollars to you to hold as the stake for our bet."The guard blinked in surprise, as if unsure if he hear

Julian got up slowly with Elizabeth's help. His nose was still tender, and the humiliation was getting out of hand as more people were arriving at the party. Without saying a word, they approached the B-list scanner together.“They are looking, we have to go in quickly,” Elizabeth said in a whisper and then she placed Julian's thumb on the scanner.Each of them pressed their thumbs against the panel, and after a moment, the screen lit up green, confirming their access from the B-list.“I can't believe it. I can't believe we made the B-list while Ryan is on the A-list,” Elizabeth said as she felt a bit disappointed.With a soft mechanical hum, the glass doors of the event hall slid open.“It doesn't matter whether he was on the A-list or not. We are still entering the same venue, aren't we?” Julian said dismissively.The Stallion Night VIP party was in full swing by the time there entered the halls. Guests in expensive clothes were already seated. “We need a place to sit, where do w

Elizabeth stood frozen, her hand was still hovering near her cheek where Claudia had slapped her. Her chest rose and fell in quick, embarrassed breaths.“You… you slapped me?” Elizabeth asked, trying to regain her composure from the slap she just received. Her lips trembled as she struggle to speak another word, but it seemed like a difficult task, and she couldn’t find words to say. The humiliation was too much.“Yes, I did and I will slap you again if you raise your filthy hand against him, ever again,” Claudia said in a calm voice that seemed to calm to lay the kind of warning she had just laid.Her vision blurred with humiliation, but before she could find the words to respond to the threat, a voice echoed through the grand hall. Someone had climed onto the stage with a microphone."Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, standing tall on the brightly lit stage with a microphone in his hand, "we have officially reached the highlight of the evening, where tonight’s esteemed gues