Ethan screamed her name like it was a verdict.“HELEN CROSS!”The sound cut through the chaos like glass breaking. Conversations died mid-sentence. Even the man writhing on the floor seemed to fade into the background for a second as Ethan stepped forward, straightening his suit, rolling his shoulders like a man who had rehearsed this moment in his head more than once.He didn’t look at Adrian first. He didn’t need to.He turned slowly toward the crowd, lifted his chin, and spoke with the confidence of a man who knew the room was already leaning his way.“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, voice steady, controlled, carrying just enough outrage to sound sincere, “what you are witnessing tonight is not an accident. It is not a misunderstanding. And it is certainly not the first time this man has endangered lives.”Murmurs rippled through the hall.“Permit me, please, to introduce to you the man you see standing before you!”Ethan gestured sharply toward Adrian, who still stood there, hand

Ruth watched from the sidelines, her lips pressed thin. She wasn’t thrilled, but she was satisfied. Adrian would be dealt with. Prison would finish him. The world would forget his name. They had made a deal with Mr. Lin’s corner kitchen involved, and after seeing Adrian win two rounds, she knew for a fact that this mysterious guy might outshine her and win. And her fear was becoming a reality.That would be so much loss for her and for Repas Du Ciel.Helen reached Fabio.He looked at her like a man who believed this was love. A psychologist might have called it conquest, validation, ego finally soothed. This wasn’t love in the slightest form. Love didn’t cage birds forcefully. But Fabio had never cared much for poetry. As a matter of fact, he failed the course more times than not in high school and college.Helen’s hands shook violently as she raised her left hand, separating her fingers. Tears blurred her vision.Her lips parted. She was about to say the two words that would eventual

“Nice try, trash!” someone yelled from the back.“Yeah, you’re a loser after all,” another yelled.“You don’t belong here. Get lost, liar!!” yet another added.Ethan Cross stepped forwardd d then. His face was twisted into a mask of pure hatred. He had been watching silently, but the mention of Adrian having power triggered something ugly inside him.He marched up to the stage, his expensive leather shoes clicking on the floor. He stopped inches from Adrian’s face.“Are you done?” Ethan roared, his voice shaking the speakers. “Are you satisfied making a fool of yourself? Making a fool of my family?”Adrian didn’t blink. He looked at Ethan with the boredom of a man watching a fly buzz against a window.“You think hiring a judge to tell lies makes you someone?” Ethan spat….. literally.Ptoo.A glob of saliva landed on Adrian’s cheek.The crowd gasped. The laughter died instantly. This was the ultimate disrespect. To spit on a man in public was to declare him lower than dirt. Many enjoye

The silence that befell the hall wasn't just quiet; it was the kind of vacuum that occurs when a god steps among mortals.Magnus Thorne did not just walk; he glided, yet there was a frantic energy to his movement that didn't match his station. He was a man who looked like he had been sculpted from the very concept of old money. His hair was a flowing mane of white silk, combed back with a precision that defied the wind, shimmering under the ballroom lights like spun silver. He wore a tuxedo that seemed to absorb the light around him, tailored so perfectly it looked like a second skin, likely costing more than the entire net worth of half the people in the room.Behind him marched a phalanx of six bodyguards. These weren't the typical hired muscle with earpieces; these were giants, moving with the synchronized lethality of a special ops team. And beside him walked his Personal Assistant. She was a vision —a woman who looked as if she had been carved from the tree of wealth and draped

For the general public, this was an exciting twist. But for the Cross and Romano families, it was a nightmare. They hadn't healed from the humiliation of being chased off the stage like chickens, and now this? Adrian wasn’t just a lucky cook; he was connected to the highest power in the building.It seemed like every single time they tried to step on him, they found out he was made of steel. He was always one step ahead.But the person who took the blow the hardest was Vanessa.She sat in the crowd next to Bobby, her hands clenching her dress so hard the fabric threatened to tear. She looked at her ex-husband standing on the podium, bathed in the spotlight, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Magnus Thorne.She looked at Bobby, who was busy trying to get a waiter’s attention for a refill, looking utterly useless.Then she looked back at Adrian.‘He told me,’ she thought, a cold knot forming in her stomach. ‘He told me I would regret divorcing him. Is this it? Is this what he meant?’Th