The sound of heavy boots thundered against the bathroom door.“Kick it!” John Parker barked.The door burst open with a loud crash.The moment the gap appeared, Iris moved.She rushed forward with a sharp cry, gripping the iron pipe she had torn loose earlier. Before either man could react, she swung with all her strength.Crack!The pipe connected with the first bodyguard’s face.“Ah!” the man yelled, stumbling backward as blood burst from his nose.“You—!” the second guard shouted in shock.Iris didn’t stop. She turned immediately and swung again, slamming the pipe into the other man’s ribs.He grunted painfully. “Damn it!”“Stay away from me!” Iris screamed, swinging again.The first guard recovered quickly. His eyes burned with anger as he lunged forward and shoved her hard.Iris lost her balance and crashed to the floor. A sharp pain shot through her ankle, making her cry out.“Ah!”The iron pipe slipped from her fingers and rolled away.The two guards regained their footing, br

Back at the Montgomery mansion, chaos filled the sitting room.Lena sat on the bare floor, her legs folded awkwardly beneath her, her fingers clawing into her hair as though she wanted to rip it all out. Her screams echoed through the wide room, sharp and broken.“Ahhhh!” she cried. “How could this happen to me? How?!”Tears streamed down her face, ruining her makeup. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as images replayed in her head—people staring, whispering, laughing at the Elite Series Hall. Connor standing there calmly. Diego Spears backing him up. The security , The humiliation.“It’s not possible!” she screamed again. “That useless thing embarrassed me in front of everyone!”Benjamin stood a few steps away, hesitating. He watched her thrash on the floor for a few seconds before finally moving closer. Slowly, carefully, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.“Lena,” he said softly, “please calm down. This won’t help.”Before he could finish his sentence, Lena slapped his

Connor stepped out of his bedroom wearing only his pajama pants and an oversized, worn-out shirt that had clearly seen better days. His hair was messy, and his eyes were heavy with sleep. He rubbed them slowly as he made his way down the grand staircase, still half lost in exhaustion and troubled thoughts.Ever since Iris had been taken, sleep had not come easily to him. When it did, it was restless.As he reached the middle of the stairs, he suddenly paused.Something was different.He blinked twice, trying to clear his blurry vision. The sitting room below looked… decorated.Flowers hung neatly at the corners of the walls. Elegant white and gold ribbons were draped across the pillars. Workers moved around with ladders and boxes, adjusting ornaments and arranging fresh bouquets.Connor frowned.“What is going on?” he muttered under his breath.He descended the remaining steps slowly and approached one of the maids who was standing on a small stool, carefully pinning flowers onto the

The maid’s cheek was still burning from the slap, and her eyes were red as she lowered her head again.“I’m very sorry, miss,” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “It won’t happen again.”Lena looked at her from head to toe with pure disgust.“You better pray it doesn’t,” Lena said sharply. “Especially not to someone like me.”The maid nodded repeatedly. “Yes, miss.”Lena lifted her chin proudly. “Do you even know who I am?”The maid hesitated. “You are… a guest, miss.”“A specially invited guest,” Lena corrected firmly. “Invited by the Winchester Conglomerate.”The maid swallowed. “Yes, miss.”“So next time,” Lena continued, narrowing her eyes, “be careful who you bump into.”“I’m sorry,” the maid repeated once more.She turned to hurry away, desperate to escape, but Lena suddenly snapped her fingers.“Hey! Come back.”The maid froze and slowly turned around.“Yes, miss?”“Where exactly is this event being held?” Lena asked impatiently.The maid blinked. “The event hasn’t official

Connor stood still, his expression hardened. Lena’s laughter still echoed faintly in the grand sitting hall.He looked at her calmly and said, in a steady voice, “I am one hundred percent certain that the invitation you claimed to receive from the Winchester Conglomerate was a mistake.”Lena’s laughter stopped instantly.“A mistake?” she repeated slowly, as if tasting the word.Connor nodded once. “Yes. A mistake. Because nobody in their right senses would bring in someone as lousy as Lena Montgomery.”The atmosphere shifted.Lena’s face darkened. “What did you just call me?”“You heard me,” Connor replied calmly.Her lips trembled slightly with anger, but she forced a smile. “You see? I am not surprised you are saying this.”Connor folded his arms. “Oh?”“Yes,” she continued, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “You are saying this because you are not even remotely close to the Winchester Conglomerate. You have no idea how they operate. You do not understand the caliber of people they v