Sara looked at the screen, but her mind was completely somewhere else.How did Alistair know that the Lucario family was finished?He'd said almost like… like he was certain of it. But why?Sara pursed her lips. She had to find out. But first… she glanced at Jocelyn. “Mom, so I guess the gods have answered your prayers. Since the Lucario family have been arrested, we don't have to leave the city anymore.”“We don't?” Jocelyn asked.Sara nodded. “We don't. You can return your clothes to your rooms. I'll need to step out now.”“Where are you going?” Patrick asked.“To check on dad at the hospital.” Sara simply said after which she took her leave.Meanwhile, over at the Beggars sect, away from the chaos surrounding the Lucario family, the representatives of the righteous sects gathered to send messages back to their respective sects. They didn't bother writing too much.Just enough to get their sects to provide them with powerful artefacts and perhaps even some more reinforcement.Th

The waitress picked up the champagne and walked back across the dining floor.Sara shook her head slightly, turning her gaze back toward the city lights.Less than three minutes later, the floor beneath Sara's table creaked softly as the waitress returned.This time, her posture was visibly tense, her hands trembling slightly as she held a silver tray bearing not only the reopened bottle of champagne, but a sleek, gold-embossed blank cheque alongside a heavy fountain pen."I... I apologize, ma'am," the waitress stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, clearly distressed by the position she had been put in. "The gentleman refused to take the bottle back. He asked me to present this to you. He said... he said you may write any figure you desire on the check, as long as you agree to leave with him to his private suite after dinner."A wave of intense disgust washed over Sara. The casual, arrogant assumption that her dignity could be bought with a piece of paper made her blood boil,

"Safety of your guests?" Sara scoffed, her voice echoing with sharp indignation. "Mr. Villanueva was harassing me, threatened to assault me, and initiated the violence! My husband merely stepped in to protect me. If anyone should be thrown out into the street, it is him!"Across the room, hidden behind the decorative partition, Patrick and Mira exchanged bewildered glances."Did she just call him her husband?" Patrick muttered, blinking in disbelief. "Since when does Sara defend Alistair like that? She used to throw him under the bus just to appease Mom!""Something is completely wrong here," Mira whispered, her eyes wide as she watched Sara stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Alistair. "She's risking the wrath of the Villanueva family for him..."Dennis, meanwhile, let out a harsh, bitter laugh, though his hands were still visibly trembling from the display of strength he had just witnessed."Protect you?" Dennis sneered, trying desperately to regain his footing. "He's just a thug! Manag

"Is... is this real?" Mira squeaked, her voice barely a thread of sound. "He... he brought the Patriarch of the Villanueva family to his knees with one call?”At the window table, Sara’s mind was in complete turmoil.She stared at Alistair, then down at Patriarch Villanueva, who was weeping quietly into the hardwood floorboards.Just what in the world was happening right now?"Father..." Dennis whimpered from the floor, blood trickling from his split lip.He stared at his kneeling father, his arrogant worldview shattering into dust. "Father, what are you doing?! Why are you bowing to this... this dog?!""SILENCE, YOU CUR!" Patriarch Villanueva roared, raising his head just enough to glare at his son with bloodshot, panic-stricken eyes. "You have ruined us! You dragged our entire lineage into the abyss because of your wretched lust!"The Patriarch turned back to Alistair, his forehead hitting the floor once more. "Master Reid! I beg of you! I will cripple this fool myself! I will strip

Alistair pursed his lips. He was a connoisseur of the arts, so such an invitation was not something he could easily refuse, especially since it had been a while since he paid a visit to an opera house. “Who is performing?” Alistair asked. “Her name is Seraphina Sinclair,” Sara answered softly, her smile widening as she saw his interest spark. “They say her vocal range is extraordinary. The production is completely sponsored by the City Cultural Foundation, so it’s open admission, but I managed to secure two front-row balcony seats through an associate.”Alistair thoughtfully adjusted his cuffs.A quiet evening listening to a high-caliber performance at the Haven Opera House was a welcome alternative to returning home to an empty villa.“Very well,” Alistair agreed calmly. “Since the performance is open tonight, I will accompany you as a fellow enthusiast of the arts.”Relief and genuine delight lit up Sara’s eyes. “Great! The performance starts in an hour, so we should head over so