“I have my card here.”Joey did not fall behind his father. He quickly pulled out his wallet, took out his Light Metrobank Silver card, and handed it to the leader of the men.“There’s over six hundred thousand in that account. The passcode’s on the back,” he added without a second thought, as if he were simply passing along an ordinary bank card.A wave of shock swept through the hall. No one quite knew what to think anymore. At that moment, Luke seemed to outrank even the most important person present.Even Richard’s face went blank from sheer disbelief.Were they really willing to hand over such a large sum of money just to help someone like Luke? Were they actually prepared to go against him for this trash?What in the world was going on? Had the axis of the earth shifted overnight?Meanwhile, the leader of the men could not hide his confusion at Joey and Javier’s actions. His gaze shifted from the card in Joey’s han

Richard froze for a moment.It was not because of what Luke said, but entirely because of his presence.For three months, Richard had only seen Luke as nothing more than garbage. Every time they mocked him or made him the butt of their jokes, Luke would either ignore them or quietly endure whatever they threw at him.There had never been anything remarkable about him. Except, perhaps, for the fact that he had managed to date one of the most beautiful women in their university.But now, something was different. From the moment they confronted Luke outside the mansion earlier until now, he was no longer the same defeated man Richard used to know. There was a steadiness in him, a quiet boldness that made him answer back without hesitation.At first, Richard thought it was because of Joey. But clearly, that was not the case.‘Is it because of his breakup with Veronica?’One of his brows lifted slightly as the thought crossed

“He is innocent!”The voice rang out across the hall, loud and clear.It was Kina.Everyone froze, turning toward her in surprise.Some were confused, wondering if she was truly siding with Luke. Others were simply stunned. Kina seemed to be a gentle person, soft-spoken, the kind of woman who would never raise her voice.Yet just now, her words had echoed through the entire grand hall.Even Luke was slightly taken aback. His eyes followed her in surprise as she hurried to Jackielyn’s side. He had not expected her to stand up for him.“Jackielyn, what are you doing? We already talked about this, didn’t we?” Kina said, her voice calmer now, though her brows were slightly drawn together. “I already told you he saved me. Why are you accusing him?”Jackielyn shook her head. “Kina, you were fooled by him. He’s actually one of them.”She gestured sharply toward the group of men, then looked back at Luke with a

“Mr. Cruise, forgive me for not recognizing you!”The leader’s voice trembled as he shouted, his eyes already brimming with tears.After dropping to his knees, he kowtowed repeatedly. When he lifted his head, he began slapping himself over and over again. The sharp sound echoed through the silent grand hall, each strike louder than the last.No one moved.The crowd had yet to recover from Luke’s earlier claim that he was Malcov’s new right hand. Now, seeing the leader kneeling at Luke’s feet and punishing himself without restraint, their shock deepened even further.What in the world was going on?Could it be true? Was Luke really Malcov’s new right hand?Even the leader’s own subordinates were completely dumbfounded.They had not believed Luke at all. Yes, his story about what happened to Arman at the Paradise Club matched the rumors, but they assumed he had simply been one of the onlookers who later took credi

After Malcov and his men left, the grand hall fell into a deep, lingering silence. Every single gaze was fixed on Luke, as if he had suddenly become the center of gravity in the room.Each person was lost in their own thoughts, quietly trying to process what had just unfolded before their eyes.Divina and Jeff remained rooted where they had been standing earlier, still unable to move. Their eyes were wide with disbelief as they stared at Luke.Never in their wildest expectations had they imagined that Luke would turn out to be a member of the Blazing Phoenix Gang, much less Malcov’s right hand.Matthew and Ludwig were no different. They stood stiffly at the foot of the stage, their bodies almost locked in place as they stared at Luke.Earlier, Matthew had been supporting Ludwig, guiding him toward the exit while they waited for the ambulance Theodore had called. But their steps had been cut short when Malcov arrived.And now, here they were, frozen.They had expected Luke to be the on