The sound of porcelain shattering echoed through the kitchen. A plate slipped from Alexander’s wet fingers and crashed onto the marble floor, fragments scattering in all directions.Before he could even bend down, a sharp voice rang out."Alexander, are you blind? That’s imported porcelain! Do you know how expensive that is?"The head servant, Mrs. Rowan, stood at the doorway with her arms folded, her expression filled with disdain, her lips curled slightly as she looked at him like he was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.Alexander paused for a moment, then quietly crouched down to pick up the broken pieces."I'm sorry,"he said calmly.Mrs. Rowan scoffed."Sorry? Sorry, fixes nothing. Ever since you married into the Wallace family, you've done nothing but waste resources. If not for Miss Aurelia's kindness, do you think someone like you would even be allowed to set foot in this house?"Alexander didn’t respond; he simply gathered the broken shards carefully, his movements steady

The cold white light at the hotel entrance made the scar on the scar-faced man's face look even more hideous.He tilted his head, looked Alexander up and down, his face full of contempt:"Who the hell are you? So what if I kidnapped them? Anyone got a problem with that? Step forward and say it."The surroundings were deathly quiet, except for a few thugs who joined in the jeering. "Yeah, who'd dare have a problem?""This place belongs to us today!""The boss is nothing!"The scar-faced man spread his arms, deliberately turned around, and laughed arrogantly:"See? No one has a problem."Alexander stood before him, his face utterly expressionless. He simply pulled out his phone and dialed a number.The call connected quickly.Alexander's tone was flat:"Hey, your lackeys are causing trouble on my turf. Didn't you warn them?"As soon as he said this, the thugs froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.The scar-faced man clutched his stomach, laughing so hard tears nearly came out:"D

The night wind outside the hotel cut across his face like a knife. Alexander limped out the door. When the hem of his trousers brushed against his ankle, the pain made his brow twitch violently.He had rushed too fast to block that stainless steel stand earlier, twisting his foot badly in the process. Now it was hard even to stand steady. The palm of his hand was also slashed by the sharp edge of the stand, blood slowly seeping through his fingers, sticky on his skin, cold and stiff.He looked down at it, and suddenly thought back to his college days.Back then, he had only scratched the back of his hand while cutting fruit; barely any blood came out. But Aurelia had panicked terribly, dragging him two blocks to find a pharmacy, insisting on buying the most expensive band‑aids, and she had stared him down with a stern face:“No water for three days, you hear? Otherwise it’ll get infected, what then?”Back then, she had held his hand, her eyes red, as if she were the one who had been hur

Alexander lay on that overly soft bed for the entire night.When dawn came, his eyes were still open, carrying a faint redness in them. But his spirit was surprisingly not bad; his chest rose and fell steadily, and most of his color had returned. The injuries from the night before seemed to have been swallowed by the darkness, leaving only the shirt tossed on the chair with its torn edges and dried bloodstains to remind him that none of it had been a dream.Soon, the sound of high heels came from outside the door—urgent, sharp, carrying an air that brooked no refusal.Aurelia had arrived early.She had even brought Vivian along, as if afraid that today's apology might go wrong and she needed her best friend as an advisor.The bedroom door was pushed open without even a knock."Alexander, I told you yesterday. We're apologizing today.""Why aren't you up yet?"Aurelia's words trailed off as she froze.The man on the bed half sat up, his pajama collar hanging open, revealing broad swath

The waiter returned the card to Alexander with both hands and gave a slight bow."Welcome, esteemed customer. Please come this way."The change in attitude was so abrupt that several people at the entrance froze for a moment.Nahir was the first to react. His face darkened instantly."What did you just say to the waiter?"He stared at Alexander, his voice cold."Did you threaten her into letting us in?"Alexander finally turned his head and looked at him, his gaze full of undisguised disdain."I didn't threaten her."The corner of his mouth twitched, his expression cold and faint."If you have the ability, you can get in on your own merits. You don't have to follow me in.""By the way, who was it just now who said that if I managed to get in, they’d be willing to kneel down and apologize?"Alexander stared unblinkingly at Nahir.Nahir's face went black.He had just been turned away at the door, humiliated in public, and now Alexander's casual words practically ground his face into the dir