Otis listened to everything Megan said without allowing a single flicker of irritation to cross his face, though internally he recognized exactly what kind of woman he was now dealing with. She was proud, dismissive, and utterly convinced of her own superiority, the kind of person who had spent her entire life surrounded by wealth so extensive that she had never once been forced to consider the possibility that someone she looked down upon might actually hold more value, more history, and more significance than she could currently comprehend.He understood that convincing her of anything through argument alone would be pointless. She had already decided who he was the moment she saw his worn clothes and rough hands, and no amount of explanation would change her perception in this particular moment.Yet he also understood something she did not.He understood that fate, tradition, and the ancient bond tied to his bloodline had already connected the two of them together in ways far deeper

Melissa's eyes narrowed with genuine disappointment as she studied Megan, unable to comprehend why her friend, someone she had always admired for her impeccable standards and refusal to settle for anything less than the best, would ever entertain the idea of dragging a man like Otis along to something as important as her friend's arrangement with her family's demands."You actually agreed to this?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "You agreed to carry around someone who is not even your husband, someone who is clearly beneath you, someone who does not belong anywhere near the circles we move in? What kind of agreement is this? What were you thinking?"Megan opened her mouth, but no words came out.She could not bring herself to tell Melissa the truth. She could not bring herself to admit that Otis was not simply an unwanted guest her grandfather had forced upon her for a single event, but her actual husband, bound to her through a legally signed marriage certificate that cou

Megan wasted no time responding, her voice carrying a strange satisfaction mixed with feigned reluctance, as though she had done everything within her power to spare him from what was coming."Well, no problem then," she said, nodding slowly. "Since you insist on coming, then by all means, you are free to come. Nobody is stopping you now. I tried to warn you. I genuinely tried to make things easier for you, tried to steer you away from digging yourself into a deeper mess than the one you're already in. But you have chosen not to listen. You have chosen to be stubborn about all of this. So from this point forward, you have absolutely nothing left to worry about, because you're free to come along with us."Otis met her words without flinching, his expression steady and unbothered."Do I look like someone who is scared?" he asked simply. "I'm not scared. Let's go."With that, Megan and Melissa turned and began walking toward Melissa's car, their heels clicking sharply against the concret

Not long after entering Club O2, the three of them were escorted toward the VIP section where Sebastian's birthday celebration was being hosted. The hallway leading there was lined with soft golden lighting, sleek glass panels, and uniformed attendants who moved with polished efficiency, the kind of place designed not only to host the wealthy but to remind every guest of the level of influence required to gain access.By the time they reached the private room, Megan had already composed herself. Whatever irritation, humiliation, and frustration had been brewing within her since the events at her grandfather's house, she buried them beneath the polished elegance that had long become second nature to her. Melissa, meanwhile, wore a smile that looked warm from a distance but was sharpened by anticipation. She was waiting for the moment the night would begin to unravel for Otis.The door opened.And almost instantly, the atmosphere in the room shifted.It was as if every conversation halt

For a long moment, the room stayed frozen in anticipation, everyone waiting to see whether Otis would bend, whether he would lower himself, whether the weight of Sebastian's ridicule and the crowd's mocking laughter would finally crush whatever defiance still remained in him.Instead, Otis looked down briefly at the money lying near his feet, then lifted his gaze back to Sebastian.And smiled.It wasn't a nervous smile. It wasn't the strained smile of someone trying to save face while cornered. It was calm, almost amused, the kind of expression that made it seem as though he found the entire display beneath him.That smile alone unsettled the room.Then he spoke."You had better get that money away from me," Otis said, his tone steady and unhurried. "And you had better stop this nonsense you're performing right now. It isn't funny. You are not impressing anyone. If anything, you are only embarrassing yourself."The laughter in the room faltered.Otis took a slight step forward, not agg