"Miss Rhodes." Michael's smile softened as soon as he approached Alessia. "I am Michael Hargrove of the Hargrove family. I've come to present you with a congratulatory gift and wish you a blessed union in the future."The atmosphere instantly froze. Alana stood transfixed, staring at Michael in disbelief. Even Cedric and Diana, who had been preparing to leave earlier, stopped in their tracks.The guests were equally stunned. Everyone looked at Michael as though they had suddenly stopped understanding the situation."What the hell?" Someone muttered in astonishment. "Wasn't that gift meant for Alana?""Yes... Yes." Another guest nodded hurriedly. "That gift was clearly meant for Alana.""Then why is Michael Hargrove giving it to Alessia instead?" Someone exclaimed."Didn't she get engaged to that cripple?" Another guest whispered. "Why would Michael flatter a useless crippled traitor like him instead of the Dragon General?""Ahem..." A guest cleared his throat and spoke cautiously. "Pe

As soon as Alana finished speaking, silence descended over the hall. Everyone began pondering her words. Gradually, they started to see things from her perspective."She's right." One guest nodded in agreement and gestured toward Jordan. "The possibility of him being the Master of Heaven Pavilion is practically zero.""Yes... Yes..." Others nodded along. They couldn't believe they had almost been fooled.They had actually believed that the country's traitor was the Master of Heaven Pavilion. How ridiculous!Seeing that she had managed to convince everyone, Alana delivered her final blow."In my opinion, Jordan must have known about the reopening of Heaven Pavilion in advance." She crossed her arms. "So, he deliberately pretended to make that announcement in front of Mr. Hargrove."Jordan almost chuckled. He shook his head slightly. During all their years together, how had he never noticed that Alana was this dense?"How devious!" Some guests immediately shouted in disapproval."You're

"What?!""Entry tickets to the reopening ceremony of Heaven Pavilion?!"A wave of gasps echoed throughout the hall. The crowd was completely stunned.The gifts they had presented today were already considered extremely valuable, but compared to even a single entry ticket to Heaven Pavilion's reopening ceremony, they were nothing.A ticket to the reopening ceremony personally authorized by the Master of Heaven Pavilion was practically priceless. The Dragon General was indeed generous.Alana happily accepted the tickets and held them close to her chest, unable to hide her excitement. "Thank you, General Kane.""Don't mention it." Darius' lips curled into a faint smile. "We're family now.""Oh, by the way..." He turned toward Jordan, and the smile on his face instantly became a cold sneer. "The Dragon General said he wanted to hold the engagement ceremony with you and Alessia.""However..." He paused deliberately. His expression filled with fake sympathy as he gestured toward the tickets

For a moment, Alana couldn't speak. A heavy lump seemed to form in her throat.Damn it!How could this bastard suddenly become so terrifying?She forced herself to regain her composure and immediately retorted. "Of course not. They aren't the same because..." She gestured toward herself with a smug expression. "We are the dragons in the sky, while you're the worm crawling on the ground. You'll never reach the heights we've attained in this lifetime."Jordan almost chuckled. But he quickly shook his head at her foolishness. He couldn't be bothered to explain anything to someone as stupid as her."VIP tickets?" Alana snorted and threw the last strange ticket back toward him. "You must be kidding."She crossed her arms. "Even the Dragon General hasn't been able to get his hands on a single VIP ticket, yet you claim to have several."Her lips curled into a mocking smile. "Keep dreaming."Jordan didn't respond. There was no point wasting his breath arguing with a bird-brained woman.He ca

As a matter of fact, "Master H.J." was simply one of Jordan's pseudonyms. The "H" stood for Hallow, while the "J" stood for Jordan.Back when he was in the military, Jordan occasionally dabbled in painting during his free time. He would submit his paintings anonymously and never bothered revealing his identity.Eventually, he stopped. There was simply no longer enough time to paint for fun.He never expected those few paintings to circulate and become popular, eventually elevating him to the status of one of the greatest painters in the Republic of Vespera. It had all been nothing more than a stroke of luck.The hall fell into a brief silence. Then—"BWAHAHAHA!" The entire crowd burst into laughter again. This time, even Darius laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. "Jordan, are you saying you're Master H.J.?""Pfft!" He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and laughed again. "One moment, you're the Master of Heaven Pavilion. The next, you're Master H.J." He poin