Beauty and the Unconquered Beast

Chapter 7 The Night of the Banquet

Chapter 7: The Night of the Banquet

By six in the evening, the Montclair estate had transformed into a palace of lights.

Crystal chandeliers glowed above the marble hall. Black-and-gold decorations lined the walls, while expensive flowers stood in tall silver vases. Politicians, businessmen, socialites, and influential members of both clans arrived one after another, each carrying a smile that concealed a private agenda.

Tonight, was supposed to celebrate the engagement of Vireya Montclair and Evren Valcero. But beneath the music and laughter, several people had come for something else. They had come to witness a humiliation.

Vireya stood in front of the mirror while two attendants adjusted the sleeves of her dark emerald gown. The dress was elegant without being excessive. Its clean lines emphasized her confidence rather than her beauty. A thin diamond necklace rested against her collarbone, and her hair was tied loosely behind her head.

Her mother watched her from the doorway. “You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly.

Vireya met her reflection’s eyes. “If I refuse, Uncle Darius wins.”

Her mother lowered her gaze. “Your father tried to stop the arrangement.”

“I know.”

“He thinks they’re using you.”

“They are.” Vireya turned from the mirror. “And they’re using Evren, too.”

Her mother looked surprised. “You’re defending him?”

“I’m stating a fact.”

Vireya remembered the restaurant. The strange calm in Evren’s eyes. The way he had moved before she even understood she was in danger. He had saved her without hesitation. Then he had acted as though the accidental kiss afterward was a greater inconvenience than the car that nearly killed them. She still didn’t know what to make of him that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

A knock sounded at the door.

Her father, Lucien Montclair, entered with a troubled expression.

“The Valceros have arrived,” he said. “Your uncle is already greeting the guests.”

“Then the performance has begun.”

Lucien stepped closer and took her hand. “Vireya, if anything happens tonight, stay beside me.”

She gave him a faint smile. “Father, if anything happens tonight, staying beside you may be the most dangerous place in the room.”

Lucien’s expression tightened.

She wasn’t joking.

Across the estate, Evren stood alone in a guest room while a servant adjusted his black suit. The suit had been chosen by his grandfather and it fit perfectly. That alone seemed to irritate the Valcero family.

When Evren entered the banquet hall, conversations briefly faltered. He looked nothing like the broken young man they remembered. His posture was straight. His movements were quiet and measured. His dark hair was neatly combed, and his expression revealed nothing.

Still, the guests quickly returned to whispering.

“That’s him?”

“The one who went to Blackhaven?”

“I heard he came back mentally unstable.”

“He looks normal.”

“Give him time. Men like that never recover.”

Evren heard every word, he simply continued walking.

Near the main staircase, his older brother Caelan Valcero stood surrounded by several influential guests. Caelan wore a confident smile and held a glass of champagne. The moment he saw Evren, his smile widened.

“Look who finally decided to appear.”

Evren stopped in front of him. “Caelan.”

His brother glanced at the guests around him.

“Everyone, this is my younger brother. Evren. He spent five years in prison.”

A few people laughed awkwardly.

Caelan continued, enjoying the attention.

“Don’t worry. He was released because they decided he wasn’t much of a threat.”

Evren’s eyes remained calm. “Is that what they told you?”

Caelan’s smile weakened for half a second.

Then he laughed. “Still strange, I see.”

One of the guests looked Evren up and down.

“Do you remember how to behave at a formal event?”

Evren glanced at the man’s expensive watch. “Do you?”

The surrounding laughter died immediately.

Caelan’s jaw tightened.

Before he could answer, the sound of approaching footsteps drew everyone’s attention. Vireya had entered the hall. For a moment, the room became silent. She walked toward them with effortless composure, her gaze moving from Caelan to Evren.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

Caelan’s expression changed instantly. “Of course not. We were just welcoming your future husband.”

Vireya looked at Evren. “Were they welcoming you?”

“No,” Evren replied.

Caelan’s face darkened.

Vireya held out her arm toward Evren. “Then come with me.”

Evren looked at her arm, then at her face. “Are you certain?”

“No,” she said. “But I’m beginning to dislike everyone here.”

For the first time that evening, the corner of Evren’s mouth almost moved. He took her arm. Together, they walked toward the center of the banquet hall.

Behind them, Caelan watched with growing resentment.

The engagement ceremony began at eight.

Lucien delivered a short speech about unity between the two families. The Valcero patriarch spoke next, praising tradition and the strength of their alliance.

Every word sounded polished, e very smile looked rehearsed.

Then Darius Montclair stepped onto the stage.

He raised his glass. “Tonight, two families become one. We celebrate not only the engagement of Vireya and Evren, but also the future of our shared legacy.”

Applause filled the hall.

Vireya stood beside Evren, her expression unreadable.

Darius continued. “Of course, a family’s future depends on trust. Especially when one member is expected to manage important responsibilities.”

His gaze shifted toward Vireya. It was subtle but deliberate.

Vireya noticed.

So did Evren.

Darius smiled. “And trust requires transparency.”

A large screen behind him suddenly lit up. A series of financial documents appeared.

At first, the guests only murmured then the figures became visible.

Millions of Dollars had allegedly been transferred from a Montclair subsidiary into an offshore account under Vireya’s authorization.

The hall erupted in whispers.

Vireya stared at the screen, the account number was unfamiliar. The signature, however, looked like hers.

Darius turned toward her with a look of theatrical disappointment.

“Vireya,” he said, “please tell us this is some kind of mistake.”

Her father immediately stood. “This is not the time for accusations.”

Darius raised one hand.

“I am not accusing her. I am asking for an explanation.”

Adrian Montclair stepped forward from the crowd.

“An explanation? The documents clearly show that she authorized the transfer.”

Vireya’s eyes remained fixed on the screen, the documents were expertly prepared. The formatting was correct. The account details were plausible. Even the digital signature had been copied with precision. But there was one problem the transaction date.

She remembered that date clearly. She had been in another country attending a public conference.

She slowly turned toward Darius. “You prepared this well.”

The room grew quiet.

Darius frowned. “What?”

“You copied my signature, recreated the company’s internal format, and used a legitimate subsidiary account.”

Vireya looked toward the screen again. “But you made one mistake.”

Adrian scoffed. “You’re denying the evidence?”

“No.”

Vireya’s voice remained steady.

“I’m saying whoever created it has never worked inside the company.”

Darius’s expression changed only slightly.

But Evren saw it.

Vireya pointed toward the screen. “The authorization code shown there was discontinued three months ago. Anyone with access to our current system would know that.”

A few guests exchanged uncertain looks.

Adrian quickly responded, “That could have been an old document.”

“It could have,” Vireya agreed. “If the transfer had happened three months ago.”

She turned toward the financial officer standing near the stage. “Check the transaction timestamp.”

The officer hesitated.

Darius’s voice sharpened. “This is a family matter.”

“No,” Vireya said. “You made it public.”

The financial officer swallowed and checked his tablet. After a tense moment, he looked up.

“The timestamp says the transfer was made last week.”

The room fell silent.

Vireya faced Darius. “Your evidence proves that someone forged the documents recently.”

Darius’s eyes hardened. Before he could answer, the lights flickered the screen went black.

Then another image appeared. This time, it showed Evren.

A prison photograph, his identification number, his criminal conviction, and beneath it, a bold headline:

THE VALCERO CLAN’S DISGRACED SON RETURNS FROM BLACKHAVEN

The guests erupted again.

Someone laughed.

Someone else whispered, “They really brought a criminal into the Montclair family.”

Caelan stepped forward, pretending to be embarrassed.

“We tried to keep his condition private,” he said. “But perhaps everyone deserves to know what kind of man Vireya is marrying.”

Evren stood motionless. The photograph displayed the version of him they wanted everyone to believe in weak, guilty and broken.

Caelan looked directly at him. “Tell them, Evren. Tell them why you went to prison.”

Evren said nothing.

Caelan’s smile became cruel. “Or have you forgotten?”

A guest near the front laughed. “Maybe prison damaged his brain.”

Another added, “A useless man marrying the Montclair heiress. What a perfect match.”

Vireya’s hand tightened around her glass. She glanced at Evren, his expression had not changed but his eyes had grown colder.

“Evren,” she said quietly.

“I’m fine.”

“No,” she replied. “You’re being humiliated.”

“I noticed.”

“Then do something.”

Evren looked at her.

For a moment, something unreadable passed between them.

Then he turned toward the screen.

“Who prepared this?” he asked.

Caelan laughed. “Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

Evren’s voice was quiet, but it carried across the hall. “Because the person who prepared it made another mistake.”

The room slowly quieted.

Caelan folded his arms. “And what mistake is that?”

Evren pointed at the prison photograph. “The image was taken on the day I entered Blackhaven.”

Caelan’s smile returned. “Exactly.”

“No,” Evren said. “That photograph was never released to the public.”

The hall went still.

Evren turned toward the guests.

“Only the Valcero family, the prison administration, and the person who submitted my original case file had access to it.”

His gaze shifted toward Caelan. “So either someone inside the prison leaked it…”

His eyes moved to Darius. “…or someone inside my family gave it to you.”

Darius’s face became expressionless.

Caelan’s confidence faltered.

Evren continued.

“And since the image was displayed during an attack against Vireya, I assume the person who leaked it wanted both families distracted.”

Vireya’s eyes narrowed.

“Distracted from what?”

Evren looked toward the side entrance. A servant stood there, pale and trembling . Evren walked toward him the servant immediately stepped back.

“Sir, I—”

Evren caught his wrist not violently just firmly enough to stop him. A small black device fell from the servant’s sleeve and struck the marble floor.

The hall gasped.

Evren crouched and picked it up. A transmitter.

His eyes scanned the device once, then he looked toward the balcony. Someone was watching them a man in a dark coat stood behind the curtains. The moment their eyes met, the man disappeared.

Evren released the servant and moved toward the balcony.

Caelan shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Evren didn’t answer. He reached the balcony doors and pushed them open.

The night air rushed inside. Below, the garden was filled with shadows. At the far end, a figure crossed between the trees.

Evren’s eyes sharpened. He recognized the way the man moved, not a guest, not a servant, someone trained, someone who knew how to disappear.

Then a voice came from behind him. “Don’t follow him.”

Evren turned.

Vireya stood in the doorway.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because everyone inside is watching you,” she said. “And whoever planted that device wants you to leave.”

Evren looked back toward the garden. The figure was gone.

Vireya stepped beside him.

“Your family tried to destroy your reputation,” she said. “My uncle tried to destroy mine.”

“And they failed.”

“Not completely.” Evren looked at her.

She held up the financial documents she had taken from the stage.

“The transfer was fake. But the account itself is real.”

His gaze lowered to the papers.

Vireya continued, “Someone used a legitimate offshore account connected to one of our subsidiaries. Whoever did this have access to information inside my company.”

Evren studied her face. “You’re not frightened.”

“I am.” That answer surprised him.

Vireya looked toward the banquet hall, where their families continued whispering and pretending nothing had happened.

“But I’m more interested in who thought I would be too frightened to fight back.”

Evren returned his gaze to the dark garden. For five years, people in Blackhaven had made the same mistake. They mistook silence for weakness.

He turned back toward the hall. “Then we should give them what they expect.”

Vireya frowned. “What do they expect?”

Evren’s expression became almost pleasant. “Two people who are too powerless to resist.”

He stepped inside.

Vireya followed him.

At the center of the hall, Caelan was still speaking to the guests, rebuilding his confidence.

“There is nothing more to discuss,” he announced. “The evidence speaks for itself.”

Evren stopped in front of him.

Caelan looked up. “What now?”

Evren reached for a nearby champagne glass and poured its contents onto the documents in Caelan’s hands. The papers immediately blurred beneath the liquid.

The hall gasped.

Caelan stared at the ruined documents. “What the hell are you doing?”

Evren placed the empty glass on the table. “Destroying fake evidence.”

Caelan grabbed Evren by the collar. “Have you lost your mind?”

Evren looked down at his brother’s hand. “Let go.”

Caelan shoved him.

Several guests stepped back, expecting Evren to stumble.

He didn’t. Evren remained perfectly balanced. Then, with one swift movement, he twisted Caelan’s wrist and forced him down onto the table. The impact silenced the entire hall.

Caelan cried out.

Evren leaned close enough for only his brother to hear. “You framed me once,” he whispered. “You sent me to Blackhaven and thought the story ended there.”

Caelan’s face drained of color.

Evren tightened his grip slightly.

“It didn’t.”

Then he released him. Caelan stumbled backward, clutching his wrist.

Evren faced the room, his voice was calm. “Anyone who wants to accuse me or Vireya should bring real evidence next time.”

No one laughed, no one whispered. For the first time that night, the guests looked at Evren with something other than contempt. They looked uncertain.

And beneath that uncertainty, fear began to grow. At the edge of the hall, an unfamiliar man stood among the guests.

He watched Evren with a faint, knowing smile. Then he murmured to himself: “Cassius taught you well.”

Evren’s head turned sharply. But the man had already vanished into the crowd.

Vireya noticed the change in his expression.

“What did he say?”

Evren looked toward the empty space. “Nothing.”

But his eyes had become dangerous. Because only one kind of person knew that name.

Someone from Blackhaven. And tonight, someone had come to remind him that the past had not stayed buried.