Betrayed On The Supposed Wedding Day.

CHAPTER 5

The man she chose was now a broke loser. She had thrown away a true diamond to pick up a piece of cheap glass.

​"Alex! Please!" Sophia opened her mouth slowly, waving her hands pleading,.... se... Give me one more chance, please!"

​Alex didn't stop walking and didn't even turn his head to look at her. His face was calm and emotionless, as if she were just a piece of dust in the wind.

​

One of the bodyguards stepped in front of Sophia, blocking her path. "Stay back," the guard shouted coldly to her.

​

The lead security man respectfully opened the back door of the tinted car for Alex.

​"Mr. Chairman," the lead guard said quietly, "the leaders of the underground world and the top business families of the East Coast are waiting for you at the Grand Hotel. They wish to pay their respects to the new holder of the Phoenix Ring."

​"Let's go," Alex said, stepping inside the comfortable leather interior.

​The guard closed the car door with a smooth thud.

​As the dark car slowly pulled away from the curb, Sophia watched through her tears, begging as the vehicle faded into the distance.

She stayed in front of the grand building, knowing that no matter how much she begged, she could never re-enter Alex's world again.

​Inside the quiet car, Alex looked down at the dark steel ring on his finger.

​His phone buzzed in his pocket.

He brought out the phone. It was a message from an unknown private number:

​“Chairman sir, the vice Chairman Thomas was not acting alone. A bigger hand from the West Coast is behind the attack on B Corporation. Be careful.”

​Alex’s eyes grew cold. A sharp, icy smile touched his lips.

​"A bigger hand?" Alex whispered to himself, leaning back into his seat as the car sped toward his next destination. "Good. Let them come; I will see them."

​"They only know that the true owner of the Phoenix Ring has returned," the driver replied. "To them, you are a living legend. None of them knows your past or your name yet."

​Alex nodded, slipping the phone into his pocket. "Keep it that way for now. I want to see who is truly loyal and who is just looking for power."

​

Ten minutes later, the sedan pulled up to the private underground entrance of the Grand Hotel—the most expensive and exclusive hotel in the entire city.

Armed guards in dark suits lined the hallway, bowing deeply as Alex stepped out of the car.

​

He walked up the private elevator directly to the top floor.

​When the doors opened, Alex stepped into a massive, shining ballroom.

Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting bright light over a long table filled with elderly men and women in tailored suits.

These were the true rulers of Boston's economy—people who could change the city's fortune with a single phone call.

​Among them was an old man with a sharp mustache and cold, calculating eyes. His name was Elder Richard, the head of the powerful Richard Family, and the most influential businessman in the region.

​As Alex walked toward the main seat at the head of the table, the room fell dead silent.

​The business leaders looked at Alex, and their brows furrowed in confusion.

They expected an older, hardened leader with decades of authority, not a young man in simple, cheap clothes.

​Elder Richard slowly stood up, with a fake smile touching his lips, though his eyes remained ice-cold.

​"So... you are the person holding the Phoenix Ring?" Elder Richard asked, his voice filled with subtle doubt. "We were told that a master was coming to lead us. But you look like someone who just stepped off a bus from the slums."

​A few subtle giggles echoed among the younger executives sitting near the back of the room.

​Alex did not slow his step. He walked straight to the head of the table, pulled out the high-backed leather chair, and sat down calmly.

​He rested his left hand on the table, letting the dark steel Phoenix Ring catch the bright light of the chandelier.

​"Appearance means nothing in business, Elder Richard," Alex said, his voice quiet yet carrying a strange weight that made the laughter in the room die down instantly.

"Power is the only thing that matters. And right now, I hold the authority to dismantle every single family represented in this room."

​Elder Richard’s smile vanished completely. He slammed his hand onto the table.

"Young man, don't be so arrogant! The former Chairman may have given you that ring, but you haven't earned our respect!

The West Coast Alliance is already moving against our city's trade routes. B Corporation was just their first target.

What do you plan to do about them, or are you just going to hide behind a piece of metal?"

​Before Alex could answer, the double doors of the ballroom burst open violently.

​A young man in a white designer tuxedo marched into the room, flanked by six massive, intimidating bodyguards.

He carried an air of supreme arrogance, looking at everyone in the room as if they were beneath him.

​His name was Marcus Vance—William’s older brother, and the brilliant prodigy who ran the Vance family's main operations on the West Coast.

​"Elder Richard is right!" Marcus shouted, his voice echoing across the silent ballroom.

He strode toward the table, completely ignoring the guards who tried to step in his path, saying.

"Why should the great leaders of Boston bow down to an unknown loser?"

​Marcus stopped a few feet from Alex, sneering as he looked down at him.

​"I just came from B Corporation," he said smugly. "My little brother William was ruined today because of some cheap tricks pulled by this fake! You all think he's a master, but I did a background check on my way here.

Do you know who this guy really is?"

​Marcus pulled out a stack of paper prints and threw them aggressively onto the center of the table.