Cheated & Despised, now the Billionaire Heir

Chapter Eleven

“What’s so funny?” Damian snarled, his jaw tightening.

Ethan ignored him, the smirk still playing on his lips as he swirled the wine in his glass that a waiter had handed to him begrudgingly.

Vanessa turned to Damian, lifting her chin to meet his gaze.

In a low whisper meant to calm him, she said, “Don’t waste your breath on someone like him, babe. Today is for winners, not losers.”

She glanced at Ethan before adding, “Besides, it’s good he’s here. At least he’ll get to watch you seal the deal right in front of him.”

Damian chuckled, nodding in agreement before leaning in to kiss her.

When she pulled away, she turned her attention back to Ethan, closing the space between them as she locked eyes with him.

“Trash like you should know your place,” she spat, her voice dripping with disdain.

“Just because you managed to sneak in with some cheap trick doesn’t mean you’re on the same level as Damian."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and let out a fake laugh. "Dream all you want. You can never be like him. You'll always be the insignificant worm you’ve always been.”

Damian laughed, pulling Vanessa closer by the waist.

"Once I get the chairman’s signature, you might as well kill yourself to escape my wrath—though I hope you won’t," he chuckled.

Ethan’s expression remained calm, but the lingering smirk on his lips rattled Vanessa.

"Quite the fantasy, Damian. But I wouldn’t sign it for you."

Damian and Vanessa exchanged a look before laughing in disbelief.

Turning to the guests with a grin, Damian said, "Did you all hear that?"

He snickered. "He said he wouldn't sign the document for me."

The hall erupted into laughter instantly after they had exchanged amused glances.

“What a joke!” someone snickered.

"He’s pretending to be the chairman of Aurelius Group? Does he think we are stupid?”

“Someone throw this clown out!” Another voice jeered.

"Yes!" Another affirmed.

"This is impersonation at its peak. He needs to be punished severely for it!"

Vanessa’s laughter rang louder. “Oh, Ethan, you never fail to embarrass yourself. This is beyond delusion.”

Ethan met her gaze steadily. "And you always did underestimate me, Vanessa. But that’s nothing new."

Before Damian could add another insult, the doors swung open again, and a tall man strode in.

It was Mr. Lorenzo. He walked into the room with pride, making everyone to notice him right away.

His gaze swept the room before he spoke.

"I am pleased to confirm that the identity of Aurelius Group's new chairman will be officially announced today, adding a significant highlight to our agenda," he announced, his voice carrying across the hall.

Whispers about it spread across the room immediately.

Ethan smirked.

Mr. Lorenzo had never met Ethan and did not recognize him.

Damian quickly went to greet him.

"Mr. Lorenzo, I'm glad you're here," Damian said in a very respectful voice.

"I thought you weren't going to make it here very soon."

"I had more important things to do," Mr. Lorenzo replied, barely looking at Damian.

He looked around the room carefully.

"Now, where is this troublemaker you told me about?"

Damian, wanting to please Mr. Lorenzo, quickly pointed at Ethan.

"Over there, sir. And he's been causing problems, even saying he's the chairman of Aurelius Group."

Mr. Lorenzo looked surprised. "Really?"

"What should we do with him?" Damian asked, hoping to do a favor for Mr. Lorenzo.

"My family would be happy to take care of this problem for you, after all you've done to help us work with Aurelius Group."

Mr. Lorenzo's face twisted with contempt as he approached Ethan, circling him like a predator toying with its prey.

The crowd parted, creating a spectacle for all to witness.

"So this is the nobody who dares impersonate the chairman?" Mr. Lorenzo's voice dripped with mockery.

He reached out and flicked Ethan's suit lapel, deliberately leaving a smudge from his fingers.

"Wearing a cheap knockoff suit to a prestigious event. Pathetic."

He turned to address the onlookers, raising his voice for maximum humiliation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, observe closely! This is what happens when the rats from the gutters try to dance among eagles."

Mr. Lorenzo grabbed Ethan's wine glass and deliberately poured its contents onto the floor at Ethan's feet.

"Did you honestly believe you could fool anyone of importance?" he sneered, his face inches from Ethan's.

"People like you were born to serve, not lead. I can only imagine how ashamed your parents must be to have raised such a pathetic, delusional failure."

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Mr. Lorenzo soaked it in, his confidence swelling with every sneer and snicker.

Vanessa let out a chuckle. "Ashamed? Please. That would require them to be alive. Their wretched souls are long dead and rotting in the dirt."

Mr. Lorenzo snickered. "Really? Perhaps you're desperate to join them over there."

He snapped his fingers in Ethan's face.

"But first, you need a lesson you'll never forget."

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he stepped back.

"Break his leg," Mr. Lorenzo commanded, signaling to two burly guards who immediately stepped forward. "Break it slowly. I want to hear it snap."

He adjusted his cufflinks with casual cruelty.

"Let it serve as a warning to anyone else who dares to step above their rank. In this world, you either know your place—" he glanced around the room with a threatening smile, "—or we teach it to you."

Vanessa crossed her arms, nodding in agreement.

“Yes. Someone like him shouldn’t even be breathing the same air as us.”

Damien grinned as the guards stepped forward, ready to carry out the command.

Vanessa’s lips curled in excitement, savoring Ethan’s impending humiliation.

But just as the guards reached Ethan, a sharp voice cut through the tension.

"Touch him, and you'll regret it."

The room immediately fell to deadly silence as Lara walked forward.