2025-05-06 06:16:23"You're here for the banquet? With this piece of trash?" Sierra and Marcus burst into loud laughter, drawing the attention of people nearby.
"Please, I know you've spent the past few years trying to get a partnership with Nova," Sierra said smugly. "Too bad—they chose me every single time!"
"You know why that is?" she asked, wrapping her arm around Marcus's proudly. "Because I know who can help me. And you... just look at that garbage beside you. Don't tell me you actually believe he got you that invitation?"
Sierra let out an exaggerated laugh. "You're pathetic, Alice. Truly pitiful! You must've begged someone on your knees to get in, huh? Oh wait—you probably still won't get in."
Alice tilted her head, a slow, amused smile forming. "Don't worry about me. I'm exactly where I need to be."
Sierra rolled her eyes. "Spare me the cryptic lines, sweetheart. This is a Nova Company event, not a street carnival. Only invited names make it through."
"You and Ethan are perfect for each other. He's always been a freeloader, relying on whatever woman is willing to drag him along. And you? You're the underdog startup that'll never break into the big leagues. So desperate to climb that you're pretending you got invited here?" She continued.
Alice's jaw tensed, but her smile never faltered. "It's funny how threatened you sound, Sierra."
Sierra sneered. "Threatened? Don't flatter yourself."
Alice arched a brow. "You're right? Want to make it interesting?"
Sierra's eyes glittered. "Are you challenging me?"
"Let's bet," Alice said smoothly. "Whoever fails to enter tonight kneels right here at the entrance—and admits they were wrong."
A small crowd began to gather at the entrance, sensing drama brewing.
Marcus snorted. "You're seriously betting against Sierra? Her name's on every guest list from here to the capital."
Sierra didn't even hesitate. "Deal. I hope your knees are in good shape."
With that, she flicked her hair, strutted up to the security team, and handed over her diamond-embossed invitation. The guard scanned it once, nodded, and stepped aside.
"Welcome, Miss Sierra. Mr. Marcus," he said politely, gesturing them in.
Sierra turned with a smirk and winked at Alice. "I'll keep the floor warm for you."
Alice's smile stiffened. She reached into her clutch, pulled out her invitation, and handed it to the security guard with confidence.
Alice looked at the arrogant Sierra with growing frustration. She let out a cold snort and handed over her invitation letter—personally delivered to her that morning via express courier from Elsa herself. She was confident there wouldn't be any issues.
However, the security guard took the invitation and frowned.
"Miss, may I have your name?"
"Alice Morgan. My companion is Ethan Storm," Alice replied.
The guard typed in their names, then said sternly, "Sorry, Miss, your names aren't in the system. You'll have to leave."
Sierra and Marcus burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Alice, I can't believe you'd embarrass yourself like this. Don't tell me you were fooled by that piece of trash next to you?" Sierra sneered. "Did he say he could get you into Nova's banquet?"
Sierra laughed even louder. "And you actually believed him!"
Alice's face turned pale. She looked at Ethan with a trembling voice. "W-What's going on?"
Ethan frowned and gently held her hand, trying to calm her. "Don't worry. I'll call Elsa right now and ask what happened."
"Hahahahaha! Did you all hear that?" Sierra howled with laughter. "He said he's going to call Elsa! Does he think he's someone important? Elsa Logan is an incredibly important figure—why would she take his call?"
"Shut your mouth," Ethan said coldly. "One more word, and I'll be happy to teach you what manners are."
Sierra flinched under Ethan's icy gaze, then bristled with rage. "How dare you talk to me like that, you garbage!"
Just then, a man in a suit rushed out of the banquet hall and called to the security at the entrance.
"Restart the system! Have all guests who just entered step out for a moment!"
"There's been a change to the guest list—we need to update the registrations!"
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95
He spun toward Devon. “You’re dead, traitor! You and that snake you call a master—” “Master Ethan,” Devon said again, firmer this time, his tone cutting like steel. “Say it properly, or say nothing at all.” Paul actually lunged forward in blind fury—only for the Irving guards to immediately seize him by both arms, holding him in place as he thrashed violently. “Get your hands off me!” he bellowed, struggling like a man possessed. “Do you have any idea who I am?! I’m Paul Bellano! You don’t treat me like this! I’ll have your heads on spikes!” But no one was intimidated anymore. Not Ethan. Not Devon. Not Knox. And certainly not the Irving guards, who exchanged dry glances as if restraining Paul was just another part of their job—like sweeping the floor or fetching coffee. Ethan took a slow step forward, his voice deadly calm. “You’re not even first in line in your own family. All that rage, all that noise… for what? You weren’t sent here to lead anything. You were sent
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Paul’s face contorted with fury, his chest heaving as he pointed a shaking finger at Ethan. “You provoked the Bellano family!”Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver. “I crushed your little plan to swallow Nova Corp,” he said coolly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “If that wasn’t a provocation, what was?”The room went still again.Paul’s lips curled back in a sneer. “You… you dare admit that so openly?”Ethan chuckled, a dry, mocking sound that made Sierra’s heart skip. “Paul,” he said, tone almost bored, “you and I were never on the same side to begin with. The Bellano family and I are already enemies. Nothing’s changed.”Sierra blinked rapidly, her throat dry. He’s not just standing up to them. He’s challenging them head-on.She couldn’t believe it. Ethan—the man she once nagged about not being man enough to get a job—was talking down to Paul Bellano like he was some street rat. And not only that…He was winning.Paul slammed his fist on the table again. “You think this ends well for
93
Devon cleared his throat and took a cautious step forward. The tension in the air was still razor-sharp.He bowed slightly again. “Master Ethan… I apologize once more. For everything.”His voice was hoarse, the words stiff with sincerity. “For standing against you. I didn’t. But not anymore. Because now I know.”Across the room, Marcus visibly paled.He gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, but they stayed dry, cracked with tension. He leaned toward Sierra slightly, whispering urgently, “Do you understand what this means?”Sierra didn’t answer.She couldn’t.Her body was frozen, her fingers trembling as she gripped her chair.Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared at Ethan—no, the man she used to call her husband. The man she’d mocked. Humiliated. Walked away from like he was nothing.She swallowed hard, a lump thick in her throat.If only I had known…If I had known who he truly was…Her nails dug into her palms as memories
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Silence.And then— Paul’s jaw dropped. “What?”Even Devon’s brow twitched, eyes scanning Ethan with renewed scrutiny.“No, that’s not possible,” Paul laughed—an awkward, disbelieving sound. “The leader of Crimson Serpent? Him?”He looked to Knox for confirmation.Knox didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. The respect in his posture, the stillness of his body—it said everything.Paul was stunned.Devon was even more shocked.For a heartbeat, his mind refused to process what he was seeing. But then, as the truth settled in like a thunderclap, he moved.The room was dead silent as Devon strode toward Ethan—not with anger or suspicion—but with something far more jarring.Respect.“Wait… what is he doing?” someone whispered from the corner.“I thought Devon hated this guy,” another murmured.And then, before anyone could even gasp—Devon dropped to his knees.Gasps tore through the room like a chain reaction.“What the hell?!” a woman near the window blurted out, clutching her chest.“No way…
91
Everyone was stunned.No one dared speak.The air in the conference room had turned thick—like a storm was brewing but hadn’t hit yet. Every breath was heavy, the tension almost visible.Sierra’s legs felt weak beneath her, her heart pounding so violently it echoed in her ears. Her face had gone pale, drained of all color. Her lips parted slightly, her breath shaky, her knees wobbling as she gripped the back of her chair for balance.Her voice cracked in disbelief. “No… that’s not possible.”She stared at Ethan, sitting so calmly, so still—like a king in his rightful throne. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment in her direction.That wasn’t the man she’d divorced.That wasn’t the man she used to mock with her friends and family. No… that man used to wear cheap cologne and second-hand suits. He used to stumble over his words at fancy dinners and get ignored in business circles. That man used to beg her to give him just one more year—one more chance to prove himself.And now…Sierra’s
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The silence didn’t last long.A low chuckle broke through the thick tension like a crack in glass. All heads turned.Sierra.She laughed.Hard.Bent slightly at the waist, one hand clutched to her stomach, she let out a sharp, breathless laugh that bordered on hysteria. “No,” she said, gasping. “No freaking way.”Knox’s eyes narrowed dangerously.But Sierra kept going, shaking her head as she straightened. Her voice rang across the room. “This is a joke, right? That’s Ethan?” She pointed at him with manic disbelief. “My ex-husband who used to forget the damn laundry in the washer for three days straight?”Ethan didn’t move. He simply met her gaze, face unreadable.“The guy who couldn’t even keep up with Netflix payments for a month?” she continued, voice rising. “You’re all sitting here, trying to tell me he—he!—is the boss of Crismon Serpent?” She threw her head back and laughed again, harsher this time. “No. I’d sooner believe I’m a bloody astronaut!”The room was dead still.The Ir
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