God of Restitution : Zero to Sovereign

Chapter 9: The Gates of Power

The night of the grand gala finally arrived. The Grand Dragon Palace was completely lit up by thousands of beautiful golden lights. It was the most exclusive and secure building in the entire city, owned directly by the Dragon Vanguard.

A long, thick red carpet stretched from the main entrance all the way down to the street. Hundreds of photographers stood behind velvet ropes, their cameras flashing rapidly as luxury sports cars and black limousines pulled up one by one.

The wealthiest billionaires, top political leaders, and famous celebrities stepped out onto the carpet, all dressed in stunning diamonds and expensive suits.

A shiny silver sports car screeched to a halt right at the front of the line. The door opened, and Julian Vance stepped out. He wore a sharp white tuxedo that cost thousands of dollars.

He walked around the car and opened the passenger door for Chloe. She stepped out onto the red carpet, looking incredibly proud. She wore a sparkling gold dress that shimmered under the bright lights, and a heavy diamond necklace sat around her neck.

Chloe held Julian’s arm tightly, her head held high as she looked at the cameras. She felt like she was the queen of the world.

“Look at this place, Julian,” Chloe whispered excitedly, her eyes wide with greed. “It is so beautiful. Everyone here is a billionaire. We are finally where we belong.”

Julian smiled, but his face was actually quite tense. He wiped a small bead of sweat from his forehead.

“Yes, Chloe,” Julian replied nervously. “This gala is our only chance. My father is already inside trying to talk to the Vanguard officers. Once we get that multi-billion dollar construction contract tonight, our family’s frozen projects will be cleared. We will be completely safe.”

“Do not worry, honey,” Chloe said, rubbing his arm. “Your family is the biggest in the province. The Sovereign of the Vanguard would be foolish not to choose you.”

As they turned to walk toward the massive golden entrance gates, Chloe’s eyes suddenly caught a familiar figure walking down the side of the red carpet.

She froze in her steps. Her jaw dropped in absolute disbelief.

“Julian, look over there,” Chloe snapped, pointing her finger toward the special VIP entrance path. “Am I seeing things? Is that who I think it is?”

Julian followed her finger and looked across the courtyard. His eyes widened in pure shock, which quickly turned into deep rage.

Walking calmly toward the high security VIP gates was Leo Sterling. He was not wearing his dirty yellow delivery uniform tonight. Instead, he wore a simple, plain black suit. It did not have any visible designer logos or flashy gold chains, but it fit his tall body perfectly. His posture was completely straight, and he walked with absolute confidence.

“Leo?” Julian yelled out, his voice full of anger.

Chloe rushed over to the edge of the velvet rope, her heels clicking loudly against the ground. “Leo, stop right there!” she screamed.

Leo stopped walking and slowly turned his head. His cold, dark eyes locked onto Chloe and Julian. He did not look surprised to see them at all. A small, chilling smile formed on his lips.

“You actually came here?” Chloe mocked, her voice full of pure disgust. “Look at you in that cheap, fake suit. Did you rent that from a thrift store just to spy on me? I told you on the phone that you do not belong here. You are embarrassing me in front of high society.”

Julian walked up right next to Chloe, crossing his arms arrogantly. He looked at Leo like he was a piece of garbage that had rolled onto the clean carpet.

“You really have a death wish, delivery boy,” Julian sneered loudly, attracting the attention of the surrounding billionaires. “I told my men to break your legs last night, and you still dare to show your ugly face at the Vanguard Gala? You are nothing but a poor loser.”

The rich people standing nearby stopped talking and began to point at Leo, whispering among themselves with mocking smiles. They loved seeing a poor person get humiliated at an elite party.

Leo stood perfectly still. He did not get angry. He did not shout back. He just stared at them with a terrifyingly calm expression.

“I told you I would be here, Chloe,” Leo said smoothly. “I came to see how high you can fly.”

Chloe burst into loud, nasty laughter. “Fly? We are already at the top, trash. You, on the other hand, are about to go to jail.”

Julian turned around and waved his hands wildly to call the elite security team standing at the golden gates.

“Guards! Security! Come over here right now!” Julian shouted at the top of his lungs.

A group of tall, heavily built security officers dressed in official Dragon Vanguard uniforms immediately marched over. They looked incredibly fierce, and their faces were completely serious.

The man leading them was Commander Marcus, the fierce head of security for the entire palace. He had a deep scar on his cheek and carried a heavy military baton at his waist.

“What is the problem here, sir?” Commander Marcus asked Julian, his voice deep and serious.

Julian pointed his finger directly at Leo’s face, his expression full of cruel joy.

“Commander, this boy right here is a filthy delivery driver!” Julian claimed loudly, making sure everyone around could hear. “He is a penniless beggar who rides a rusty bicycle for a living. He has no ticket, he has no money, and he is trying to sneak into the VIP entrance to steal leftover food from the tables!”

Chloe nodded quickly, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Yes, Commander! He is a dangerous stalker. He has been following me all day because I dumped him for a true billionaire. He is ruining the clean air of this luxury gala. Throw him out and beat him up!”

Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out his expensive gold VIP entry card, waving it proudly in front of the commander’s face.

“My family is the Vance Real Estate Group,” Julian bragged arrogantly. “We paid ten million dollars to be here tonight. This trash boy does not even have ten dollars in his bank account. Protect our safety and drag him into the dirt where he belongs!”

Commander Marcus did not look at the gold card. He slowly turned his head and looked at Leo.

Leo stood there in his simple black suit, his face completely expressionless. He did not say a single word to defend himself. He just gave the commander a very slight, meaningful nod of his head.

The moment Commander Marcus saw Leo’s face and received that slight nod, his entire body suddenly stiffened. A look of absolute shock and pure terror flashed deep within the commander’s eyes. He instantly recognized the supreme leader of the Dragon Vanguard.

The head of security walks over, glares at Julian, and draws his baton.