Rise Of The Discarded Husband

Chapter 10: Lydia Screwed?

Lydia's face whitened. She froze for a brief second, stunned by the audacity. “Did you just speak to me like that?”

“What do you think?”

Lydia scoffed, her expression slowly turning violent. She looked at Aria in disdain. “Who the fuck do you think you are?! You dare lecture me? You, a bankrupt nobody who couldn't even manage her own company? What makes you think you're qualified to exchange words with me?!”

She let out a bitter chuckle, brushing through her hair aggressively. “Such a pick-me bitch. Desperate for some cheap validation, are you not? How about you channel that energy into mourning your failed company? It's not my fault that you lost everything and turned into this pathetic beggar, waltzing in here just to mooch off foods and drinks!”

“Infact, I'll teach you…” Lydia hissed and snapped her fingers, motioning to the nearby security who hurried over at once. She eyed Aria, her lips pulled into a cynical grin. “Check their passes. I want to know how these clowns got access to my event,”

The guards advanced forward and Aria's pulse pounded hard in panic. Anxiety washed over her and she shuddered. She knew coming here was a bad idea, now she was going to be embarrassed by security as well?

“Please present your passes, sir, ma'am,” One of the guards said coldly.

Aria sucked in a harsh breath. She looked at Drake, and damn, he looked so calm. So calm that it frustrated the hell out of her. She wasn't sure they had an invitation, so why bring her here in the first place? What was she even thinking when she blindly followed him?

Her fingers pressed at his sleeve and she whispered fiercely. “Come on, we should leave…”

Drake said nothing. He didn't even look at her. He just stood there calmly like the situation had nothing to do with him.

“Let me see your passes, Sir. Ma'am,” The guard said, this time more strictly.

Aria swallowed past the lump in her throat as she tried to think. Without looking, she could feel the hot stares of her former business partners as they settled on her, piercing through her skin like sharp needles. Of course, they were all waiting for her to be reduced to a caricature they could laugh at.

“If you don't present your passes, we'd be forced to—”

“We don't have passes,” Drake said, his voice low but ringing with authority.

“Huh—?”

The guards looked at him like he had lost a screw.

“I don't need a piece of paper to prove my identity,”

There was silence, then the whole hall shook in laughter. The lead guard clutched his stomach, the rush of saliva almost choking him. His eyes tingled in amusement as he mocked. “What a delusional piece of crap! Are you kidding me?”

When Drake didn't respond, he laughed harder. “Since you don't need a piece of paper, what next? Should we call the host of this banquet to come escort you inside? Or maybe I should have one of the sponsors personally hand you the mallet for the bell-ringing, and let everyone cheer for your success? Would that be worthy of someone as ‘distinguished’ as you?”

At his words, everybody burst into laughter. They could not contain it. Who would have thought that an insane person would walk into today's banquet just to embarrass himself?

“Poor dude, he's lost his mind!” A woman shrieked in laughter. “What we should be calling is 911 and not the host,”

When the mocking laughter died down, Drake matched the guard's ridiculous face. “You wanted to call the host or the sponsors to usher me in? Yes, do exactly that,”

The guard froze, the laughter dying in his throat. He couldn't believe that Drake had spoken to him in such an indifferent tone. He blinked in anger, then cursed under his breath. “Hey! Playtime's over. Stop acting like something special. If you're crazy, go get treatment and get lost!"

Drake scoffed and stood still which only provoked the guard's anger. With a hiss, he raised his baton to hit him when a hard hand stopped him midair, the baton snatched out of his grip.

“Touch even a strand of his hair and watch how I make you regret your existence!”

Stunned, the guard turned to find Silas behind him, eyes gleaming with rage.

“How dare you? Do you have any idea who you just confronted? All the money we pour in every year, this is how you behave?”

Terrified, the guard trembled, bowing his head repeatedly. “No…no sir. I'm…I'm sorry, sir,” He pointed at Drake, hoping to push some of the blame on him. “It's just that, this...this guy showed up here and —”

“Shut up,” Silas glared. “This is supposed to be a banquet and you turned it into a wrestling ring? What happened to treating people with respect?”

The guard tried to plead. “No sir, he wasn't yielding and —”

“And the best solution was resorting to violence and bullying? Giving yourself a good laugh while humiliating him? Is that the training you were given when we offered you this job?” He waved his hand. “Seems you've grown too comfortable here. You're fired,”

The man fell on his knees, hands clasped tight. “No, sir, please sir, don't do this to me. I need this job, please…”

Silas ignored him, instead he turned to Drake, bowing to him respectfully. “This way, sir,”

Huh?!

Lydia's eyes widened with a gasp. Bowing to this scum and addressing him as sir? What was Silas thinking? Stepping forward on cue, she grabbed Silas's hand with a forced smile. “Excuse me. There must be some mistake,” Her eyes traveled to Drake in disgust. “This guy is just an uninvited guest who came here to cause trouble. Why would a man of your stature personally come out to receive him?”

Silas looked at her, his eyes cold. Slowly, he removed her hand from his grip, his expression harsh even to him. “Do you even know who you're talking about?”

Lydia maintained her smile. “Of course I know who he is! Who doesn't know the poor son-in-law of my family? He has no title or achievements and definitely not worth your time,”

“Looks like your information is outdated, Miss. Starting today, every bell-ringing ceremony will feature an additional honorary guest of public welfare, to give back to the taxpayers who support these enterprises,” His voice rang with authority as the hall looked at him in curiosity. “Mr Drake Harrison here is tonight’s honorary guest.”

What?!

Everybody gasped as murmurs filled the entire hall. The crowd gasped in surprise, then one person raised his glass with a cheerful shout.

The others followed, their praises ringing through the walls as they lifted their champagne glasses in agreement while praising Silas for his decision.

Lydia's skin crawled in shock. What the hell? Drake, a honorary guest? Had the wine she had drunk started to mess with her brain? Was she now mishearing things?

She stuttered, looking at Silas with an almost desperate look. “M…make me understand. This is my banquet and I'm supposed to ring the bell tonight,” She lowered her brows. “If such update was made, why wasn't I informed about it?”

Silas's expression conveyed nonchalance. He smiled almost maliciously and downed his champagne in one gulp. “That’s because your company’s listing has already been suspended. Tonight’s bell-ringing belongs to Aeuriel Limited.”