THE MYSTERIOUS HEIR RETURNS

The Unexpected Guest II

Ethan adjusted his shirt. “Someone who came to see Diana,” he replied firmly.

Marcus reached for his communication device again, but before he could call for more security, a woman's calm voice suddenly echoed from the grand staircase.

“ENOUGH!” a voice commanded.

The entire hall fell absolutely silent. Every head turned.

Diana Alexander stood majestically on the staircase. She wore an elegant ivory dress that reached the floor, while her dark hair had been arranged neatly behind her shoulders.

She looked young, beautiful, and perfectly composed, but there was a natural authority in her presence that immediately reminded everyone why she was the CEO of Alexander Corporation and the heiress to one of the most powerful and influential families in all of Dervadia.

Then she slowly descended the stairs while everyone watched in absolute silence. Her eyes moved across the fallen guards before settling on Ethan.

For a moment, she simply studied him. Ethan also did the same.

So this was Diana Alexander. The woman whose name had been written into a marriage contract by their fathers. The woman he had traveled to Dervadia to meet.

Diana reached the bottom of the staircase and stopped several feet away from him.

Ethan moved through the sea of elegant guests, his eyes locked on Diana Alexander. The crowd seemed to part instinctively, sensing something different about him. Despite the expensive suits and designer dresses surrounding him, he remained unintimidated.

“You're Diana?” Ethan asked directly, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd.

Diana stood perfectly still, her ivory dress a stark contrast to the marble staircase. Her eyes, cold and calculating, swept over Ethan with unmistakable disdain.

“I don't know who you are,” she replied, her tone sharp enough to cut glass. “But you need to leave now. You're causing a scene.”

Ethan remained calm. “I'm your fiancé,” he stated. “I've come to honor our arranged engagement. When can we go register our marriage?”

A wave of laughter erupted from the crowd. Rich socialites covered their mouths, some pointing, others openly mocking. Damian Cross, a prominent businessman standing close to Diana, looked particularly amused.

These people think this is a joke, Ethan thought. They have no idea.

Diana's face flushed with anger. “Stop lying,” she hissed. “I've never seen you before in my entire life.”

Without hesitation, Ethan reached into his jacket and pulled out an old, carefully preserved document. The crowd fell silent as he unfolded the marriage contract, its edges yellowed with age but the signatures clearly visible.

“This contract,” he said calmly, “was signed by our fathers years ago because my father saved Alexander Corporation from bankruptcy. In gratitude for what my father had done, your father promised you to my father, with the understanding that you would become my wife. It was meant to strengthen the relationship between our families.”

The entire hall froze.

Diana didn't even listen to Ethan's explanation about their fathers. The only thing that caught her attention was the contract. She completely ignored what he was saying, her eyes remaining fixed on the contract in his hands.

Damian Cross stepped forward, his expensive Italian suit emphasizing his wealth.

“Security!” he shouted. “Throw this man out!”

But Diana's hand shot up, stopping the bodyguards. Her fingers trembled slightly as she took the contract, examining it closely. The signature was unmistakable—her father's precise handwriting, complete with the Alexander family seal.

How is this possible? she thought. I've heard whispers, rumors, but never believed...

The crowd's laughter died down, replaced by confused murmurs. Ethan stood perfectly still, watching Diana's reaction. He knew the document was genuine, a promise made long before either of them were born.

“This can't be real,” Diana muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

The grand doors at the entrance burst open. Gideon and Celeste Alexander, Diana's maternal uncle and mother, swept into the room. The crowd instinctively moved aside, creating a path for one of Dervadia's most powerful families.

Celeste Alexander's eyes immediately found Ethan. Her designer dress and perfectly coiffed hair radiated wealth and status.

“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice dripping with contempt. “How dare you interrupt our family's event?”

Ethan met her gaze without flinching. “I'm Ethan Voss,” he replied. “Your daughter's fiancé.”

The moment he added the name Voss, Celeste's expression changed instantly.

“The only son of the late War God, Jason Voss,” Ethan added.

The entire hall froze again.

Celeste, Gideon, and Diana froze. Even the elite visitors standing and sitting around them became completely still. For a brief moment, no one seemed capable of saying a word.

Diana's eyes widened as she stared at Ethan. “You're trying to convince us with another lie,” she said coldly. “Now you're even faking your name? It won't work.”

Celeste immediately dismissed the claim as well. “You think adding the name Voss will make us believe you?” she said with contempt. “It won't.”

The elite visitors around them began murmuring again.

“That must be another forgery,” a female visitor whispered.

“He does resemble Jason Voss,” a male visitor remarked.

“But people can resemble other people,” another female visitor said.

“So where has he been all this while?” another male visitor muttered.

“The late Jason Voss was extremely wealthy. Look at this man's clothes,” another male visitor pointed out.

“This can't be his son,” another visitor concluded.

The whispers spread through the hall as the elite visitors tried to make sense of Ethan's claim. His resemblance to the late Jason Voss was difficult to ignore, but his cheap clothes and ordinary appearance made it difficult for them to believe that he could truly be his son. After all, people could resemble one another, and there was no way they could accept such a shocking claim without proof.

Celeste's attention quickly returned to the document in Diana's hands.

She laughed—a sharp, cruel sound that echoed through the hall. “You liar! Fiancé to my daughter? Look at you! No family, no status, dressed like some common traveler, and now you're even faking your identity!”

“This contract is nothing,” she continued. “A trick. A forgery. My daughter will never marry someone like you.”

The crowd nodded in agreement. Ethan looked like an outsider—his clothes simple, his demeanor unusual. Next to Diana's polished appearance and the wealth surrounding her, he seemed completely out of place.

But Ethan didn't move. The contract remained in Diana's hands, a physical reminder of a promise made long ago.

I was prepared for this, he thought. Nothing about this moment surprises me.

Diana stared at the document, her world suddenly feeling unstable. The contract was real. The engagement was real. But the man before her? He was nothing like she had imagined.