THE UNSEEN HEIR

Last Partner Company.

The security guards hesitated, their boots shifting uncomfortably on the polished floor. Word had spread like wildfire among the staff about the outer gate guard who had just been brutally fired and humiliated by Director Victoria for failing to recognize a high-tier silver invitation.

None of them wanted to make the same career-ending mistake.

Seeing their reluctance, Chloe hissed in frustration, stepping forward to scold the guards. "What are you idiots waiting for?! Look who is standing right here—this is Manager Harold, a senior director of operations!" She dragged Harold forward by his sleeve to give the guards a direct look at his high-level executive badge.

Realizing they had a senior manager backing the order, the guards reluctantly tightened their circle, surrounding Lorenzo.

Roxana’s breath hitched, her fingers digging into the fabric of Lorenzo’s sleeve. Yet, Lorenzo didn't even stand up. He swirled his glass, completely unbothered, before raising his eyes to lock onto Harold with a piercing, chilling gaze.

"What exactly is your position here?" Lorenzo questioned, his voice terrifyingly calm. "How can a mere employee arbitrarily expel guests who possess authorized invitations? Tell me, Harold—do you genuinely think Vanguard Apex belongs to you?"

Harold let out a harsh, arrogant bark of laughter, his face flushing red with anger. "A mere employee? Listen to me carefully, you insolent brat. I am a long-time executive of Vanguard Apex, and I happen to personally own 0.1% of the company's internal shares. That makes me a minor shareholder of this entire corporate entity. Getting rid of an insignificant, penniless stray cat like you is as easy as crushing a common ant under my shoe!"

Turning back to the guards, Harold roared, "I gave you an order! Throw them out now!"

Before the guards could take a single step forward, a sharp noise cut through the ballroom's sound system.

The female host on stage stepped back up to the microphone, her professional smile completely gone, replaced by a pale, panicked expression.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," the host loudly announced, her voice echoing over the tense crowd. "I have just received an emergency directive from the executive office. It appears the master partner list had a technical error. The final partner company is officially corrected to Vance Technological Enterprises!"

The massive digital screen behind her flickered, instantly deleting the Hawthorne Conglomerate logo and replacing it with a display of Roxana Vance's company name.

Roxana gasped, her eyes widening in pure shock.

A wave of joy washed over her face as she looked from the screen back to Lorenzo.

Tears of relief spilled down her cheeks as she tightly grabbed his hand, sharing her overwhelming happiness. "Lorenzo! It's us...it's actually us!"

Chloe stared at the screen, her phone slipping from her fingers as she completely lost her mind. "No! No, how is that possible?! This is a lie! They just announced that the Hawthorne Conglomerate was the partner, and now it's suddenly changed to her?! This has to be a mistake!"

She whipped around, grabbing Harold by his lapels, her face contorting into an ugly mask of fury. "Harold! Didn't you say you had inside information from the executive suite?! How come the partner suddenly changed to a bankrupt company?!"

Harold was completely bewildered, his jaw slack as a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

He had clearly seen, right there on the desk in President Iris’s private office, an undisclosed master document stating that the Hawthorne Conglomerate had the highest priority rating for the third slot.

How could it suddenly change in the span of three minutes? Harold was absolutely certain the partner list shouldn't have changed without a board vote.

"It's a scam!" Chloe suddenly shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at the stage, her voice cracking with desperation.

She turned to the surrounding guests, loudly accusing the host. "The host took money from Lorenzo! He bribed her to announce a fake list to humiliate me!"

Justin, realizing his entire fake billionaire reputation would shatter if Chloe failed, jumped into the accusation with a sneer. "She's right! There is no way the Lancaster Empire would partner with a failing company like Vance Tech. The host is corrupt!"

On stage, the host was on the verge of tears, her hands shaking as she clutched the microphone, trying to defend her professional integrity. "I...I am only reading the direct data sent from the Chairman’s personal office! I did not take any bribes!"

But Chloe and Justin completely ignored her pleas, continuing to throw vile accusations into the crowd to save their own pride.

Chloe turned back to the security detail, her face red as she stomped her heel. "Guards, what are you waiting for?! Expel Lorenzo and Roxana immediately! They have not only forged elite invitations to trespass, but they have actively bribed Vanguard staff to falsely manipulate the partner list in public!"

Chloe turned to Harold, her voice a demanding screech. "Manager Harold, as a shareholder, I demand you permanently blacklist Vance Tech right now and ensure Vanguard Apex never cooperates with them again for the rest of human history!"

"We didn't bribe anyone!" Roxana stood up, her voice ringing out with clear, defensive dignity as she tried to protect her company's hard work. "Our proposal was legally submitted, and our technology speaks for itself!"

"Shut up, you criminal!" Chloe continued to accuse, her eyes wild as she ordered the guards to act. "Grab her! Throw her into the street!"

The security guards, heavily pressured by a furious senior manager and a shrieking heiress, finally hardened their stances. They raised their batons, closing the distance, preparing to physically lay hands on Roxana and drag her out.

"Stop right there."

A powerful, icy voice cut through the entire VIP lounge from the main corridor.

The crowd of onlookers immediately parted like the Red Sea as President Iris—the supreme CEO of Vanguard Apex and the public face of the Lancaster Empire—strode into the lounge.

Dressed in an immaculate, sharp white tailored suit, her hair pulled back into a flawless bun, she radiated an aura of dominance that instantly crushed the room's chaotic noise.

Harold's eyes widened, his hands instantly dropping to his sides as he bowed frantically. "President Iris! Thank goodness you're here! We have a severe security breach—"

"Shut up, both of you," Iris interrupted coldly, her piercing gaze sweeping over Chloe and Justin. "You are being entirely too noisy and have seriously disrupted the order of this banquet hall."

Harold's face went white. He scrambled forward, quickly whispering to Chloe to introduce Iris. "Chloe, be quiet! This is President Iris, the supreme CEO and absolute power holder of Vanguard Apex!"

Despite learning Iris' formidable identity, Chloe’s desperation and arrogance blinded her. She stepped forward, pointing an aggressive finger at Roxana. 

"President Iris! If you are the head here, then I demand you immediately blacklist Vance Technological Enterprises! The cooperating company your host just announced is fundamentally problematic. Lorenzo deliberately colluded with the host and rigged these entire proceedings just to help Roxana!"

Justin chimed in right behind her, adopting a haughty, disdainful attitude as he mocked Lorenzo. "Exactly. He's nothing but a penniless fraud. President Iris, I highly suggest you thoroughly investigate this loser for manipulating your staff."

Iris didn't reply, her expression remaining an unreadable sheet of ice.

Taking her silence as a sign of agreement, Chloe turned back to Roxana, her lips curling into a cruel sneer. "You see that, Roxana? You're completely finished. Your little company is on the brink of bankruptcy, and no amount of pathetic tricks will ever save you from recovering."

Justin nodded along, joining in on the mockery. "A failing business trying to play in the big leagues. Absolute clowns."

Roxana’s heart sank into her stomach. Looking at the chaos around them, a wave of terrible suspicion washed over her. Could Lorenzo really have bribed the host just to save my dignity? Fear for his safety gripped her, and she urgently tugged at his arm, trying to persuade him to stop before things got worse.

Anxious to protect him, Roxana stepped in front of Lorenzo and faced Chloe directly. "Chloe, if you want to curse someone, curse me instead! All of this happened because Lorenzo was only trying to help me. It has absolutely nothing to do with him!"

Hearing her desperate defense, Lorenzo’s gaze softened, deeply moved by her willingness to shield him even when she believed they were trapped.

Chloe let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Curse you? Oh, I'll do much worse than that. You should both know your place and show me some respect. Justin here is the son of the wealthiest man in the city, and he is also the secret controller of this very company! If you don't start begging for forgiveness right now, he won't let either of you off—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Justin’s face drained of all color. Terrified, he lunged forward and slammed his hand over Chloe’s mouth, cutting her off mid-shriek.

"It's all a misunderstanding! It's entirely a misunderstanding!" Justin stammered out to the room, forcing a sweating, trembling smile.

He quickly pulled Chloe close, whispering frantically into her ear. "Are you out of your mind?! Shut up! My identity cannot be exposed under any circumstances! I have far too many dangerous enemies in this city—if you reveal who I am right now, it will get me killed instantly!"

Chloe blinked in shock, finally nodding mutely. Justin slowly removed his hand, keeping a tight grip on her arm. 

Though she stopped shouting about Justin's supposed status, Chloe couldn't help but glare at Roxana one last time, whispering maliciously, "Enjoy your final moments of hope, Roxana. I can't wait to see your pathetic boyfriend suffer the consequences of his lies."

Before Roxana could respond, President Iris turned away from the bickering group without a single word and walked with an elegant, commanding stride straight up onto the main stage.

“Attention, everyone.”