The Forgotten Heir's Payback

Chapter 13: The Banquet of Deception

Chloe held the black silk invitation card with shaking fingers. Her heart was beating so fast inside her chest that she could barely breathe. The gold stamped letters seemed to shine like a bright light in the dark room.

This invitation was her family only hope of survival. The supreme head of Grand Dragon Financial was holding a private party tonight to pick a new business partner for the city. If she could convince this powerful billionaire to invest in Vance Logistics, her family would be saved from total ruin.

She ran upstairs to her bedroom and opened her big closet. She pulled out her finest velvet evening gown, a deep red dress that cost ten thousand dollars. She spent two full hours fixing her hair and putting on thick makeup to hide the dark circles around her swollen eyes. She sprayed her most expensive perfume and put on a pair of shiny crystal earrings. She needed to look like a high class businesswoman who belonged among the richest people in the state.

When she walked downstairs into the living room, Beatrice looked up from the sofa with wide eyes. Her mother had fresh color in her pale cheeks for the first time all day.

"Chloe, my dear child," Beatrice said quickly, running over to fix the strap of Chloe dress. "You look like a real queen. You must use your charm tonight. You must get that bank chief to sign a deal with us. If he gives us a fresh loan, we can pay off our debts and throw that beggar Lucas back into the dirt where he belongs."

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded her head. "I will do my best, Mother. This is our last chance."

Just as Chloe reached for her car keys, the front door burst open. Julian Sterling stepped inside the living room. He wore a dark blue tuxedo, but his face looked pale and exhausted. His right hand was still wrapped tightly in thick white bandages from where Lucas had stepped on his fingers earlier that morning. His hair was messy, and his eyes looked wild with panic.

"Chloe!" Julian shouted, walking over to grab her arm. "I saw the black invitation card on your social media page! You received an entry pass to the Grand Dragon private banquet!"

Chloe pulled her arm back gently, frowning at him. "Yes, Julian. A butler dropped it off at my house an hour ago. I am going there right now to speak with the bank chief."

"I am coming with you!" Julian demanded loudly, his voice shaking with desperation. "My father company is losing millions of dollars every single hour! The stock market is crushing us! If I do not meet the supreme chief tonight to beg for mercy, my family will be living on the street by next week!"

Chloe looked at his bandaged hand and felt a small sting of doubt in her mind. But she knew that Julian father still had old friends among the rich guests. She thought having Julian beside her might make her look more important in front of the other billionaires.

"Fine," Chloe said softly. "Get into my car. But you must promise not to cause any fights tonight. We cannot afford to make the bank chief angry."

"I promise! I promise!" Julian said quickly, nodding his head like a desperate child.

Thirty minutes later, Chloe red luxury car pulled up to the grand entrance of the Imperial Hotel, the most expensive hotel in the entire city. Bright yellow lights lit up the tall marble pillars outside. Expensive sports cars, long white limousines, and custom black sedans were lined up along the red carpet driveway.

Dozens of rich business leaders, famous models, and city officials walked through the front doors, chatting politely and smiling for news reporters.

Chloe stepped out of the car, holding the bottom of her long red dress so it would not touch the clean pavement. Julian walked right beside her, puffing out his chest and trying his best to act like a powerful heir again. He put his uninjured left hand in his pocket and raised his chin high, trying to ignore the whispers of the people around them.

They walked through the heavy glass doors into the main ballroom. High crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting warm light onto golden walls and polished marble floors. Waiters in neat suits carried trays of gold champagne glasses, handing them to the wealthy guests.

In the center of the ballroom stood a raised wooden platform leading to a set of heavy double doors. Those double doors led directly to the exclusive VIP lounge, where only the top ten richest people in the city were allowed to sit and eat.

Julian saw the VIP lounge entrance and his eyes lit up with pride. He wanted to show Chloe that he was still a big shot who deserved her respect.

"Follow me, Chloe," Julian said in a confident voice, holding her hand firmly. "I used to drink wine with the bank directors in that VIP lounge every month. Let us go inside before the rest of the crowd gets in."

They walked up the carpeted stairs toward the VIP entrance. Two massive security guards dressed in dark suits stood on either side of the gold doors, holding thick leather guest books.

Julian stopped right in front of the guards, pulling out his shiny black member card from his coat pocket. He slapped the card against the palm of his hand, making a loud clicking sound.

"Good evening, guards," Julian said loudly, making sure the nearby guests could hear his voice. "I am Julian Sterling, Vice President of Sterling Enterprises. Open the doors for my fiancée and me immediately."

The two guards looked down at Julian. The guard on the left, a tall man with a big scar across his cheek, picked up a digital reader and scanned Julian card.

A sharp red light flashed on the screen, accompanied by a loud buzzing sound.

BZZT! BZZT!

The guard looked at the screen, then looked back up at Julian with a cold, disgusted expression on his face.

"Access denied," the guard said in a flat, heavy voice. "Your card has been permanently canceled, Mr. Sterling."

Julian face turned bright red in an instant. He felt a hot wave of shame burn his cheeks as several rich women nearby turned around and began to giggle.

"What?" Julian yelled, his voice cracking with anger. "Are you blind? Do you know how much money my family has spent in this hotel? My father is Richard Sterling! We belong in the VIP lounge!"

The tall guard stepped forward, his huge shadow completely covering Julian small body. He folded his massive arms across his broad chest.

"I do not care who your father is," the guard barked loudly, his voice echoing across the carpeted stairs. "The master list from Grand Dragon Financial explicitly states that Julian Sterling is barred from all primary VIP areas. Your family is broke and facing total credit freeze."

Chloe gasped out loud, taking a quick step back. Her cheeks burned with deep embarrassment as dozens of high-society elites stopped their conversations to watch the dramatic scene.

"Barred?" Julian shrieked, pointing his bandaged hand at the guard face. "How dare you speak to me like that! I demand to see your manager right now! I will have you fired by morning!"

The guard did not even blink. He reached out his big hand and pushed Julian chest firmly, forcing him back three steps down the stairs. Julian stumbled over his own feet and almost fell backward onto the floor, his face turning pale as the crowd laughed out loud at his pathetic sight.

"Mr. Sterling," the guard declared in a booming voice for everyone to hear. "If you do not move your feet right now, my men will throw you out to the parking lot. You and your guest belong in the secondary overflow room at the back of the hall with the low tier vendors."

The crowd erupted into loud chatter and mockery.

"Look at Julian Sterling!" a rich businessman in a grey suit laughed, pointing his glass at them. "He used to act like a king, and now he is getting pushed around like a street dog!"

"His family business is crashing!" a wealthy woman whispered behind her silk fan. "He does not even have enough clout to step foot in the VIP room!"

Chloe covered her face with her purse, burning with absolute humiliation. She had dressed up in her finest dress to gain respect, but standing beside Julian made her look like a complete joke in front of the entire city. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

"Julian, stop it!" Chloe cried out, pulling his sleeve hard. "Stop embarrassing us! Let us just go to the back room before they throw us out completely!"

Julian gritted his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. He glared at the guards with pure, burning hatred, but he was too afraid to fight back. He allowed Chloe to drag him down the stairs, hiding his head as they walked past the laughing crowd toward the small, crowded overflow room in the back corner of the hotel.

For two long hours, Julian and Chloe sat at a tiny wooden table near the noisy kitchen doors. Waiters bumped into their chairs, and no one offered them fine champagne. Chloe held her hands tightly in her lap, her eyes filled with bitter tears. She felt like a fallen princess waiting for a miracle that might never come.

Suddenly, at precisely nine o'clock in the evening, all the bright lights in the main ballroom dimmed down. A single white spotlight focused directly on the massive wooden double doors at the top of the platform.

A loud chime echoed from the speaker system, followed by the clear, powerful voice of the hotel head manager.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the manager announced into his microphone. "Please raise your glasses and bow your heads! The supreme owner and Chief Managing Partner of Grand Dragon Financial has arrived!"

The entire ballroom went dead silent. Over five hundred wealthy guests stopped talking instantly, turning their eyes toward the high wooden doors. Every single person held their breath, eager to catch a glimpse of the mysterious billionaire who controlled the entire economy of the state.

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, sending a quick prayer up to the sky. She stood up on her tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the crowd. She knew that her family future depended entirely on the man who was about to walk through those doors.

Julian stood beside her, wiping the sweat from his neck, preparing to run forward and drop to his knees to beg for his loan if he had to.

The heavy double doors swung open slowly with a deep creaking sound.

Ten tall executive guards in dark suits stepped out first, lining up along the red carpet to form a secure pathway.

Then, a stunning woman in a tight red silk dress stepped out of the private elevator. It was Victoria Thorne, looking like an absolute queen with her sharp eyes and red lipstick.

She smiled softly at the crowd, but she did not walk alone. She had her arm wrapped comfortably around the arm of a tall man walking right beside her.

The man wore a custom black Italian suit that fitted his broad shoulders perfectly. His hair was slicked back neatly, and his dark eyes swept across the room with cold, absolute authority. On his right hand shone a massive gold ring bearing the ancient dragon seal of the bank.

Chloe looked at the man face, and her breath hitched tightly in her throat. Her blood went completely ice cold, and her eyes stretched wide in utter horror.

It was Lucas Vance.