The Live‑In Son‑In‑Law Who Ruled The World

Chapter 3 — The Stellar Grand Encounter

The cold white light at the hotel entrance made the scar on the scar-faced man's face look even more hideous.

He tilted his head, looked Alexander up and down, his face full of contempt:"Who the hell are you? So what if I kidnapped them? Anyone got a problem with that? Step forward and say it."

The surroundings were deathly quiet, except for a few thugs who joined in the jeering. "Yeah, who'd dare have a problem?"

"This place belongs to us today!"

"The boss is nothing!"

The scar-faced man spread his arms, deliberately turned around, and laughed arrogantly:"See? No one has a problem."

Alexander stood before him, his face utterly expressionless. He simply pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

Alexander's tone was flat:"Hey, your lackeys are causing trouble on my turf. Didn't you warn them?"

As soon as he said this, the thugs froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

The scar-faced man clutched his stomach, laughing so hard tears nearly came out:"Did you hear what he said? He said he's calling our boss!"

The short, buck‑toothed thug beside him laughed so much he could barely stand straight:"Pretending to be anything else, but pretending to call the boss? The boss never answers calls. Apart from a head of state, I really can't think of anyone who could get through to the boss!"

Jake stood behind him, arms crossed, with the look of someone watching the dead.

Alexander's eyes grew colder. He held the phone directly in front of the scar‑faced man:"Whether it's real or not, you'll know when you listen."

The scar‑faced man was still laughing. He took the phone with a hint of scorn, but the moment a deep, furious voice came from the other end, he froze completely.

"Who the fuck is this?"

That voice was all too familiar. It really was the boss.

The scar‑faced man's hands began to tremble instantly, his throat feeling as if it were being squeezed:"B‑boss…"

The voice on the other end turned even darker:"Get out of that hotel immediately. Do not offend Mr. Alexander!"

The scar‑faced man's pupils contracted sharply. His mind went blank.

Alexander?

How could a five‑star hotel owner make the boss speak in that tone?

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he still couldn't help testing the waters by asking a lackey beside him:"That voice on the phone…could it be an AI‑generated voice?"

The other end of the line exploded.

"You fucking doubt whether I'm real? You just wait!"

The call ended abruptly.

The next second, the scar‑faced man's phone began buzzing violently.

He looked down and saw it was his immediate superior calling.

He fumbled to answer. Barely got out a"hello"before the person on the other end started cursing.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Get the hell away from that hotel now! Or you can just wait to die out there!”

”Who gave you the nerve to mess with that man?"

The scar‑faced man's legs went weak. His face turned white.

He finally understood that he hadn't kicked an iron plate—he had stepped off a cliff.

He frantically shoved the phone back into Alexander's hand, dropped to his knees with a thud, and his voice trembled:"Esteemed Mr. Alexander, please don't hold this against us! I'll leave right now with my men!"

With that, he thumped his head on the ground several times, his forehead turning red.

The gang of thugs were all dumbfounded. The ones who had been laughing moments ago now stood as still and quiet as quails.

"What are you standing there for?"The scar‑faced man turned his head and roared."Let them go! Release them all! Get lost!"

A few thugs quickly released the people they had been holding.

The guests who hadn't yet been dragged inside watched the scene, completely stunned. None of them had expected that the man who had been acting like a bully moments before would now be kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Alexander put away his phone without even bothering to look at him again."Take your men and get lost."

"Yes, yes, we'll get lost right away!"

The scar‑faced man nodded frantically, scrambled to his feet, and turned to flee with his gang. But before they could take two steps, Jack silently blocked their path.

"The boss didn't say you could go unpunished,"Jack said coldly."A hundred slaps in the face, each of you, or leave an arm behind. Your choice."

Trembling all over, the scar‑faced man dared not hesitate. Compared with losing a limb, slapping his own face was a great mercy. Soon the courtyard echoed with sharp, rhythmic cracks, mixed with muffled groans.

Alexander walked away without looking back, as if nothing behind him concerned him at all.

After the thugs were driven off, the atmosphere in the lobby slowly recovered. The lights were still bright, the music began playing again, as if the earlier scare had just been a brief nightmare.

When Aurelia was released, her hair was slightly messy and her dress wrinkled.

Nahir still bore some signs of the beating on his face. He muttered a few curses under his breath but didn't dare make a scene.

Aurelia stood there, her gaze involuntarily following Alexander's retreating figure.Strange…Aurelia feel like she've seen that back before.

She frowned slightly and tried to think, then quickly shook her head inwardly. How could it be? Alexander was at home doing housework right now. How could he possibly show up in a place like this? She must have been mistaken.

She withdrew her gaze and sighed inwardly. The owner of this hotel was truly impressive,just one sentence had made the Black Dragon Gang kneel and beg for mercy. How could Alexander, a man who only knew how to do housework, ever compare to someone like that?

With just a single sentence, that man had made the Black Dragon Gang members kneel and beg for mercy.

Her heart warmed inexplicably, and an unusual light appeared in her eyes.

A man like that—that was a truly capable man.

She couldn't help thinking:how wonderful it would be if she were married to someone so formidable.

But someone like that probably wouldn't even spare her a glance, she thought bitterly. She shook her head and tossed the ridiculous idea aside.

Composing her expression, Aurelia took Nahir's arm and walked toward the banquet hall as if nothing had happened.

The hotel returned to order. The guests raised their glasses again and chatted. The hall was filled with laughter and pleasantries, as lively as if the earlier chaos had never occurred.

Holding a glass of juice, Aurelia led Nahir around to greet various senior acquaintances.

When they reached a blonde auntie, the woman squinted and smiled:"You two really are a perfect match as a couple."

Aurelia's cheeks warmed slightly. She lowered her head and smiled without denying it.

Nahir's eyes lit up. He immediately took the opportunity to hold her hand, interlacing his fingers tightly, unable to suppress his grin.

To the onlookers, they looked more and more like a pair of passionate lovers.

Just then, a bald boss walked over with his wine glass. His smile seemed warm, but there was something off in his eyes.

"Do you even know who you're sitting with? You young people, drinking juice at a time like this—does that look right to you?"

A few other big shots nearby chimed in.

"That's right. Not drinking is disrespectful."

"Toasting with juice at a welcome banquet—is that proper?"

Nahir darkened a shade.

The bald boss handed a glass of red wine to Nahir, as if trying to smooth things over."Come on, drink up. Otherwise, I might get upset."

Nahir looked at the glass.

His fingers tightened slightly, but he didn't take it.

He glanced at Aurelia, hesitated, then lowered his eyes."Sorry, I'm allergic to grapes,"he said, his voice soft.

Everyone close to him knew that he wouldn't even touch desserts with grape ingredients. At least, that's what he let them believe.

But these people in front of him were all big names in the industry. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Aurelia noticed. She reached out and took the glass without a second thought, a polite smile on her face.

"Please don't make things hard for him. He really can't have a drop."She raised the glass slightly."I'll drink this one for him. Here's to your success."

The bald boss was the head of Manhattan Essentials, a company that held ten percent of New York's market share. Definitely not someone anyone wanted to offend.

Aurelia tilted her head back and downed the wine in one go.

Cheers erupted around her.

Nahir watched her back. The corner of his mouth curled up.He wasn't allergic to grapes.

But he loved watching her jump in to save him like that.

"Nahir, your girlfriend really stands up for you!"

"You're a lucky young man."

Nahir looked at her, his eyes full of emotion, and held her hand even tighter.

On the other side of the hall, shadows covered half the wall. Alexander stood there quietly, watching all of this clearly. He had pretended to leave through the front entrance earlier to hide his presence, then circled back into the hall through the back door.

He watched Aurelia drink that glass of wine for Nahir. His Adam's apple moved slightly. Something seemed to press hard against his chest, leaving a dull ache.

He suddenly thought back to when they had just graduated from college.

Aurelia was just starting her business back then. Everyone at the dinner table wanted to test her limits. Her stomach was weak, after just a couple of sips, her face would turn pale. But she still forced a smile and went around toasting everyone one by one.

It was Alexander who had taken the wine glass from her hand, again and again.

"She can't drink. I'll do it for her."

That night, he drank until he got a gastric hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital. With an IV needle in the back of his hand, he was still worrying whether she had successfully closed the deal.

But now, his wife was standing beside another man, raising her glass and drinking for another man.

Alexander lowered his eyes. His fingers slowly clenched.

He felt as if a wound had been torn open in his chest, with cold wind rushing straight in.

But he didn't step forward.

The next second, he turned and walked toward the service area.

He just watched, wanting to see what other outrageous things Aurelia would do for Nahir.

A few minutes later, Alexander changed into a waiter's uniform:a black vest, a white shirt, cuffs neatly rolled up to his wrists, and pushed a small cart back into the banquet hall.

His figure was too striking. Even in a waiter's uniform, his sharp presence couldn't be suppressed.

But by now, everyone in the hall was focused on Aurelia and Nahir, and no one noticed him.

In the crowd of onlookers, someone yelled out first.

"You two are so lovey‑dovey. How about a cross‑arm cup toast?"

As soon as that was said, others immediately joined in the cheering.

"Do it! Do it!"

"Since it's a welcome banquet, a cross‑arm toast is a must!"

"Nahir, you can't wimp out!"

Nahir's face flushed from the shouting, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. He picked up a glass of red wine next to him and turned to look at Aurelia:"Aura, how about…just one glass?"

Aurelia's cheeks were tinged with pink. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but amid the laughter and urging of the crowd, she still reached for another glass.

The applause and whistles around them grew even louder.

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

"This is so sweet!"

Nahir could barely stop smiling. He immediately extended his arm.

Aurelia bit her lip and raised her own arm.

Their arms intertwined, the glasses drew close, just about to touch their lips—

At that moment, a small cart suddenly slammed in from the side.

Crack! The corner of the cart hit Nahir's leg hard.

Caught off guard, Nahir staggered. The wine glass flew out of his hand. Red wine splashed all over him. The glass hit the floor and shattered on the spot.

"Ah!"

Exclamations of surprise rose from all around.

Nahir's face twisted in pain. He clutched his leg, and his entire expression turned cold.

Aurelia quickly moved to support him, her anger rising. For once, she couldn't maintain her usual composure. She spun around, ready to lash out.

"Can't you watch where you're going, you……"

But before she could finish, she got a clear look at his face. It was a face she knew all too well, but he wasn't supposed to be here.

"...Alexander?"Aurelia froze for a moment."What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at home cleaning?"