The Mistreated Heir Is An Urban God

6

The grand entrance of Twins' Hall gleamed under the evening lights, its crystal chandeliers visible even from the street. Alex stood before the same doors where his world had shattered just days ago, holding the ticket Rufus had provided. His hands felt cold despite the mild weather.

He approached the reception desk.

And there she was—Jane, the same hostile attendant who'd witnessed his humiliation at Victor's engagement party. Her perfectly styled hair and immaculate uniform couldn't hide the cruel satisfaction that flashed across her face when she recognized him.

"Well, well, well." Jane's voice dripped with venom. "Look what the sewer coughed up. The cockroach returns to the scene of his greatest embarrassment."

Alex placed his ticket on the marble counter. "I have a meeting with the CEO. This is my access ticket."

Jane picked up the ticket between two fingers like it was contaminated, her nose wrinkling in exaggerated disgust. "A ticket? YOU have a ticket? Did you steal this from someone's trash, you filthy parasite?"

"It's legitimate. Check your system."

"Oh, I'll check the system alright." Jane tapped on her computer, her smile growing wider with each passing second. "But we both know what this is—another pathetic attempt by a beggar to crawl into places where he doesn't belong. You're like a roach that doesn't understand when it's been stepped on."

A small crowd began gathering—other attendants, early arrivals for evening events, security personnel. They whispered among themselves, some recognizing Alex from his previous humiliation.

"Isn't that the guy who crashed Mr. Sterling's engagement?"

"The janitor who thought he could marry Maya Rodriguez?"

"How sad. He's back for more embarrassment."

Jane's voice rose, playing to her audience. "Sir, this ticket is clearly fraudulent. I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I call the authorities. Or better yet—" She snapped her fingers. "Security! We have a vagrant trying to scam his way into the venue!"

Two burly guards approached, their hands moving toward Alex's arms.

"Wait—I have a legitimate meeting. Call the CEO's office. They'll confirm—"

"The CEO?" Jane burst into laughter so harsh it echoed through the marble lobby. "You hear that, everyone? This insect thinks he has a meeting with the CEO! Next, he'll tell us he's secretly a prince!"

The crowd laughed, their mockery washing over Alex like acid.

"Ma'am, I need to see identification," one guard demanded.

Alex reached for his wallet when the automatic doors whooshed open behind him.

The entire lobby fell silent.

Sophia Cane entered like a vision from another world—tall, elegant, wearing a form-fitting black dress that probably cost more than most people's cars. Her sunglasses perched perfectly on her head, her skin flawless under the lights. Four personal guards flanked her, their presence radiating professional menace. Every eye in the room turned to stare, some people's mouths literally dropping open.

She stopped, her gaze sweeping across the crowd with complete indifference, until her eyes landed on Alex.

Recognition flickered across her cold features.

Sophia walked directly toward him, her heels clicking against marble with each purposeful step. The crowd parted automatically, people stumbling over themselves to make way.

"There you are," Sophia said, her voice carrying that same detached coolness from their earlier encounter. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Jane's jaw dropped. "I—what? Ma'am, I don't think you understand—this man is a vagrant trying to—"

"You have something to say?" Sophia's ice-cold gaze turned to Jane, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"I—I was just explaining that this beggar—"

"Beggar?" Sophia's perfectly shaped eyebrow arched slightly. "You're calling him a beggar?"

"Yes! Look at him! He's clearly trying to scam his way into the venue. People like him are parasites, Ma'am. Cockroaches that need to be exterminated before they infest decent establishments."

"People like him?" Sophia repeated, her tone dangerously soft.

"Exactly! You seem like a respectable woman—surely you understand we can't have street rats contaminating our venue." Jane straightened proudly, completely oblivious to the shifting atmosphere. "My role model always says to keep standards high and remove the insects before they breed. Sophia Gerald—you've probably heard of her? The third-best actress in the city? She's who I aspire to be like."

Something that might have been dark amusement flickered in Sophia's eyes. "Sophia Gerald. That's your role model."

"Absolutely! She's brilliant, beautiful, and she doesn't associate with cockroaches like—" Jane gestured dismissively at Alex. "—like whatever this thing is."

Sophia pulled out her phone with deliberate slowness. Her fingers moved across the screen with practiced precision. "Interesting. Let me show you something."

She tapped one final button.

Every phone in the lobby buzzed simultaneously—a notification sound that rippled through the crowd like a wave. People grabbed their devices, screens illuminating faces with blue light.

Sophia had posted a location-limited message that only people within fifty feet could receive:

@SophiaGeraldOfficial: Currently at Twins' Hall dealing with an interesting situation. Note to venue staff: insulting guests doesn't reflect well on your establishment. #TwinsHall #ProfessionalismMatters

The crowd's reaction was instantaneous. Gasps echoed through the lobby. Phones nearly dropped from trembling hands. Eyes darted between screens and the woman standing before them.

Jane's face went from confident to confused to absolute horror in three seconds flat. "No... that's not... you can't be..."

"Sophia Gerald," Sophia stated flatly, removing her sunglasses to reveal those famous cold eyes that had graced a hundred magazine covers. "The third-best actress. Your role model. The person you just called a beggar by association."

Jane's phone clattered to the marble floor. Her face drained of all color until she looked like a ghost wearing makeup.

"I—I didn't—oh God—" Jane dropped to her knees so hard the sound echoed. "Miss Gerald! I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you! Please, I was just doing my job! I didn't mean any disrespect!"

The other attendants, the security guards, even some of the crowd members fell to their knees, their faces masks of terror and mortification.

"You didn't recognize me," Sophia repeated, her voice colder than Arctic ice. "But you had no problem calling a man you didn't know a cockroach, a parasite, an insect. You had no problem trying to have him physically removed without even verifying his credentials properly."

"He crashed Mr. Sterling's engagement! Everyone knows he's a fraud!"

"Everyone knows?" Sophia's gaze could have frozen flames. "Or everyone ASSUMES? There's a difference. One requires thought. Clearly, that's beyond your capability."

Sophia turned to Alex, her expression softening fractionally—though still maintaining that icy indifference she wore like armor. "My phone number." She handed him a business card with elegant script. "Call me if you need anything. Consider it payment for the earlier rescue."

"You don't have to—"

"I don't do things I don't want to do." Sophia glanced back at Jane, who remained on her knees, trembling. "You should thank him, by the way."

Jane looked up, confused. "Thank him?"

"For having a calm, patient nature. If he'd responded to your insults the way most people would, this situation would be much worse for you." Sophia's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Remember that the next time you judge someone by their clothes instead of their character."

Sophia left, her guards forming a protective barrier as she swept out of the lobby like ice royalty departing a peasant's hall.

The crowd remained frozen, some still on their knees, others whispering frantically to each other. Jane slowly rose, her face twisted with humiliation and rage.

"She was just being kind to a stranger," Jane muttered, her voice shaking. "Probably some publicity stunt. Making herself look good." Her eyes narrowed at Alex with renewed hatred. "You got lucky, cockroach. But I know what you are. I KNOW."

She snatched the ticket from the counter and examined it more closely, her fingers trembling. She pulled up her computer system, entering the ticket number with aggressive keystrokes.

ERROR: TICKET NUMBER INVALID

Jane's face transformed into a mask of vindictive triumph. "I KNEW IT! You're a fraud! This ticket is FAKE!"

Alex's stomach dropped. "That's impossible. Rufus gave me—"

"I don't care who gave you what! This ticket doesn't exist in our system!" Jane's voice rose to a shriek. "You tried to scam your way in using a counterfeit ticket! That's ILLEGAL!"

She turned to the security guards who'd stood back up, her eyes blazing with vengeful fury. "I want this cockroach arrested. I want him thrown out. And I want him BANNED from every venue in this city!"

Jane leaned across the counter, her voice dropping to a poisonous whisper. "You think some actress's kindness saves you? You think you matter now? You're NOTHING. And I'm going to make absolutely sure everyone knows it. By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd stayed in whatever gutter spawned you."