The Rise Of The Quintillionaire

Chapter 6

The ballroom was completely silent. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The only sound in the huge, beautiful room was the soft dripping of the spilled champagne. The yellow liquid dripped from Lisa’s high heels and tapped quietly against the broken crystal glass on the cold marble floor. 

The silence was heavy. It felt agonizing. 

Every single important guest in the room was staring at the man in the dark Tom Ford suit. The Mayor, the Police Chief, the rich bankers, and the famous actors were all completely frozen. They did not know who this man was, but they could feel the heavy, terrifying power coming from him. He stood in the center of the room like a god among insects. 

Lisa stood frozen in her place. Her mind was spinning in dark, terrifying circles. She looked closely at the man. He had the same broad shoulders. He had the same dark hair. But his face was sharper, harder. His body was much thicker and stronger than before. And his eyes—his eyes were completely different. 

They were not the eyes of the gentle, loving man she had married. They were not the eyes of the humble firefighter who kissed her forehead every morning. They were the eyes of a cold, dangerous predator. 

Lisa’s heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped bird. She felt sick. She felt terrified. But she had to know. 

She took a shaky breath. Her legs felt weak, like they were made of water. She slowly lifted her hand and took one trembling step forward. 

"Alex...?" she whispered. Her voice was thin and shaky in the quiet room. She reached her shaking fingers out toward him, desperate for an answer. "Is... is that really you, Alex?"

Alex did not reach out to hold her hand. He did not smile. He did not look happy to see her. 

He slowly looked down at her shaking fingers. Then, he looked at her face. He looked at her like she was a dirty piece of trash on the bottom of his shoe. There was no love in his gaze. There was no sadness. There was only absolute, freezing disgust. 

"No," Alex answered. 

His voice was deep, smooth, and terribly calm. The single word echoed across the grand ballroom, freezing the air. It sent a cold shiver down Lisa's spine. 

Alex took one slow step closer to her. The heavy thud of his expensive shoe on the marble floor sounded like a judge's hammer. 

"That man died in the fire," Alex said, looking directly into her wide, terrified eyes. "I am just the king that climbed out of the ashes."

Lisa gasped loudly. Her hand dropped to her side. The words hit her like a physical punch to the chest. The fire. He knew. He remembered everything. He remembered the heavy beam on his leg. He remembered the thick, black smoke. Most importantly, he remembered the cold, empty look on her face when she turned her back and left him in the dark to burn. 

The heavy diamond necklace around Lisa's neck suddenly felt like a rope. She could not breathe. She took a step back, hiding her face in fear. 

Suddenly, Marcus Vance pushed his way to the front. 

Marcus had been standing behind Lisa, completely in shock. But now, his shock was turning into wild, hot anger. His face turned bright red. He looked around and saw Mayor Thomas and Judge Miller staring at him. He saw the European billionaires watching him. 

Marcus felt completely humiliated. This was his special night. This was his multi-million-dollar charity gala. He was supposed to be the most important, powerful man in the room. He was supposed to be the center of attention. 

Marcus marched forward, pushing Lisa out of his way. He stood two feet in front of Alex. He puffed his chest out in his expensive blue velvet jacket, trying to look big and brave. 

"What is this?" Marcus yelled loudly, his voice cracking with anger. "What kind of sick, twisted joke is this?"

Alex just looked at him. He did not blink. He stood perfectly still, letting Marcus scream like a silly child. 

Marcus pointed an angry finger right at Alex's face. "You think you can come into my party and play a trick on me? I know Alex Carter! I worked with him for ten years! I watched him..." Marcus stopped his words quickly, looking around at the crowd. He swallowed hard. "I mean, I saw the building burn to the ground! Alex Carter is dead! He burned to ash!"

Alex did not say a word. He just stared at Marcus's red, sweating face. 

Marcus laughed loudly. It was an ugly, nervous laugh. He turned around to face the rich guests, waving his arms. 

"Look at this guy!" Marcus shouted to the crowd, trying to win them back. "He is just a cheap actor! Some jealous rival hired him to look like Alex and ruin my perfect night! He hired these fake, plastic security guards to kick open my beautiful doors and scare us! Well, I am not scared! I am Marcus Vance! I am worth five hundred million dollars! I am a giant in this city!"

The crowd did not laugh with Marcus. Mayor Thomas slowly took a step backward, moving away from Marcus. Police Chief Davis narrowed his eyes, studying Alex's face very carefully. Lord Roth, the famous oil billionaire, just shook his head at Marcus in total disgust. 

Marcus turned back to Alex, his face twisted with pure rage. 

"You think you can come in here and steal my spotlight?" Marcus spat, spit flying from his lips. "I am going to destroy you! I am going to have you thrown in a dark jail cell for the rest of your pathetic life!"

Marcus turned his head and looked wildly around the room. 

"Mr. Higgins!" Marcus barked like a wild dog. "Where is the hotel manager? Higgins! Get over here right now!"

Mr. Higgins, the small, older hotel manager in the gray suit, nervously walked out from the edge of the crowd. He was sweating heavily. He held a small white towel in his hands, twisting it tightly because he was so afraid. 

"Yes, Mr. Vance?" Mr. Higgins whispered, keeping his eyes on the floor. 

"Do your job!" Marcus ordered, pointing his finger at Alex. "Throw this fake actor out of my party right now! Call the real police! Have this man arrested for trespassing! I want him out of my sight in exactly ten seconds, or I will make sure you never work in this city again!"