After some persistent persuasion from Seraphina, Alexander finally caved and agreed to attend the Diamond banquet. He had no choice but to go solo since he was the sole invitee.
Guests flooded in through the grand entrance of the mansion, greeted by a display of extravagance and refinement. Twin marble staircases, draped with flowers, led up to intricately carved double doors flanked by torches held in ornate brass sconces.
The air hummed with the gentle melody of a string quartet, mingling with the laughter of the arriving guests.
Stepping inside, Alexander was embraced by the warm glow of crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, casting intricate patterns of light on the polished marble floors, flashing back memories from his past life, memories he had worked hard to bury, but now, they were resurfacing due to Geoffrey's sudden reappearance.
Navigating through the banquet hall, Alexander felt like a stranger in a strange land, with unfamiliar faces casting looks of disdain and mockery his way.
"Hey there," a lady greeted him with a bright smile.
"Hi," Alexander responded, relieved to finally have someone to converse with before he lost his sanity to their stares.
"Is this your first time at the king's party?" she asked politely.
"Is it that obvious?" he retorted with a smirk.
"I'm Elaine Wellstone, princess of Wellstone Company," she introduced herself.
Wellstone Company, a titan in the business world with a net worth in the multibillion-dollar range, wielded immense influence across various industries.
"I'm Alexander Chase," he replied.
"Modest," she remarked.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Alexander quipped.
"At events like these, you don't just state your name; you flaunt your wealth, your lineage, and your worth," Elaine explained.
"Oh, I'm worth nothing, not a single penny," Alexander joked.
Elaine desperately hoped it was indeed a joke. "Ha-ha, that's a joke, right?" she nervously laughed.
"It isn't. I'm the live-in son-in-law in the Lockwood family," Alexander disclosed.
"What did you just say?" Elaine's disgust was palpable.
"I'm a live-in son-in-law—" Alexander's sentence was cut off as Elaine poured her drink on him, unable to bear his presence any longer.
"What the hell, Elaine?" Alexander exclaimed.
"Don't dare speak my name with your wretched tongue," she spat at him. "What a joke," she muttered before storming away.
"Gross. I can't believe she spent all that time talking to someone like him!" someone said in a near distance.
"How did he even get invited here?" Another uttered.
"A live-in-son-law? I'd rather kill myself," another rebuked.
"Isn't that the wretched live-in-son-in-law of the Lockwood family?"
"Eww, he's so gross."
"Yeah, what a total loser am I right?"
Alexander felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him as he recalled a quote he once read:
"In this world, strength defines a person.And indeed, strength was often equated with wealth. Those without strength are crushed." he mused silently, overhearing the disdainful remarks of the other guests.
As Alexander walked to the bar of the banquet main hall, his resentment toward the societal upper one percent magnified, and his disdain for his father grew as well. 'They're all the same,' he muttered to himself.
"One glass of vodka," he requested.
Suddenly, a man came to sit next to him, standing around him were five others.
"Alexander Chase! who would have imagined I'd meet you here of all places," the man said.
"And you are," Alexander replied to the unfamiliar face.
"Forgive my manners, I am Julian Monroe, heir of the Monroe Family..." he said.
"Good for you," Alexander replied, cutting him short, without looking back at him.
'The same Julian Monroe that wants my wife himself, what the hell could he possibly want now' Alexander thought to himself.
"O it will be, once you sign this paper that is," Julian said, pulling out a document and sliding it over to Alexander.
Alexander picked up the document and glanced over. His eyes widened at its content.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
"It's simple. Divorce Seraphina Lockwood, so I can make her wife and I will reward you handsomely for your troubles," Julian said.
Alexander took a long stare at him, 'The audacity, trying to buy him to divorce Seraphina?" he thought to himself.
"You must have had a lot to drink tonight to even think of such a thing, Mr. Monroe."
"O come on, you and I know this is bound to happen sooner or later. Don't tell me you truly believe a wretched pauper like yourself can keep a woman like Seraphina Lockwood to yourself?" he poked.
"We are done here," Alexander said as he rose to leave, but was blocked by Julian's men.
"We are not done until I say we are done," Julian said, sipping his glass of alcohol.
"What is this?"
"Alexander, things don't have to get ugly, all you have to do is sign to damn paper, I make Seraphina sign her share, we get married and you get a massive compensation. Tell me, how much do you want? Five million, ten million, just name the price you got it."
"What makes you so sure Seraphina would want to marry you?"
"Why wouldn't she, and frankly speaking it's not up to her, I have everything planned with her mother, the only thing left is for you to sign the damn papers and stop asking questions that don't concern you."
"And if I don't," Alexander said.
Julian emptied his glass, and he then tapped the bar table twice. With that, his henchmen began flashing weapons such as knuckle rings and batons tucked underneath their shirts, as well as cracking their necks and knuckles.
"Then we would be forced to take this meeting outside," he said.
Alexander looked around, then took a deep sigh. And just he was about to muster his next words or reaction;
"Alexander, you made it?" a voice yelled from a distance, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. It was Jacob Harrington.