"Wedding?!" Rose's rage flared up again as she turned to face her parents with a glare. "Are you out of your mind? After what he did to me today, you want me to marry him?" She pointed angrily at Alex.
"Did you not see him slap me in front of everyone?! You expect me to marry a man who humiliated me? Have you lost it?" Her parents looked at her, but Rose wasn't finished. She crossed her arms, staring down Alex with defiance in her eyes.
"And let's get this straight—those gifts, the cash, the cars—he gave them to me of his own free will!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Once you give something away, it's mine. I don't owe him anything." Her voice dripped with arrogance, as if she truly believed her own words.
Her declaration left the banquet hall stunned. Whispers grew louder among the guests, their looks now bordering on disbelief.
"I always thought she was just a spoiled brat, but this... this is something else."
"Does she think she can just walk away with everything?"
"She's ruined herself. If she had any chance before, it's gone now."
Even Ethan Carter, the one often seen as the hero, frowned. 'This woman... she's stunning, but she's a financial disaster waiting to happen.' He knew better than to get tangled with someone with such entitlement.
For a long moment, Alex did nothing, letting the gravity of Rose's words sink in. Then, without any warning, he flipped the entire banquet table over.
CRASH!
Plates broke, wine glasses shattered, and food and drink splattered everywhere. The hall went eerily quiet. Alex's eyes turned even colder, his face like a mask of death. When he spoke, his voice was low, commanding, filled with a terrifying calm.
"You're still playing this game? You think you're entitled to everything I've given you? You really believe you have some power over me?" He let out a chuckle, but there was no humor in it, only disdain.
"I'll say this one last time." His eyes narrowed, his aura suffocating. "I am not interested in your daughter. Not even a little bit." Harold and Lillian froze, their faces pale.
"And as for you, Rose…" Alex exhaled slowly, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. Then, as he blew out the smoke, his voice turned into a decree of doom.
"One hour."
"All Two Hundred Millions Dollars. Deposit it into my account." His words were calm, but the pressure behind them was undeniable. "On top of that—every single cent the Winters family has drained from Reid Industries over the years…"
"…I want it paid back in full." His voice grew colder.
"If you don't comply—" His gaze locked onto Harold, Lillian, and Rose. "I promise you…"
"…by tomorrow morning, every single one of you will be sitting in a much worse place… and the place will be very short for all of you." His tone was absolute—not a threat, but a guarantee.
The fear that flashed in Harold and Lillian's eyes was immediate. Rose, for all her arrogance, felt an unfamiliar sensation creeping up her spine. Terror.
….
Although Rose couldn't make sense of Alex's sudden change, she and her parents understood one dire reality:
If they had to return all the money Alex just asked for, it would devastate their finances. Without that money, their business empire would crumble overnight. But if they refused to pay...
Alex had made it clear; they'd end up in a worse place. There was no escape. For the first time, the Winters family was facing their darkest moment.
Rose's eyes turned red, her mind racing as she scanned the Party hall for any way out. She was used to being the one pulling the strings, manipulating situations to her favor. Now, she was the one trapped.
Her eyes then fell on someone across the room.
And of course by coincidence she looked at none other than the protagonist himself who was in his own world and was enjoying the scene.
Ethan, sitting confidently among the elite, young, powerful, and unaffected by the chaos around her. He wasn't looking at her with disdain like everyone else.
A glimmer of hope sparked in her heart. 'Maybe... maybe he can save us.'
Rose's demeanor changed in an instant. Her gaze filled with a mix of helplessness and vulnerability, silently pleading for help, hoping to stir Ethan's protective instincts.
Ethan noticed Rose's desperate look from across the hall. His eyebrows knitted together. '...Is she asking me for help?'
A moment of doubt crossed his face. They had never even spoken before; why would she look to him now? But seeing her teary, pleading eyes something inside him shifted.
"A woman like her, publicly shamed and desperate..." He monologues to no-one but himself. And then added, "How can I just sit back and do nothing?"
His hands balled into fists beneath the table. He was supposed to be the hero, right? And here was a damsel in distress, looking right at him. It felt like destiny. Plus...
Didn't he have skills in Fortune? If he could bend Walter to his will with his kills, surely he could do the same with Alex.
His confidence surged. A plan crystallized in his mind. This was his chance to make a name for himself. If he stepped in to save Rose and her family, they'd owe him. It would secure his status among the elite.
His hesitation melted away.
With deliberate, slow movements, Ethan pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. His smile was calm, reassuring as he looked at Rose and gave a slight nod.
"Don't worry, I've got this." Without another moment's pause, he turned to face Alex.
Ethan's voice cut through the tension-filled silence of the hall, smooth and assertive.
"Alex Reid..." Every eye in the room shifted to him.
"You're the CEO of Reid Industries, a man with immense power and prestige." He pointed towards Rose, his face the picture of moral outrage.
"Isn't it a bit… beneath you to be tormenting a woman like this?" Said Ethan and then just like this, after hearing so called righteous dialogue guests burst into murmurs like he just have declared the end of the world or something.
(A/N: Next Chapter Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!! And thank you 'Bluevirus' for being the first one to support through Golden Ticket (GT).
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