At that mont Gasps rippled through the hall like a tidal wave.
All eyes turned as William Victor the eldest son of the Victor family stepped into the golden light of the room, flanked by his younger brother Oliver and their father, The Patriarch of the Victor family himself.
The entire Victor entourage followed, dressed in clean-cut suits, each man and woman carrying an air of authority that made the already grand event hall feel small.
The guests stood instinctively, many bowing their heads, others clapping lightly in welco. Even the host of the event paused mid-sentence, stepping aside to allow the most powerful family in South Caden their rightful presence.
Jas froze where he stood, his heart pounded as if it would rip through his chest.
They’re here? Now? And Cora was still on stage.
His face went pale, In a burst of panic, he rushed down from the podium, ignoring the whispers behind him, moving fast to intercept William before anyone said anything he couldn’t control.
He forced a nervous smile, his hands half-raised in explanation. "Mr. William, sir, I’m so sorry you had to walk into... this," Jas said, throwing a quick glance back at Cora. "She’s insane. A mad woman. She ca here to ruin the event your event! You know how these bitter ex-wives are. she just—"
"WHIP!"
William’s arm moved, but his hand stopped midair, just inches from Jas’s face.
The sharp movent alone was enough to make Jas flinch and stumble backward, nearly tripping over his own polished shoes.
William’s jaw was clenched so tightly it looked like stone. His voice, though low, cut through the air with steel.
"Don’t you ever call that woman mad again," he said coldly.
At that mont Jas gulped.
William’s eyes flicked toward the security n who had been summoned earlier. "Nobody touches her. No one. Ever."
The guards those privately called by other families imdiately stepped away, their stance dissolving into stillness. Tension left their faces as they fell into a neutral position.
The mont the threat was gone, William’s voice rose slightly, now addressing the crowd.
"Now," he said, "I want to know—who were the families that took it upon themselves to call private security in our event?"
Imdiately the hall went still again.
Three n slowly raised their hands, faces pale with fear, their wives gripping their arms in silent regret.
Then William turned to face them, his eyes filled with fire and disdain.
"Effective imdiately," he said, "you are all placed on blacklist status by the Victor family. For publicly insulting our ability to provide security and for indirectly mocking our family as incompetent in our own house."
At that mont the entire hall held its breath as the heads of the three families dropped to their knees with a loud thud, begging shalessly for forgiveness.
"Please, Young Master William!"
"We ant no disrespect!"
"It was a misunderstanding!"
Their voices overlapped in panic. Sweat dripped from their foreheads. Their wives were in tears, clasping their husbands’ arms, whispering frantic prayers that this wouldn’t be the end for their legacies.
But William didn’t spare them another look.
Without hesitation, he tilted his head toward the guards and said coldly, "Escort them out."
Imdiately the security n stepped forward. In less than a minute, the three once-revered families were forcefully dragged out of the event hall, their cries and pleading echoing down the corridor like a bitter wind.
The sight was enough to silence every whisper in the room. No one dared even blink too loudly now. All eyes turned to Jas, who stood frozen near the stage, his face pale and expression unreadable.
Jas’s heart pounded.
He wasn’t sure anymore what this was turning into. He believed the Victor family might be acting out of anger perhaps they were ashad the ceremony had been disturbed, and the fact that the cause was connected to him could ruin everything. If they considered him part of the embarrassnt, it could cost him everything.
At that mont Jas swallowed his fear and composed himself.
He gave a small, nervous chuckle before clapping his hands loudly. "Alright, everyone!" he said with a strained smile. "Let’s all take our seats now. The Victor family is here. The evening is still young, and we have a long way to go."
He clapped again louder this ti trying to signal to the crowd that things were under control.
Slowly, hesitantly, people followed his lead and sat down.
But the air had changed, It was no longer Jas’s mont.
When the room had finally settled, William pulled up his cuff slightly and checked the ti on his diamond-encrusted wristwatch. The soft tick was almost audible in the tense silence.
Then he raised his voice calmly and firmly.
"For those of you expecting imdiate disbursent of the benefits associated with tonight’s recognition," he said, "we’ll need to clarify a few things."
Hearing what he just said Murmurs started.
William continued, "This event was originally intended to be a public acknowledgnt of promising businessn. However, due to several recent developnts... the final decision regarding the exclusive contracts with the Victor Group will not be announced tonight."
At that mont the whispers turned into stunned gasps.
William’s expression remained composed. "The contract on our end remains open for one more month. During that ti, we will carefully evaluate each candidate’s business integrities."
Upon hearing what William just said, Jas felt like the floor beneath him had just cracked open, dragging his entire world down into a dark, bottomless pit.
This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go.
This was supposed to be his night. His rise. His grand step into the light of power, more money, and glory. But now, everything was shifting too quickly—slipping out of his hands before he could grasp what was happening.
At that mont he couldn’t take it anymore.
Trying to hold onto the one thread of hope he had left, Jas cleared his throat and asked in a strained voice, "Since I won the award tonight... that ans I’ll be getting the Victor family contract, right? I an... I have only a month to claim it, yes?"
His voice tried to sound confident, but it cracked halfway.
William, who had paused near the side of the stage with his entourage, turned around calmly. His eyes t Jas’s.
"No," William replied bluntly, his voice cold and rciless. "The Victor family never promised a contract to the winner of this public award."
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