Pride Collides
Evan’s face twisted.
Not irritation.
Not embarrassnt.
Rage.
The kind that crawled up from the spine and coiled behind the eyes.
His dark gaze locked onto Julian D’Aurelius as if he wanted to carve his na out of the air.
This bastard.
He’s dead.
Underfoot, the shiny stone caught their strained silence - cold, sharp, echoing battles without sound.
So guards moved ahead without thinking, creating space between Julian and whatever ca next.
Evan didn’t slow.
He surged forward.
Faster than most could follow, his body darted forward. Through empty space, his hand flew, slicing with a thin whistle trailing behind.
Bang.
A single guard tumbled through the air, tossed like debris in a storm.
A thud echoed as he barely lifted his elbows, then slid backward, smacking hard into a carved column.
A hush broke as breath caught in throats across the room.
A slight shake ran through the glass lights hanging above. The trembling showed in their quiet waver, almost like breath on ice.
A flicker of suspicion lit Julian’s golden eyes as they narrowed sharply.
(He really doesn’t care about consequences.)
Seeing Evan charging toward Julian, Selena’s heart clenched.
Without thinking, she stepped forward.
Her dress swayed sharply as she planted herself between them.
"Is bullying people with force all you know?" she shouted, her voice cutting through the hall like a blade.
Evan froze.
For a split second, disbelief flickered across his face.
She stood in front of him.
In front of him.
Protecting another man?
His pupils darkened.
Sothing dangerous flashed there—raw and violent.
His breath grew heavier.
My woman... protecting soone else?
A cold thought rose.
Kill him.
Kill him now.
But then—
Reason.
If he struck Julian here... in front of the Aurevale Household, in front of witnesses, in front of caras—
Even he couldn’t erase the aftermath cleanly.
To eliminate Julian—
It would have to be in the shadows.
Not under chandeliers and drones.
His clenched fists trembled once before he forced himself still.
Around them, the Aurevale Household began murmuring loudly.
"A brute is always a brute."
"Absolutely lawless. This is a society governed by law."
"Just call the police and let them handle it. I don’t believe he can get away with this."
"Speechless. If you can’t act cool, don’t try. What’s there to be so enraged about?"
Their tone had shifted completely.
Just minutes ago, they were awed.
Now—
They were disgusted.
Selena felt the shift too.
Her brows knit slightly.
Evan had always carried himself with calm dominance.
But this...
This looked reckless.
This looked ugly.
Evan’s jaw tightened further.
Bear stepped forward quickly, grabbing Evan’s arm from behind.
"Obsid—" he caught himself instantly. "Young Master Evan, don’t be impulsive. Calm down first."
His voice was low but urgent.
If they escalated now, everything would collapse.
Then Bear turned, eyes blazing toward Cillian.
"What does your Lunar Citadel an by this?" he barked. "Our Young Master Evan is hosting a birthday banquet for Miss Selena, and you dare to play us like this? Believe it or not, I’ll make sure your hotel can’t continue operating."
His threat echoed sharply in the high ceiling.
Cillian didn’t flinch.
He let out a short, cold laugh.
"Hosting a birthday banquet?" he said lightly. "Isn’t today Young Master Julian’s birthday banquet for Miss Selena?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"As for you... I didn’t take a single Euro from you. What do you have to say?"
Bear’s face stiffened.
In that instant—
He understood.
That was why they didn’t accept paynt.
They had planned this.
Deliberately.
Cillian turned his gaze toward Evan, voice sharpening.
"Also, our D’Aurelius Household has already ford an alliance with the Aurevale Household."
"This Young Master Evan is truly shaless, pursuing a girl who is already engaged?"
His tone turned openly mocking.
"A broken dog dares to bark here? I’ve lived for decades and never seen soone so shaless!"
The words struck like slaps.
Evan’s shoulders trembled faintly.
Obsidian King.
In distant lands, entire organizations bowed at his presence.
And here—
He was being insulted in public.
His teeth clenched so tightly a vein bulged at his temple.
"Exactly. Doesn’t he have any self-awareness? So shaless."
"President Cillian scolded him well. That’s exactly how it is."
"Brilliant. Just brilliant."
The Aurevale mbers echoed eagerly, sensing which side power favored.
Opportunistic.
Julian watched silently.
(You guys switch sides faster than stock prices.)
Bear could no longer hold back.
He stepped forward, pointing at the Aurevale mbers.
"You have the nerve to scold Young Master Evan?" he snapped. "Without Young Master Evan, your Aurevale Household wouldn’t have gotten that land in the west of the city in your lifeti!"
That line landed.
Hard.
The room went quieter.
Selena’s lashes lowered slightly.
Shan Aurevale’s face stiffened.
The Azure Crest Developnt Zone.
It was true.
They had secured it.
And Evan’s influence had seed responsible.
For a brief mont, the Aurevale mbers hesitated.
Their earlier confidence faltered.
Shan Aurevale’s expression darkened.
He stepped forward slowly, ready to say—
They would return the land.
If necessary.
Before he could speak—
Cillian snorted.
Cold.
Disdainful.
"What does the land in the west of the city have to do with you?" he said calmly. "It was Young Master Julian who spoke up and let the Aurevale Household have it."
His words cut cleanly through the tension.
"If you don’t believe it," he added, folding his hands behind his back, "call to confirm."
Silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
All eyes shifted between Julian and Evan.
Julian felt the pressure instantly.
(You’re really trying to bury alive, Cillian.)
He hadn’t even expected that move.
He had only intended to twist the banquet.
Now—
He had stolen the land credit too?
Evan’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Inside him, fury burned brighter.
This wasn’t just humiliation anymore.
This was theft.
Of credit.
Of status.
Of narrative.
And for the first ti that night—
The air in Lunar Citadel felt less like a celebration hall—
And more like a battlefield.
User Comments
0 comments from readers