And at that moment… everything else faded into the background. Ethan noticed her, too. Although it was their first time meeting, and they were separated by many people in between, their eyes found each other like magnets.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Yet, something shifted in the air. Rose felt her heart skip a beat. She had never seen such an extraordinary man before… his confidence, his aura, his presence. He wasn’t like the spineless men she was used to manipulating.
He exuded dominance, but not the overbearing kind. It was the natural kind, the kind that drew people in, making them want to get closer.
On the other side, Ethan was equally mesmerized.
Rose’s stunning figure, her elegant yet fiery temperament, she was unlike any woman he had encountered before.
It was as if fate itself had planned their meeting. Watching this Cliché scene unfold, Alex couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
“Hmph! No surprise there.” Even in this setting, even with so many people around, the protagonist and heroine still managed to lock eyes and fall into instant attraction.
‘Now this is what I should call a ‘live at first sight with the protagnist’ in the middle of saying something.’ It was as if some invisible force was ensuring that they would meet and begin their story together.
“I must say Classic novel logic.” Alex’s smirk deepened. “Looks like these two were destined to be together, huh?” But that didn’t matter to him.
If Rose wanted to throw herself at Ethan, let her. Alex wasn’t playing by the same script… plot or whatever it is anymore.
After what felt like a few seconds of staring at the contest, Rose finally snapped back to reality. She had almost forgotten why she had rushed here in the first place.
Turning away from Ethan, though not without a lingering glance, she went straight toward Alex, her anger straight at her face. Her high heels clicked against the floor like war drums.
If not for his butler stepping forward to block her, she might have lunged at Alex right then and there. But even with the barrier between them, Rose had no intention of holding back. Her voice rang out across the entire hall, filled with indignation.
“Alex! You better explain yourself right now!” Everyone’s attention snapped toward them. Even Ethan raised an eyebrow, curious about the scene of anger.
Rose, however, didn’t care about the audience. She was angry and she was a novel heroine so you can guess the next thing… yes they don’t care.
“You dare freeze all my cards?!” she shouted. “And on top of that, you fired my relatives from your company?!” Her chest heaved with rage as she pointed a perfectly manicured finger at him.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with cold arrogance. “Let me make one thing crystal clear, Alex,” she sneered.
“After today, I will never marry you. Even if you begged me on your knees, it’s never happening!” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with pure disdain.
“You can regret all you want, you can apologize, but I will never take you back!” Her words echoed through the banquet hall. The tension in the air was thick, the surrounding guests watching in shock and intrigue.
In the past, a confrontation like this would have crushed the original Alex fully. He would have scrambled to apologize, groveled at her feet, and begged for forgiveness, all in desperate hopes of winning her forgiveness again.
But this wasn’t the old Alex anymore. Alex, unfazed, turned to his butler with a calm expression.
“Waters.” Alex said, looking at the side to his butler.
“Yes, Sir?” His butler as quick as always replied Immediately.
“Slap her a few times. She’s getting too noisy.” The words stunned the audience.
For a second, no one reacted. Even Rose’s mind went blank. She had never expected this response.
His butler, however, had no hesitation. “Yes, Sir!” Without a moment’s delay, Walter took a step forward.
Rose’s eyes widened.
“You… you wouldn’t dare—”
SMACK!
A crisp slap echoed through the silent party hall.
Before Rose could even fully process what had just happened…
SMACK!
Another slap landed, sending a quick little shockwave to her cheek and some of the faces ‘what is going on through the room’. Gasps erupted among the guests.
The Party hall fell into complete silence.
….
A burning pain spread across Rose’s cheek, her skin still tingling from the force of the slap. But more than the physical pain, it was the sheer shock that left her speechless.
She couldn’t believe it. Alex had actually ordered his butler to slap her… and that too in front of everyone.
Not just once, but twice.
For years, she had treated him like her obedient little lapdog, confident that no matter how much she humiliated or toyed with him, he would always come crawling back.
But now… He had actually dared to talk back and retaliate?
The Party hall was completely silent, every guest frozen in place as they processed what had just happened.
Then, hushed murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.
“Wait… isn’t Alex supposed to be obsessed with Rose? Why would he humiliate her like this?”
“Are you an idiot? Can’t you see? Rose played him for years, and now Alex has had enough.”
“Tsk… without Alex’s support, the Winters family is finished.”
“Well, that’s what she gets. If she had just married him earlier, she wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Disdainful whispers filled the room.
For the first time in her life, Rose… who had always basked in admiration… was the subject of mockery, pity and humiliation.
The realization of this made her blood boil.
“Alex…” Her voice trembled with fury as she gathered herself, her breathing erratic.
“How dare you hit me? You’re just a pathetic loser who has always been at my beck and call! You think that just because you’ve grown a spine, you can humiliate me?! I’ll… ” She lunged forward like a wild animal, ready to claw at him.
But Alex? He didn’t even flinch. He simply stood there, unbothered. And before she could reach him…
He spoke.
“I suggest you calm down,” Alex said, his tone indifferent to whatever happened and whatever insults she threw at him.
(A/N: Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!!)
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