Chapter 3

The drama at the gala was still going on.

The bodyguard roughly tore open my cheap bag, dumping its contents onto the floor.

A few crumpled bills, a pack of tissues, and the bloody pieces of the shattered watch.

No ring.

Julian's face darkened, and he shot a look at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard got the hint. He suddenly pointed at my suit pocket.

"It's in here!"

He reached in and pulled out a glittering sapphire ring.

The crowd gasped.

"Oh my god, he really did steal it!"

"A murderer's son is bound to have sticky fingers!"

"Call the cops! Throw him in jail so he can reunite with his father!"

Vicious curses rained down on me from all sides.

I couldn't defend myself. I shook my head, crying hysterically.

"It wasn't me... you planted it on me..."

My tears were completely out of control, and my stomach twisted in painful spasms.

Julian looked down at me, a victorious smirk on his face.

"Asher, people like you are meant to rot in the mud. Appeal the case? In your next life."

He lifted his foot and slammed his leather shoe down on the back of my hand, grinding it hard.

"Ugh—"

I gasped, a white-hot agony shooting up my arm. The pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

Just then, a loud *crash* echoed through the room.

The heavy double doors of the ballroom were kicked open from the outside.

Dozens of men in black suits filed in, instantly taking control of the room.

The crowd was forced to part, creating a wide path.

Vivian Vance marched in.

Her suit was slightly disheveled, a faint trace of blood still at the corner of her lips. Her face was as pale as paper, but her dark eyes held a bone-chilling coldness.

She walked straight to me, looking at my hand pinned under his shoe and the blood on the floor.

At that moment, I saw her body tremble violently, a flash of extreme agony crossing her eyes.

"Get off him."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, crushing authority.

Julian froze, clearly not expecting Vivian to show up.

"M-Ms. Vance? What are you doing here? This guy stole my ring, I was just teaching him a lesson—"

"I said, get off him."

Vivian snapped her gaze to him, her eyes like ice-cold daggers.

Julian was forced back a step by her gaze, instinctively lifting his foot.

Vivian knelt, completely ignoring the expensive carpet, and gently cupped my blood-covered hand.

Her hands were freezing, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Asher," she said, her voice terribly raspy. "Did I not tell you to call me if anything happened?"

I looked at her, my feelings of injustice reaching a peak.

"Vivian... I didn't steal it... It was my dad's watch..."

My eyes were filled with tears, my voice shaking uncontrollably.

Vivian's brows knitted tightly, her throat working hard as she swallowed down another wave of shared pain.

She suddenly reached out, pulling my head gently against her shoulder.

"Stop crying," she whispered in my ear, her voice thick with suppressed agony.

"If you keep crying, you're going to kill me with this pain."

I froze, momentarily forgetting to cry.

Vivian took a deep breath, took off her blazer, and draped it over my shoulders. Then, she slowly stood up, shielding me behind her.

She turned to Julian, her eyes returning to a state of absolute, chilling indifference.

"Mr. Thorne. Framing, public disturbance, and aggravated assault."

"Any of these is enough for me to put you behind bars for a few years."

Julian tried to maintain his composure.

"Ms. Vance, what is that supposed to mean? He clearly stole my ring. Everyone saw it!"

"Oh? Really?"

Vivian sneered, turning her head to Luke.

Luke immediately stepped forward, opening his tablet and connecting it to the ballroom's massive projector screen.

On screen, a crystal-clear surveillance footage began to play.

It showed Julian, when I wasn't looking, slipping the sapphire ring into my suit pocket.

The room fell dead silent.

Julian's face went completely white, his lips trembling.

"Th-this... wasn't the camera broken?"

Vivian looked down at him as if looking at a corpse.

"Mr. Thorne, you probably didn't know that this hotel is a subsidiary of the Vance Group."

"To touch my person on my property? You've got some nerve."

She leaned in slightly, her voice quiet but ringing clearly in everyone's ears.

"Today, you stepped on his hand. Tomorrow, I will make sure the Thorne family is wiped out of New York."