The crowd looked on, visibly unsettled, as if they''d stumbled onto a scandalous secret.


    No one dared break the silence.


    After all, neither Ss nor Nigel was someone you wanted to cross.


    And as for Calliope... everyone wondered-could she really be that sort of person? If Ss ever found out about this, wouldn''t it be the end of her?


    "Nigel, don''t you think you should step back a bit?" Lisette challenged, fixing him with an icy stare. "Anyone else could stand up for her, but you? Out of everyone here, you''re the least appropriate to y her defender, aren''t you?"


    Nigel''s gaze was cold and dangerous as he looked at her. "Oh? Do you have a problem with that?" he said, his voice low. "Or do you just enjoy making wild assumptions?"


    In a sh, Nigel lunged, his hand closing tightly around Lisette''s throat. The movement was so quick, so sudden, that the room seemed to freeze. All eyes snapped to them, panic flickering in every face.


    Monty and a couple of others, who''d been idly watching, were caught off guard.


    Valerian was so terrified he didn''t even try to intervene.


    His fear of Nigel was legendary-Nigel was infamous for his unpredictability, a reckless madman who broke the rules at will and never cared what anyone thought. He was the kind of man everyone believed was capable of anything.


    "Wild assumptions?" Nigel''s voice was venomous as his grip tightened. "What, would you prefer I say I have feelings for you? That I''m so infatuated I want to strangle you?"


    Lisette''s pain was immediate and searing. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her face flushed deep red, then quickly began to turn purple. At first, she tried to fight him off, but her struggles lost steam; she could only stare at Nigel eyes wide with dread, like she was face to face with a monster.


    He''s insane... truly insane. Was she really going to die here, at his hands?


    A wave of ice-cold terror swept through her. Was this how it would end? She hadn''t even had her chance to deal with Calliope, and now she was about to die herself? The thought chilled her to the core, leaving her paralyzed with fear.


    All around them, the other guests could only watch, their breaths caught in their throats. No one dared step forward. With someone like Nigel, if you spoke up, you could be next. Lisette''s life wasn''t worth risking their own. Everyone valued their own safety over everything else.


    Secretly, they couldn''t help but wonder if Nigel would actually do it—would he kill her? And the way he was reacting... was there really something going on between him and Calliope?


    Just then, Damien stepped forward, finally snapping out of his self-recriminations. Why was he taking orders from Nigel anyway? He wasn''t Nigel''s assistant—Lnd was. What business of Nigel''s was any of this?


    Shaking off his frustration, Damien strode to Calliope''s side and addressed the crowd in a calm, steady voice.


    "My apologies, everyone. There


    seems to have been some


    confusion," he announced. "Rest assured, Calliope and Mr. Myers are perfectly well-their rtionship is strong as ever. Myer''s simply has


    some matters to handle tonight, which is why I''m here apanying Calliope."


    He paused, letting his words settle. “Mr. Myers knows Mr. Howell is here, and he and Calliope trust each other implicitly. Even if Mr. Howell wanted to get between them, he''d never seed."


    Damien cast a pointed nce at Lisette, who was still gasping for air.


    “As for this woman—she has brought this on herself. Spreading rumors is easy, but disproving them costs dearly."


    With Damien''s words, the tension in the room suddenly eased. The crowd finally exhaled, realizing it had all been a misunderstanding after all.