?Chapter 378:


    A sharp-tongued guest chuckled, voice dripping with mockery. “An unacknowledged son paired with the fake Morgan daughter… what a perfect match.”


    Among the elite, illegitimacy was a stain that could never be scrubbed clean — and Chris, unwanted by the Coopers, was the ultimate disgrace.


    “How did he even get in here?” someone scoffed.


    “I have never seen him at a Cooper event before. He must have slipped in somehow.”


    “If I were running things, I would throw both of them out before they embarrass the entire Cooper Group!”


    The low murmurs swelled into a tide of disdain. Upon hearing Chris’s tarnished identity, the security team exchanged nods and advanced toward him, eager to restore order.


    Chris shifted slightly, stepping in front of Maia with a casual grace that belied the growing tension. He slung one arm around her protectively, leaning down just enough for only her to hear. “Rx, I’ve got this.”


    Maia lifted her chin, a smirk tugging at her lips. Truthfully, she did not need him to shield her — she could have handled the guards herself with ease — but watching Chris y hero amused her. If he wanted to stand in the spotlight for her, who was she to deny him?


    “Go on then,” she said, shing him a yful grin. “Show me what you’ve got.”


    Watching Chris and Maia interact, Mariana gritted her teeth. Yet she hurriedly tried to speak up for Chris, afraid that the guards might actually take action against him and cause him harm.


    But before she could act, a deep,manding voice cut across the room like a de.


    “The invitation was from me to Ms. Watson. Is there a problem?”


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    Every head turned toward the entrance.


    A tall man in a sharp gray suit strode in, his presence turning the murmuring crowd into statues. Authority clung to him like a second skin.


    It was Hurst Cooper — head of a powerful branch of the Cooper family, and one of the most formidable figures in Wront’s business world.


    The atmosphere shifted instantly. The mocking smiles vanished.


    Hurst approached Maia with calm precision, offering a slight bow. “Ms. Watson, I apologize for the trouble you have endured,” he said smoothly, his voiceced with genuine regret.


    Then he turned, casting a cold re across the room. “Let me be clear,” Hurst announced. “Thisdy is my honored guest. I personally delivered a highly exclusive invitation to Ms. Watson. If anyone doubts that, I invite them to step forward.”


    No one moved. No one dared. Whispers dried up in their throats. Those highly exclusive invitations from the Cooper Group were rarer than diamonds — and Hurst had given one to Maia? The revtion stunned them. Jealousy burned in a few eyes, but none dared speak.


    This was Hurst’s party. His word wasw tonight.


    Anyone foolish enough to keep gossiping risked more than just a scolding.


    Mariana swallowed hard, her mind racing. Since when did Maia warrant such favor from Hurst?


    Her gaze sharpened, studying Maia with growing unease.


    Meanwhile, Hurst’s sharp eyesnded on Jarrod, brimming with disdain. “And you,” he said icily, “how dare you nder Ms. Watson without evidence? I do not care who invited you. Now, leave.” He flicked his wrist at the nearest guards. “Escort him out.”


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