<b>+25 </b>BONOS


    Lucas let out a slow, mocking chuckle, his smirk deepening at the mention of Walton’s heiress.


    His gaze shifted to Aurora, who instinctively shrank back.


    “I don’t care who you are,<i>” </i>he said leisurely, his voice calm butced with menace.


    “Say one more word about my wife, and I’ll make sure there’s nowhere left for you to run.”


    He paused before adding, “And from what I know, you were the one my wife dumped. Makes me wonder–are you this bitter because you couldn’t have her, so now you’re desperate to ruin her?”


    “You…<b>!</b><b>” </b>


    The cold glint in Lucas’s sharp eyes wasced with unmistakable fury, as if dipped in ice. The moment Joseph met his gaze, his body locked up, his throat going dry.


    He couldn’t even find the words to argue back.


    How the hell does a pretty boy have this kind of presence?


    Everything about him–hisposed demeanor, the refined air around him–waspletely out of ce for someone who should’ve been nothing more than a kept man.


    Was he really just some nobody?


    Aurora suddenly let out a lightugh, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.


    “And for the record, stop spreading lies about me. Saying I was used up by him?” She scoffed.


    “Please. Your precious Joseph doesn’t even measure up. We never even got that far…”


    A sharp intake of breath rippled through the crowd.


    Joseph clenched his jaw so hard it looked like he might shatter his own teeth. “Aurora, you bitch…<b>” </b>


    p!


    A crisp, resounding p echoed through the hall.


    Aurora had swung her hand without hesitation, putting her full strength into it.


    Because a delusional egomaniac like him deserved nothing less than a proper wake–up


    Joseph’s eyes went wide in shock.


    call.


    +25 BONOS


    Just as he was about to lunge forward, he caught Lucas’s icy re.


    Instantly, the fire in him died down.


    Damn that bastard.


    Why the hell does he have such an intimidating presence?


    Joseph couldn’t even look him in the eye.


    He could only re at them both with barely contained rage. “You’ll regret this.”


    With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off.


    Outside the banquet hall, Joseph gritted his teeth and called his friend.


    “I know every woman who was at that party! There wasn’t a single unfamiliar face! Didn’t you swear to me that the Walton younger heiress would be there?”


    His friend hesitated for a moment before replying, “Maybe something came up, and she couldn’t make it. Why don’t you stake out Walton Corporation another day?”


    Back inside, with Joseph gone, all eyes shifted toward Lucas, especially the socialites.


    Some of them found him familiar, but they just couldn’t ce him.


    One thing was certain–he wasn’t someone ordinary.


    Lucas, however, paid no attention to the stares. His focus was solely on Aurora. His sharp gaze softened instantly as he stepped toward her.


    “Are you hurt?”


    Aurora shook her head.


    Even though she knew she wasn’t the type to be easily pushed around, the moment Lucas appeared, it was as if all the undercurrents in the room had vanished in an instant.


    She exhaled lightly. “Megan told you, didn’t she?”


    “Yeah. She had somethinge up and left early.<i>” </i>Lucas shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Want to stay or head home?”


    <b>“</b>I want to go home,” Aurora said without hesitation.


    With that, the two walked side by side toward the exit,pletely ignoring the curious gazes trailing behind them.


    As they reached the door, Aurora suddenly stopped.


    +25 BONOS


    An unsettling feeling crept over her,


    She turned back instinctively, her brows drawing together as she sensed a strong, hostile locked onto her.


    Lucas stopped as well, his voice calm but alert. “What is it?”


    gaze


    <b>+25 </b>BONOS