Holmes''s eyebrows shot up at Isabelle''s audacious im. The ambient chatter around us dimmed as people strained to hear our conversation.
"The pinnacle?" Holmes repeated, his voice dripping with skepticism. His gaze swept over me once more, assessing and dismissive. "Even your grandfather took decades to reach his position, Miss Ashworth. What makes you think this... neer can achieve such heights?"
I kept my expression neutral despite the burn of indignation rising in my chest. In Eldoria, people had trembled at the mention of my name. Here in Veridia City, I was nobody.
Isabelle''s chin lifted slightly. "Liam will surpass even my grandfather."
A hush fell over our immediate vicinity. To challenge the legacy of Michael Ashworth was unthinkable. Yet Isabelle had done just that, with the confidence of someone stating an obvious fact.
Holmes chuckled, the soundcking any warmth. "Youth and its bold derations. I''ve lived long enough to see many rising stars burn out, Miss Ashworth."
"Then you''ll live long enough to see me proven right," she countered smoothly.
With a slight bow that somehow managed to be condescending, Holmes excused himself and melted back into the crowd. The pressure around us eased, but I could still feel curious eyes watching our every move.
"You shouldn''t have said that," I murmured to Isabelle as we drifted toward a less crowded corner of the room.
"Why not?" She sipped her champagne, utterly unruffled. "It''s the truth."
Her unwavering faith in me was both heartwarming and terrifying. I leaned closer, keeping my voice low. "You''ve put a target on my back."
"You already had one," she replied. "At least now they''ll underestimate you a little less."
Throughout the remainder of the evening, I observed the delicate dance of Veridia City''s elite. Business deals disguised as casual conversation. Alliances formed over champagne toasts. Subtle barbs exchanged with painted smiles.
This was a battlefield of a different kind than I was used to, but a battlefield nheless.
By the time we left, my head was spinning with names, faces, and theplicated web of rtionships that bound these powerful families together. Isabelle seemed energized by it all, her eyes bright with satisfaction as our car pulled away from the mansion.
"You enjoyed that, didn''t you?" I asked, loosening my tie with relief.
She smiled, the moonlight catching in her hair. "I enjoyed watching you handle it. You were magnificent."
"I felt like a fish out of water."
"No one could tell." Her hand found mine in the darkness. "Besides, sometimes the best strategy is to make waves."
---
The next morning, I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing incessantly. Groggily, I reached for it, squinting at the screen. Twelve missed calls from Roman, and a flurry of text messages.
"Have you seen the news?" thetest one read.
I sat up, suddenly alert. With a sense of foreboding, I opened the news app on my phone. The headline screamed at me:
"ASHWORTH HEIRESS AND MYSTERY MAN: VERIDIA CITY''S NEW POWER COUPLE?"
Below was a photo of Isabelle and me fromst night''s event, her hand on my arm as we entered the mansion. The article identified me as "Liam Knight, rumored to be staying at the Ashworth family residence as the son-inw."
Son-inw. The term made my stomach clench. It was too reminiscent of my humiliating past with the Sterling family.
My phone rang again. This time I answered.
"What the hell, Liam?" Roman''s voice crackled through the speaker. "When were you going to tell me you''ve been officially acknowledged by the Ashworths?"
"I haven''t been," I replied, rubbing my temples. "The media''s jumping to conclusions."
"Well, those conclusions are spreading like wildfire. Every business circle in Veridia City is talking about you. The mysterious Liam Knight who appeared from nowhere and captured the heart of the Ashworth princess."
I groaned. "This is exactly what I didn''t want."
"Toote now," Roman said. "By the way, you might want to watch your back. Word is the ckthorne family isn''t taking this well. Especially Dashiell."
After ending the call, I headed downstairs, bracing myself for whatever awaited me. To my surprise, Michael Ashworth was seated at the breakfast table, newspaper spread before him, looking utterly pleased.
"Ah, Liam," he greeted me warmly. "I see you''ve made the front page."
I approached cautiously. "Mr. Ashworth, about the news—"
"Brilliant move," he interrupted, tapping the newspaper. "Couldn''t have nned it better myself."
His reaction caught me off guard. "You''re not upset?"
"Upset? My boy, this is perfect. The ckthorne family is fuming, and everyone in Veridia City is now aware of your connection to us." He chuckled. "The public statement was a touch dramatic, but effective."
I studied the old man''s face, trying to decipher his strategy. "You wanted this to happen."
"I wanted you to be noticed," he corrected. "How it happened was up to you. And I must say, you and Isabelle chose quite the stage."
A suspicion formed in my mind. "The invitation tost night''s event... that was your doing?"
Michael''s eyes twinkled. "Let''s just say I suggested to Sebastian Hawthorne that extending an invitation to my granddaughter would be appreciated."
Everything began falling into ce. The carefully orchestrated introduction to Veridia City''s elite. The public deration of my rtionship with Isabelle. Even the media coverage seemed too convenient.
"Why?" I asked bluntly.
Michael folded the newspaper, his expression growing serious. "Because growth requires pressure, Liam. And you''re about to face plenty of it." He stood, straightening his immacte suit. "The ckthorne family won''t take this lying down. They''ve been trying to forge an alliance with the Ashworths for generations."
"You''re using me to provoke them."
"I''m giving you an opportunity to prove yourself," he countered. "How you handle whates next will determine your ce in this city."
With that cryptic statement, he left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the damning newspaper headline.
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At the ckthorne family residence, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Dashiell ckthorne paced the study like a caged animal, a tablet clutched in his white-knuckled grip. The device disyed the same news article I had seen earlier, his face contorted with rage.
"Son-inw?" he spat, hurling the tablet onto a nearby sofa. "This nobody dares to im such a position?"
His father, Roderick ckthorne, observed his son''s tantrum with cold disdain from behind a massive mahogany desk.
"Control yourself," Roderickmanded. "Your disy of emotion changes nothing."
Dashiell whirled to face his father. "You don''t understand! He humiliated me in Eldoria, and now he''s stolen my rightful ce beside the Ashworth heiress!"
"I understand perfectly," Roderick replied, his voice like ice. "What I fail to understand is why you didn''t eliminate this threat when you first encountered him."
The rebuke hit Dashiell like a physical blow. "I... I didn''t think he was worth the effort."
"And now look where your arrogance has led us." Roderick rose slowly from his chair, his movements deliberate and menacing. "The alliance we''ve sought for three generations, jeopardized because you underestimated an opponent."
Dashiell''s anger deted, reced by fear of his father''s displeasure. "What would you have me do?"
"Nothing," Roderick said. "You''ve done enough damage. I''ve contacted Corbin Ashworth directly."
"Uncle Corbin?" Dashiell''s eyes widened. "But he—"
"—has his own reasons for wanting this upstart removed," Roderick finished. "The Ashworth family''s internal politics will serve our purposes better than any direct action we could take."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. A servant entered and bowed respectfully.
"Sir," the servant announced, "Mr. Corbin Ashworth is here."