As Matthias and his group approached the hotel entrance, a figure hurried toward them."M—Mr. Lowell," Brock stammered. He was in Reirmunt for a performance review and had been assigned by Russell to greet Matthias.Bowing slightly, he continued in a hushed tone, "Mr. Lowell, you should've notified me of your arrival. I would've arranged a proper welcome at the entrance.""It's Brock, right? No need for such formalities. We're just here to look around. You can go about your business. We'll head in and take a look," Matthias replied.Inwardly, Matthias chuckled at Russell's excessive courtesy, sending a governor to act as a doorman."Of course, Mr. Lowell. Please don't hesitate to call on me if you need anything," Brock responded respectfully.He knew Matthias did not want to be disturbed, so he quickly made his exit.Nadine watched Brock leave, feeling like she should recognize him but unable to place him. She assumed he must be Matthias' friend who had given him an invitation,
At the Imperial Grand Hotel entrance, the Reilley family surrounded Matthias and his group, their faces contorted with anger.Matthias glanced at Stuart and calmly retorted, "Who's really out of line here? I'm here to attend the banquet. What's that got to do with the Reilley family?""You're here to attend the banquet? Who do you think you are?" Delilah spat, glaring at Matthias.With venom in his voice, Carlile said, "Matthias, if you're smart, you'll break your legs and beg for forgiveness right now. Otherwise, you'll suffer a worse fate when Mr. Archer arrives!"Nadine's face paled at those words, but she remained silent. She had already given up on Carlile and the Reilley family.Matthias narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold as he addressed the Reilley family. "It seemed like breaking one of your hands wasn't enough. What? Do you want to kneel before me in public tonight? Do I need to grind you under my heel to make you behave?"As Matthias finished speaking, Alpha grinned menac
[The first commander of New Avalbourne's military, Mr. Russell Bridges, cordially invites Mr. Matthias Lowell to attend the Hero's Banquet that will be held in your honor!]That was what the invitation card read.William felt insulted. Even if someone were to forge an invitation, they could have at least made it more believable. While Russell had indeed organized the Hero's Banquet, the actual invitations were nothing like that—they simply mentioned the recipient without any additional content.The idea that someone of Russell's stature would personally write an invitation, addressing the recipient so respectfully, was laughable to William."So it's a fake invitation, after all," Delilah mocked; she looked satisfied."It looks like you're really here to cause trouble. Matthias, are you really this stupid? You know Mr. Archer is looking for you, yet you dare to come here with a fake invitation? Your audacity is unbelievable!"The rest of the Reilley family joined in, hurling insul
As Alpha effortlessly took down all the guards, William's face turned red with anger."How dare you resist! You're challenging the war department!" William shouted.Stuart's expression was grim, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Matthias, you've gone too far! The Hero's Banquet is hosted by the military. The Imperial Grand Hotel represents them. Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"However, what happened next stunned everyone present.Alpha grabbed William by the throat, lifting him off the ground."P—Put me down this instant! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" William roared, disbelief written all over his face at being humiliated in his own territory.The Reilley family started shouting criticisms, amazed at the audacity of Matthias' group. Even though they knew it was a military event, they still dared to act that way.The Reilleys shouted, "Matthias, tell your man to stop! You can't act like this here!"Matthias turned to them, his eyes cold as ice. "I don't kn
"Shut up, you ignorant fool!" Brock snapped at William, shooting him a fierce glare. Then, he hurried to Matthias' side and bowed deeply, his face pale. "Mr. Lowell, I'm terribly sorry. I never imagined this to happen!"William's mind went blank as he witnessed that scene. His body began to tremble, and he broke out in cold sweat.It was unbelievable that the honorable Brock was speaking so respectfully and bowing in apology. William realized he was doomed for tearing up Matthias' invitation and ordering the security to capture them.Suddenly, everything became clear to William—the torn invitation was genuine, personally written by Russell himself!"Sir, I deserve to be punished with death for my ignorance! I didn't recognize your importance!" William cried out, his voice trembling."Silence, you fool! You're not worthy to apologize to him," Brock scolded. He wished he could smack William there and then.He turned to Matthias, his tone respectful but nervous. "Mr. Lowell, I deepl
In the banquet hall, news of Matthias' arrival spread quickly, causing a stir among the guests. Many were surprised, then delighted. They had been searching for him throughout Reirmunt, and he had walked right through their door."Let's go see Matthias get arrested by the military!" Pierre laughed, leading the group toward the hotel entrance. "I can't believe he's so bold, daring to come here when he knows we're attending the Hero's Banquet."They had only taken a few steps when Matthias and his group entered the hall and met with Pierre's party.The smiles on their faces instantly froze."Matthias, you fool! Who permitted you to enter? Get out now!" Stuart barked, his face darkening with anger.All eyes in the hall turned to watch the confrontation unfold."You didn't hurt the hotel manager to force your way in, did you?" Delilah sneered, her eyes full of hatred. She then shouted to the hotel staff nearby, "Call security! Have these people arrested!"However, the hotel staff, c
William's attempt to defuse the situation backfired."Who do you think you are? This doesn't concern you. Get lost!" Pierre dismissed William with a disdainful glance.Blake said with a sneer, "Aren't you the hotel manager? What? You think you're important enough for the Lowell family to listen to you?"William's head buzzed, and he quickly tried to explain, "Sir Lowell, Mr. Blake, please don't misunderstand. The military entrusted us with this event. If anything goes wrong, we'll face their wrath."Besides, this gentleman is also a guest tonight. He's under our hotel's protection, and we can't allow any harm to come to him.""He's a guest? Are you kidding me? Didn't you say his invitation was fake?" Delilah exclaimed in disbelief.The Lowell family members looked equally unhappy.William, sweating profusely, said, "I made a mistake earlier. This gentleman is indeed a guest tonight, invited by the War Department."That revelation caused uneasiness among the crowd. They wondered
Seeing the disbelief on Leona and Nadine's faces, Matthias shrugged and gently guided Leona to her seat.He sat down with Danielle in his arms and said softly, "Don't worry. These seats are reserved for us. Don't you trust me?""I trust you!" Leona replied, though her face was still filled with curiosity and confusion.Not far from them, Pierre and his group noticed Matthias sitting at table one. Their faces darkened as they hurled insults and mockery."How dare you! Matthias, what gives you the right to sit there?""These seats reserved for you? Matthias, you sure know how to spin a lie!"Pierre mocked, "The Lowell family is among New Avalbourne's top three. We're honored to be seated at table three by Mr. Bridges. You're nothing but trash, Matthias. What right do you have to sit at table one? Get up and leave before we make you!"Stuart joined in with a vicious tone. "Matthias, get up and scram! Find a corner in the back and wait quietly for your death after the banquet!"Del