Hols's eyebrows shot up at Isabelle's audacious claim. The ambient chatter around us dimd as people strained to hear our conversation.
"The pinnacle?" Hols repeated, his voice dripping with skepticism. His gaze swept over once more, assessing and dismissive. "Even your grandfather took decades to reach his position, Miss Ashworth. What makes you think this... newcor 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 ntion of my na. Here in Veridia City, I was nobody.
Isabelle's chin lifted slightly. "Liam will surpass even my grandfather."
A hush fell over our imdiate vicinity. To challenge the legacy of Michael Ashworth was unthinkable. Yet Isabelle had done just that, with the confidence of soone stating an obvious fact.
Hols chuckled, the sound lacking any warmth. "Youth and its bold declarations. I've lived long enough to see many rising stars burn out, Miss Ashworth."
"Then you'll live long enough to see proven right," she countered smoothly.
With a slight bow that sohow managed to be condescending, Hols excused himself and lted 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 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 ford 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 nonetheless.
By the ti we left, my head was spinning with nas, faces, and the complicated web of relationships that bound these powerful families together. Isabelle seed 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, sotis 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 ssages.
"Have you seen the news?" the latest one read.
I sat up, suddenly alert. With a sense of foreboding, I opened the news app on my phone. The headline scread at :
"ASHWORTH HEIRESS AND MYSTERY MAN: VERIDIA CITY'S NEW POWER COUPLE?"
Below was a photo of Isabelle and from last night's event, her hand on my arm as we entered the mansion. The article identified as "Liam Knight, rumored to be staying at the Ashworth family residence as the son-in-law."
Son-in-law. The term made my stomach clench. It was too reminiscent of my humiliating past with the Sterling family.
My phone rang again. This ti I answered.
"What the hell, Liam?" Roman's voice crackled through the speaker. "When were you going to tell you've been officially acknowledged by the Ashworths?"
"I haven't been," I replied, rubbing my temples. "The dia'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."
"Too late now," Roman said. "By the way, you might want to watch your back. Word is the Blackthorne family isn't taking this well. Especially Dashiell."
After ending the call, I headed downstairs, bracing myself for whatever awaited . To my surprise, Michael Ashworth was seated at the breakfast table, newspaper spread before him, looking utterly pleased.
"Ah, Liam," he greeted 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 planned it better myself."
His reaction caught off guard. "You're not upset?"
"Upset? My boy, this is perfect. The Blackthorne family is fuming, and everyone in Veridia City is now aware of your connection to us." He chuckled. "The public statent 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 ford in my mind. "The invitation to last 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 place. The carefully orchestrated introduction to Veridia City's elite. The public declaration of my relationship with Isabelle. Even the dia coverage seed 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 immaculate suit. "The Blackthorne family won't take this lying down. They've been trying to forge an alliance with the Ashworths for generations."
"You're using to provoke them."
"I'm giving you an opportunity to prove yourself," he countered. "How you handle what cos next will determine your place in this city."
With that cryptic statent, he left the room, leaving alone with my thoughts and the damning newspaper headline.
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At the Blackthorne family residence, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Dashiell Blackthorne paced the study like a caged animal, a tablet clutched in his white-knuckled grip. The device displayed the sa news article I had seen earlier, his face contorted with rage.
"Son-in-law?" he spat, hurling the tablet onto a nearby sofa. "This nobody dares to claim such a position?"
His father, Roderick Blackthorne, observed his son's tantrum with cold disdain from behind a massive mahogany desk.
"Control yourself," Roderick commanded. "Your display of emotion changes nothing."
Dashiell whirled to face his father. "You don't understand! He humiliated in Eldoria, and now he's stolen my rightful place 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 movents deliberate and nacing. "The alliance we've sought for three generations, jeopardized because you underestimated an opponent."
Dashiell's anger deflated, replaced by fear of his father's displeasure. "What would you have 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."
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