Chapter 118
Chapter 120
The manager, Howard, turned to Alex and smiled warmly. Yes, this man doesn’t have an invitation he wanted to continue ‘but he doesn’t need one-
Before he could finish, Megan interrupted, her voice rising
“If he doesn’t have an invitation, don’t you think you should do your job and kick him out? Call the guards and get him out of here p>
Howard’s smile faded as his expression turned serious.
“Could you please clarify,” he asked dryly, “which part of his body you’d like us to kick p>
Megan crossed her arms, her eyes blazing. “Kick his butt out of this place p>
Howard sighed and calmly used his walkie-talkie. “Security, there’s an issue in back area. Please come here p>
Megan’s grin widened triumphantly. “Hey loser, you’d better leave now before they drag you out and humiliate you. Don’t you feel scared yet?” she taunted.
Alex still sitting and took another slow sip of his wine, completely unfazed.
When the two burly guards arrived, Megan jabbed her finger at Alex. “He’s the one. Get rid of him p>
To her shock, Howard gestured toward Megan instead. “Gentlemen, please escort this woman out. Feel free to kick her butt on the way, as she requested by herself p>
Megan’s face twisted in disbelief. “What p>
The guards approached her, their expressions neutral but firm.
Megan panicked and ducked behind Marco. “What are you doing? I have an invitation card to be here p>
Howard arched an eyebrow. “May I see the invitation p>
Megan, desperate, called and waved frantically at Sophia. “Sophia! Show him our invitation card p>
Sophia frowned in confusion not knowing what happened but stepped forward, presenting the card to Howard.
“Is there a problem?” she asked, her voice wary.
Howard accepted the card and, to everyone’s astonishment, calmly tore it in half.
Megan’s horrified scream filled the air. “What are you doing p>
“This invitation card,” Howard announced coolly, “is no longer valid p>
Megan’s face went pale. Sophia’s expression turned into one of shock.
“But… this is the official invitation for the Lancaster Group! We’re partners with Kingston p>
Howard bowed slightly, though his words were razor-sharp.
“I regret to inform you that your partnership with Kingston has been terminated p>
Sophia’s breath caught in her throat. “You can’t do that p>
“Yes, I can.” Howard’s polite smile twisted into something more ruthless.
“I’m also the auditor responsible for enforcing Kingston’s partnership guidelines while on this banquet. Miss
1/4
Chapter 120
Kingston instructed me to remove any partner that fails to adhere to the rules.” Sophia’s voice trembled. “On what grounds p>
Howard pointed directly at Megan. “This woman insulted someone she should never have offended. Since your group stands with her, you’re no longer welcome. And your whole group. Please, next time, show some politeness to our guests p>
He turned his gaze to Marco. “Sir, your invitation is also invalid. Please leave.” The two guards didn’t wait for further instructions.
One of them, indifferent to Megan’s protests, gave her a swift kick that sent her sprawling to the floor, landing face-first with a loud thud.
Gasps rippled through the crowd as all eyes turned to Megan, humiliated and trembling with rage.
“This woman,” Howard announced for everyone to hear, “asked me to kick one of our honored guests out. So we’ve chosen to remove her instead. What do you think, ladies and gentlemen p>
“Serves her right p>
“She reaps what she sows p>
“Next time, don’t cause trouble p>
Megan’s face burned as laughter and murmurs erupted around the room.
Tears of fury welled in her eyes as she scrambled to her feet, only to be confronted again by Howard’s steely gaze.
His smile remained cruel. “Would you like the guards to carry you out, or will you find your own way p>
At the same time, Sophia and Marco felt the sting of every gaze piercing through them. The weight of humiliation pressed down on Sophia’s chest like a stone. She blinked hard, trying to hold back tears. 1
She hadn’t just failed to secure the partnership they desperately needed-she’d lost everything. The water was already spilled.
Megan opened her mouth to say something, but when the guard raised his foot again, she chose silence.
Under the cold, scrutinizing stares, they walked out of the hall, their footsteps echoing in the vast space.
The moment they stepped outside into the cool night air, Marco exhaled sharply.
The sting of rejection clung to them like frost. He glanced at the two dejected women and finally broke the silence.
“We’ll come back from this,” he said quietly but firmly. “It’s not the end p>
Sophia’s gaze was distant, her voice catching in her throat. But we lost the partnership… everything we needed p>
Megan turned eagerly to Marco.
“Mr. Ashford, if you can help restore the partnership, you’d be our hero! This whole mess must be Alex’s fault. He must have slandered us p>
Sophia’s lips tightened.
She didn’t believe Alex was the type to sabotage them-yet she couldn’t ignore how everything had fallen suddenly.
It so
2/4
Chapter 120
Confusion and hurt twisted inside her.
Meanwhile, back inside, Howard approached Alex and spoke in a low tone. “Sir, was my handling of the situation acceptable p>
Alex sighed, his gaze distant. “You weren’t wrong, but Sophia Lancaster doesn’t fully understand what’s happening. It seems unfair that she pays the price. Maybe we can give them a second chance, let them join. Don’t cancel the partnership.’ Howard’s face lit up with admiration. “Sir Alex, you’re far too generous. No wonder Miss Jasmine values you so highly p>
He bowed. “If that’s your wish, I’ll see to it p>
Outside the Hall.
“Sophia, if you’re worrying about the partnership, I might be able to help.” Marco said.
“Really?” Megan lit up at once and asked hurriedly, “Mr. Ashford, how can you help us? Please, we need to get back the partnership p>
Marco gave a calm nod. “To be honest, Charles Kingston is my very best friend. As long as he makes the request, I believe the Kingston family will do something about it p>
“Is that so? That’s awesome!” Megan’s face brightened with excitement.
“Mr. Ashford, if you can help us with this, you’ll be our greatest benefactor! This whole mess must be because of Alex. He’s the one who’s been slandering us behind our backs p>
Sophia’s smile faded as her brows knitted together.
She knew Alex wasn’t that type—or at least, she thought she knew.
But maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t accepted the divorce and had resorted to this to
get back at her by destroying
Lancaster.
The thought pierced her heart, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
She didn’t want to believe it, but everything that was happening said otherwise.
Marco activated his smartwatch and reassured Sophia. “Don’t worry-it’s not a big deal. I’ll make the call now p>
He moved to the corner and dialed Charles’s number.
“Charles, it’s Marco. Can you help me out a bit p>
A weary voice answered, “Sorry, I don’t have time right now p>
“Come on, man,” Marco urged, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ll let you have
three celebrities at your villa this weekend p>
Charles let out a sigh. “What is it p>
Marco quickly explained the situation, summing it up as being kicked out because someone slandered them.
“I’m busy,” Charles replied bluntly.
Marco glanced at Sophia and Megan, who were both watching him with hopeful
eyes.
He couldn’t back out now.
3/4
Chapter 120
He bite the bullet and said, “Please, man. Help me out, and ‘ll make sure it’s worth
your while. I’ll add an extra perk for you p>
There was a pause before Charles muttered, “I’ll call my sister-she’s in charge now p>
“Thank you,” Marco replied quickly, though the line had already gone dead.
With a frustrated sigh, Marco returned to Sophia and Megan. He forced a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. Charles Kingston said he’ll take care of it. You don’t need to be afraid of Alex. Even if he tried to smear us, Charles’s sister will handle it.” 2
“Great! Mr. Ashford, thanks to you, we can rest assured.” Megan sighed in relief, her shoulders finally relaxing.
“Thank you, Mr. Ashford,” Sophia added softly, her voice filled with gratitude.
“It’s a small matter. Don’t worry about it.” Marco waved his hand with a casual smile, trying to appear nonchalant, though pride flickered in his eyes. Just then, the door swung open, and Howard stepped out. His expression was cold, but he bowed politely. “Miss Sophia, and everyone, by the grace, of the master, you are forgiven. However, please restrain yourselves from causing any more trouble for our guests p>
“Really?” Sophia’s heart leapt. “What about our partnership p>
“It will be returned,” Howard replied curtly. 1
Sophia blinked in astonishment, her emotions a whirlwind of disbelief and joy.
She never imagined things would turn around so quickly. Moments ago, the Lancaster Group had been cast out, their partnership revoked, and now, in the blink of an eye, they were reinstated as partners of the prestigious Kingston family.
Everything was happening so abruptly, it almost felt unreal
Of course, it must have been thanks to Marco’s help. Without his connections, they would still be standing in the cold, humiliated. (1
The Ashford family’s influence was more powerful than she had ever expected.
All it took was one phone call to make the Kingston family change their minds.
Chapter 121
Chapter 121