Chapter 4

Inside the grand banquet hall, crystal chandeliers sparkled, but undercurrents surged beneath the polite chatter.

Chairman Miller forced a smile and approached an old acquaintance, only to be completely brushed off. Taking a deep breath, he turned to another corporate executive, but before he could even speak, the man made an excuse about a phone call and walked away.

Time after time, Miller tried to strike up a conversation, only to be met with calculated avoidance.

Julian trailed behind him, watching his father-in-law’s increasingly pathetic, slumped posture.

He couldn't help but murmur:

"Sir, let it go. We're losing our dignity here..."

Those words instantly detonated a powder keg.

Miller whipped around, dumping all his built-up fury right onto Julian:

"Dignity?"

"The Miller family is about to go belly-up, and you're worried about your damn dignity?!"

Miller didn't bother lowering his voice, drawing stares from nearby guests.

Julian’s face burned with humiliation. He tried to defuse the situation:

"Sir, that's not what I meant. I just—"

Miller cut him off with a vicious, low growl:

"Shut your mouth!"

"You're a live-in lapdog. What good are you other than making useless remarks? If I hadn't swallowed my pride and begged for favors, we wouldn't even have gotten invites to this gala! This is our last shot."

"Even if you have to get on your knees and beg tonight, you will get Chloe Hayes to invest!"

Then, his tone sharpened, his finger jabbing violently into Julian’s chest as he hissed:

"And listen to me! If you try anything funny or disrespect Tiffany in the slightest while talking to her, I swear to God, I'll drag you right back down to the gutter where I found you!"

Miller was scolding Julian like a stray dog in plain view of high society.

Julian kept his head down, his knuckles clenched white.

He repeated the mantra in his head: *Endure it. Just endure it...*

Suddenly, a quiet snicker cut through the crowd.

*Pfft.*

The final string snapping in Julian’s mind was almost audible.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Julian jerked his head up, his clenched fist rising—

"Dad, what are you saying?!"

A gentle voice intervened just in time.

Tiffany hurried over, slipping between Julian and her father. With one hand, she gently covered Julian’s tense fist, urging him to calm down; with the other, she linked her arm sweetly with Miller’s.

She tried to play the peacemaker:

"Everyone is watching. Whatever family issues we have, let's talk behind closed doors at home."

Seeing Tiffany step in, Miller let out a heavy snort. His anger hadn't faded, but he held back from causing a bigger scene.

Tiffany turned toward Julian, lightly shaking his arm.

"Julian, Dad is just stressed out. Horizon is going through a tough time. We need to stick together to survive this, right?"

With that, Tiffany placed Julian’s hand over her baby bump.

"Don't be mad. Think about our baby, okay?"

Feeling the curve against his palm, Julian stiffened, looking down with a forced nod.

"Yeah."

Tiffany smiled in relief and said softly to Miller:

"Dad, I think Mr. Davis just arrived. Let's go say hello."

Miller nodded with an ashen face. Just as he turned to leave, his eyes suddenly locked onto something. I had just entered the hall, radiating calm authority. Miller shoved Julian hard in the back, hissing under his breath:

"Ms. Hayes is here! What are you standing there for? Get the hell over there!"

Julian stumbled forward, nearly tripping right in front of me.

He looked intensely embarrassed. Before he could speak, I looked up and gave him a bright, dazzling smile. I even reached out, gently straightening his slightly crooked tie.

My voice carried clearly across the room:

"Julian, that contract my assistant sent you privately... have you thought it over?"

"If you come with me, you’ll have to cut all ties with the Millers."

That intimate gesture, that familiar call of his name, and the bombshell dropped in that single sentence stunned the entire room into pin-drop silence.

Miller froze for a second.

Then, realizing what was happening, his face twisted in pure rage. He lunged forward and, right in front of everyone, raised his hand—

*Smack!*

A resounding slap landed violently across Julian’s face!

"You ungrateful bastard! You're already lining up your next meal behind our backs..."

"You were secretly planning to abandon us?!"

Seeing this, Tiffany abandoned all pretense of being a loving wife.

She rushed forward, shrieking:

"Julian, how dare you cheat on me!"

"Without me, you'd still be a nobody! Back then, you literally barked like a dog at my birthday party just to make me smile! It’s bad enough you're messing around with Chloe Hayes, but you wanted to cut ties with my family?! What about me? What about our baby?!"

Julian’s head was thrown to the side by the impact, sharp pain radiating across his cheek.

Yet that sting was nothing compared to the overwhelming humiliation of being slapped and degraded in front of the entire city's elite.

Julian completely snapped.

He looked up, glaring at the father and daughter with naked, venomous hatred.

The tension in the air threatened to explode.

I leisurely pulled a slim folder from my clutch.

I tapped the contract against Julian’s chest, smiling faintly.

"Take this and walk with me. Or stay with the Millers and sink with them."

"Choose."