Chapter 226

As the guests bowed their heads to glance at their smartphones, an ominous chill swept through Caiden, sinking deep into his bones.

An intense sense of foreboding engulfed him,his heartbeat escalating into a wild thump. His hand,previously relaxed at his side, now quivered subtly.

He resisted the urge to look at the notification that had captured everyone's attention. Instead, he remained motionless, anchored to the spot as if fearing the earth might crumble beneath him.

Time seemed to stretch into eternity.

The guests, who had just been maintaining courteous facades, suddenly became statuesque.Their expressions morphed-from stiff cordiality to puzzled concern, then to a piercing realization. Gradually, they lifted their gazes to meet Caiden and Katrina, their eyes now gleaming with icy contempt.

The warmth of their previous looks had evaporated,replaced by a cocktail of derision, disdain, and a sprinkle of indignation.

Meanwhile, Katrina, blissfully unaware of the unfolding drama, stood poised, ready to wield Daniela's name as a weapon to assert her dominance.

"With all due respect, if your intentions aren't genuine, we see no reason to accept your offerings.Should you choose not to align with the Harper family or Daniela, feel free to retract your gifts and depart."

Her declaration had just echoed in the air when the group's leader smashed his wine glass onto the table. The glass hit with such force that wine cascaded over its edges, the red splashes marring the once immaculate white tablecloth.

Katrina,previously exuding a false sense of bravado that had now vanished, stood paralyzed. Confronted with genuine opposition, she was utterly bewildered.

"Give them back! Why the hell would anyone want anything to do with the Harper family? They're a goddamn disgrace!"

"Nothing but shameless deceivers!"

"This is beyond appalling! What kind of bad luck drags the Bennett family into dealing with deceitful pieces of shit like this?"

Someone beckoned to Alexander, questioning, "Were you aware of this whole gift scheme?

Alexander, always a figure of dignity and respect,now found himself drowning in disgrace. As he stood there, encircled by the business elite, he felt like the butt of some cruel joke.

Once the golden boy, revered and admired in every circle, Alexander's world had turned upside down.

He had seen the statement from Elite Lux and was overwhelmed with humiliation. Red-faced and visibly flustered, he bent forward in a deep bow and announced, "I deeply regret any inconvenience caused today. Daniela will not be able to join us.Please feel free to reclaim any ggifts you've brought."He lowered himself into a second bow.

Katrina's face twisted with annoyance. "Alexander,what the hell are you apologizing for? Isn't Daniela still a Harper? Just because she's absent today doesn't mean she has severed ties with us. There's no need for you to apologize."

The instant Katrina finished, the guests erupted in a cacophony of laughter.

At that exact moment, Joyce made her entrance,decked out in her wedding dress, radiating an unmistakable arrogance.

Now flush with cash, she regarded everyone around her with thinly veiled contempt.

Alexander sent her a desperate look, silently begging her to defuse the escalating tension. However, Joyce ignored his imploring gaze. With deliberate strides,she approached the table, seized a glass of wine and flung its contents into the face of the man leading the rival faction.

A suffocating silence descended upon the gathering.Every guest at the wedding banquet froze, utterly shocked by the audacity of her actions.

A tremor ran through Richard's hands as his fury boiled over.

A storm of thoughts surged through his head, all landing on the same brutal question: what kind of shitty luck led Alexander to marry this absolute moron?

The man at the receiving end of Joyce's wrath was no ordinary guest; he was a longstanding client and ally of the Bennett family. He had come earlier that day in a spirit of goodwill, hoping to help mediate the brewing conflict.

Joyce didn't even bother to think. She marched over and dumped the wine on him without a second thought, her fury dripping alongside the red liquid. The wine wasn't the only thing she threw-it was the trust and unity built over ten years between their families.

"What the hell, Joyce? Have you lost your mind?"Alexander's voice trembled with shock, his hands clenched at his sides. It took him a moment to recover before he snatched a handful of napkins and hurried over to the man drenched in wine, offering profuse apologies.

Meanwhile, Joyce remained poised, her arms crossed defiantly, radiating an air of indomitable pride.

Supported by the formidable alliance of Elite Lux and Daniela, along with the vast empire of robotics, her confidence soared.

With Harper Group's endorsement and her marriage to Alexander, she felt an unprecedented surge of empowerment.

To her, what was a mere glass of wine in the grand scheme of her backing? Who would dare challenge her or cross paths with Daniela?

The shares Daniela had entrusted her with weren't just investments; they symbolized Daniela's lingering commitment to the Harper family. This connection was Joyce's leverage-she knew as long as it existed, Daniela could not sever ties without consequence.

Joyce was convinced she could exploit this to the fullest, for obsessions often revealed vulnerabilities.

Her blatant arrogance incited a wave of disgust among the onlookers.

"Alexander, this is the woman you've chosen as your wife?" the drenched man retorted sharply, his voice laced with disbelief and disdain. He scrubbed his face and shirt vigorously with a napkin, but the deep red wine had already permeated the fabric of his pristine white shirt, staining it irreversibly and leaving it wrinkled and spoiled.

In a fit of irritation, he flung the napkin to the ground and fixed a harsh glare on Alexander. "I've always held the Bennett family in high regard for their honor,which is the sole reason I've kept you as my business partners all these years. But today, I see my trust was misplaced. If you can welcome someone like her into your family, then clearly, I've misjudged you all. We are done with our partnership, effective immediately!"

With that declaration, he stormed away, his anger palpable in every step.

Richard and Alexander remained motionless,stunned by the turn of events.

Around them, the other guests shuffled toward the reception desk, intent on retrieving their gifts.

Katrina, who earlier had strutted around with a veneer of bravado, stood slack-jawed. The sight of the guests reclaiming their gifts had blindsided her.

A wave of panic washed over her. She had been desperate to escape the clutches of poverty and had pinned all her hopes on profiting from this wedding. She abandoned all sense of decorum and dashed toward the gift table like someone possessed,frantically seizing the most lavish gifts.

Her once immaculately styled hair cascaded into chaos as she struggled to grip the wrapped treasures. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson from panic and frustration. "Are you actually reclaiming your gifts? Have you all forgotten about Daniela?"

"What the fuck does Daniela have to do with this?She's already put everything out there for the world to see. Stop being a dumbass and check it for yourself!"

Before Katrina could muster a reply, a hand snatched a gift box right from hergrasp.

The other guests followed suit, reclaiming their offerings. With each gift retrieved, another guest departed.

Within moments, the once-bustling wedding banquet hall was deserted, leaving behind nothing but a chilling silence.