Chapter 163
“You bitch! How dare you make demands after the chaos you’ve caused at your sister’s party?!” Sylvia barked, her voice trembling with rage.
“I can’t believe this is happening, Mom. What are we going to do? They took Paul!” Dina cried hysterically, collapsing to the ground as Sylvia rushed to help her back to her feet.
Rain stood unfazed as Tim Clayton, pale and visibly shaken, replied weakly, “Alright.” His eyes remained fixed on Paul, who was being escorted by the police, his family trailing behind in a frenzy.
“Tim!” Sylvia snapped, her voice sharp. But to Rain’s surprise, her father turned to Sylvia with an icy glare. “Zip your mouth, Sylvia!” he ordered.
Then, turning back to Rain, he spoke more calmly, “Go now and take your Aunt with you. I’ll come for her soon p>
Rain was caught off guard by her father’s sudden submission, but Alexander quickly stepped in, pulling her closer. “Alright, we’re leaving with Aunt Melanie. Keep in touch directly with me about her return, but I do hope she’ll stay longer with us at the Lancaster Ancestral Mansion,” he said firmly. “We’ll go ahead now p>
As they moved to leave, reporters tried to close in, but Alexander’s men, along with some waiters, swiftly blocked their path, ensuring they could leave without further interruption.
Still standing off to the side, Sebastian shook his head with an air of amusement as he watched the chaos unfold. “Isn’t this something? Xander is like a dormant volcano most of the time, but when he erupts—wow. It’s terrifying, but you can’t deny how rare it is to witness,” he remarked, almost admiringly, his tone light but edged with fascination.
His arms crossed, he appeared far more entertained than concerned by the drama unravelling before them.
Darwin, his father, shot him a sharp look, clearly unimpressed. “And look at you, playing dumb through all of this! You could’ve confirmed the situation easily, but instead, you stood there, acting clueless!” His voice carried a mixture of frustration and disappointment as if expecting more from his son in such a serious moment.
Sebastian merely chuckled, utterly unfazed by the scolding. “Oh, come on, Dad. I was curious to see how Alexander would handle things. You never hear a peep out of the man—he’s so private, so guarded. Most people wouldn’t even know he was in the room unless Tyron introduced him p>
He smirked and added, “Honestly, I’m shocked he spoke up at all tonight. Usually, he’d let his assistant handle everything, just like he always does.” He paused, his gaze trailing over to where Rain and Alexander were heading for the car. “But I guess marriage changes a man, huh p>
Darwin sighed heavily, his eyes flicking toward the commotion surrounding Paul Smith’s arrest, the flashing lights from the cameras and murmurs of shock filling the air. “But isn’t this a bit much? Arresting Paul Smith in the middle of his own engagement party?” He rubbed his temple, the weight of the situation sinking in. “That’s going to cause quite the scandal p>
Sebastian’s expression darkened, and his playful demeanor shifted into something more serious. His voice dropped an octave, “Not at all, Dad. This is perfect. Paul deserves everything that’s coming to him p>
His eyes hardened, his gaze flicking between his father and the direction where Paul’s mother was hysterical. “If that had happened to me or to your future daughter-in-law—if someone drugged her and tried to kidnap her—Paul Smith wouldn’t be walking away with just an arrest. He’d never see the light of day again p>
The father and son stood there, both watching the aftermath unfold, but with very different thoughts weighing on their minds. Where Darwin saw a spectacle that might have been avoided, Sebastian saw justice—swift, brutal, and necessary.
Unknown to the father and son’s interaction, Tim Clayton stood enough distance to hear every word. His expression remained stoic, masking the storm of emotions within him as he watched the chaos unfold.
Turning to Sylvia, his voice was cold and composed. “Get Dina this instant, and quietly leave the place. I’ll handle the aftermath from here p>
Sylvia, sensing the weight of his words, nodded without argument. She hurriedly bent down to help her daughter, who was still in shock, to her feet.
“Let’s hurry. Paul’s mother will retaliate soon enough. It’s better we leave now before the reporters catch wind of everything,” Sylvia whispered urgently, her eyes darting around the crowd.
Dina, crying hard, grunted through her tears, “That bitch! When will she be out of our lives, Mom p>
Sylvia tightened her grip on her daughter’s arm, quickly leading her to the car. “Calm down, Dina. We need to get out of here first.” Her tone was sharp, masking her own frustration as they hurried away, trying to avoid the prying eyes of reporters who still lingered nearby.
Inside the car, Dina was still fuming as they sped away from the Smith Estate. “What’s going to happen now?” she questioned, her voice thick with frustration and disbelief.
“I don’t know yet, Dina,” Sylvia replied, her voice tense as she stared out of the window. “Even I’m still trying to make sense of it all. Who would have thought that man is *the* Alexander Lancaster? Now it makes sense why your father let Aunt Melanie go with them. He knows… that man is someone we should never cross. His father, Liam Rock Lancaster, is ruthless, and if he’s anything like him, we’re in dangerous territory p>
Dina, still gripping a card in her hand, suddenly remembered a crucial detail. “But, Mom… their marriage is a sham. It’s not even Rain who registered the marriage with Alexander Lancaster—it was her friend, Sanya p>
Sylvia’s head whipped around, her forehead creased in confusion. “What? What are you talking about, Dina?” she demanded.
Dina quickly recounted everything she had overheard and witnessed, explaining how Sanya had impersonated Rain to register the marriage. “It’s all a fraud, Mom! Rain isn’t even legally married to him,” Dina spat, her face still red in anger.
Sylvia’s eyes widened in shock as she processed Dina’s revelation. “This… changes everything,” she murmured, her mind already spinning with potential ways to use this information. “But we need to be careful, Dina. If we play this wrong, it could backfire spectacularly. We have to be smart about this p>
Dina nodded, though her anger still simmered. “Then let’s make sure they never find out—until it’s too late p>