Chapter 22: The King Returns

 

The Grand Imperial Hotel was ablaze with lights. Tonight was the engagement party of the year: Julian Vance & Elena Lin.

The ballroom was packed with the city's elite. Champagne flowed like water. But beneath the laughter and music, there was a buzz of malicious gossip.

"Is he coming tonight?" "Sebastian Sterling? I heard he's a wreck." "My cousin said he hasn't left his house in three months. He's probably grown a beard and lost his mind."

Julian stood in the center of the room, holding a glass of wine, basking in the attention. "Oh, don't be too harsh on him," Julian said loudly, feigning sympathy. "Sebastian has had a hard time. If he shows up looking... unpresentable, please be kind."

Elena laughed, clinging to Julian’s arm. "I just hope he doesn't cause a scene. You know how unstable he is."

The crowd chuckled. They were all waiting for the show. Waiting to see the fallen King humiliate himself.

---

[The Arrival]

Outside, the noise of the paparazzi suddenly stopped. A hush fell over the red carpet.

A convoy of six black Rolls-Royces glided to a halt at the entrance. The lead car bore the silver crest of the Sterling Family.

"He's here," someone whispered.

The doorman rushed to open the back door of the main car. But before he could, a pair of long, slender legs stepped out.

Harper.

The crowd gasped. She wasn't wearing a maid's uniform. She was wearing the "Starry Night" gown. The midnight blue velvet wrapped around her curves like liquid night, shimmering with thousands of silver crystals. Her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon, revealing her graceful neck.

She stood tall, her chin lifted, radiating a quiet, fierce confidence. She didn't look like a caretaker. She looked like a Duchess.

Harper turned and pressed a button on the car. The automated ramp extended.

Then, Sebastian emerged.

He wasn't the disheveled, broken man the rumors described. He was impeccable. He wore a bespoke black tuxedo that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. His shirt was crisp white, and his tie... his tie was the exact same shade of midnight blue as Harper’s dress.

His hair was cut short and sharp, highlighting his striking features. His face was cold, impassive, and devastatingly handsome. He sat in his carbon-fiber wheelchair not like a invalid, but like a monarch on a mobile throne.

The silence was deafening. Flashbulbs erupted like a thunderstorm.

Harper walked behind him, her hands resting gently on the handles of his chair. She leaned down, whispering near his ear. "Ready to crash the party, Boss?"

Sebastian adjusted his cuffs, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Drive."

---

[The Walk]

The ballroom doors swung open. The Master of Ceremonies announced: "Mr. Sebastian Sterling."

Every head turned. Julian and Elena froze in mid-toast.

Sebastian and Harper entered. They moved through the crowd like a knife through butter. People instinctively parted ways, stepping back to let them pass.

There was no pity in the room anymore. Only awe. And fear. Sebastian didn't say a word. He didn't need to. His cold, dark eyes swept across the room, silencing anyone who dared to whisper.

Harper pushed him with a steady, rhythmic pace. Click-clack, click-clack went her silver heels. She wasn't hiding behind him. She was his shield-bearer, his partner. Her eyes scanned the crowd, meeting every judgmental stare with a dazzling, challenging smile.

You wanted to see a monster? her eyes seemed to say. Too bad. You got a God.

They reached the center of the room, right where Julian and Elena stood.

The contrast was brutal. Julian, in his flashy grey suit, looked like a cheap salesman next to Sebastian’s dark elegance. Elena, in her bright red dress, looked gaudy next to Harper’s starry sophistication.

"Sebastian," Julian choked out, his smile trembling. "You... you made it."

Sebastian looked at him. He didn't offer a hand. He didn't smile. He just looked at Julian like he was a stain on the carpet.

"You sent an invitation," Sebastian’s voice was low, smooth, and carried through the silent room. "It would be rude not to come."

Elena stared at Sebastian. She had dumped him because she thought he was finished. Broken. Ugly. But the man in front of her was more attractive than he had ever been. The scar on his cheek didn't make him ugly; it made him look dangerous.

And the woman behind him... Elena glared at Harper. "Who invited the maid?"

Harper laughed. It was a light, musical sound that echoed in the quiet hall. She stepped out from behind the wheelchair and stood beside Sebastian, placing a possessive hand on his shoulder.

"Maid?" Harper tilted her head, her diamond earrings catching the light. "Oh, honey. I'm not just the maid."

She looked at Sebastian. Sebastian looked up at her. For the first time all night, his cold eyes melted into something warm.

"She is my Plus One," Sebastian declared, his voice firm. "And my personal guest of honor."

He turned back to the crowd, raising his voice slightly. "And tonight, anyone who disrespects her, disrespects me."

The threat hung in the air. Nobody dared to breathe.

Julian swallowed hard. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that his engagement party had just been hijacked. The King hadn't just returned. He had brought a Queen.