جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 180

In the distance, Brian and Evelyn walked up to Igor.Brian took the initiative to clink glasses with him. Many people saw it happen, including the Shaw family. They began to regard Igor more favorably.Igor felt especially proud as he raised his glass to meet Brian's.The crisp sound of their glasses tapping rang out. In that instant, the entire room fell silent, and everyone's attention landed on Igor.Not far away, Ariana's lips curved slightly.Igor apparently had no idea how serious this was. He downed his champagne in one gulp.Gwen also didn't notice anything amiss. Only Evelyn looked visibly uncomfortable.Brian held his champagne without drinking it. His eyes darkened.Selena gaped. "Is Igor out of his mind? Who does he think he is? Does he not realize he has to show respect if he wants to stay in this circle?"During that brief moment of clinking glasses, Igor had taken the lead. He lifted his glass higher than Brian's. That was a huge taboo in these social circles.

In the past, Igor had been a little tyrant at school. Gwen spoiled him so much that he believed being the heir of the Torrey family gave him the right to do whatever he pleased.At Gleaston University, Igor could usually get away with it. But here, at a high-society event in the Royal Hotel, things were different. Just being here required a certain level of status.Yet, Igor had invited a group of classmates from ordinary families. His lack of respect for decorum had already upset many guests. From their point of view, these classmates had no place at such an upscale banquet.Igor drained another glass of champagne. He saw Elaine heading off toward the restroom, so he gestured to a few of his pals to follow him and block her way."Come on. Let's see what happens."Ariana led Selena toward the corner. They spotted Igor's group surrounding Elaine.Elaine sensed something was wrong and backed up. "Igor, what are you doing?"Igor was annoyed that she showed no sign of fear. "What do

Igor's outrageous bragging infuriated Luke. "My daughter has never been humiliated by anyone. Today you tried to assault her, so don't blame me for disregarding ties between our families!"Luke signaled his bodyguards to grab Igor. In an instant, one of them struck Igor's leg with an electric baton.Igor felt a jolt of pain. He collapsed to the ground, crying out in agony."Igor!"Gwen had never expected the Shaw family to actually use force. She ran to check his injuries.When she saw he couldn't even stand, she glared at the Shaw family. "This is the Torrey family's banquet. How dare you attack my son here? How outrageous! The Torrey family is the Lodge family's future in-laws! How dare you disrespect us like this? You've gone too far!"Gwen spun around, fixing her gaze on Ariana. "Ariana, how can you just stand there watching your brother get bullied? What kind of sister are you?"Ariana remained unruffled. "Ms. Lambert, Igor brought this on himself. He will have to take resp

Gwen felt sick at the thought of how much money she had lost.Ariana didn't care about Gwen's losses and deliberately drove away in the sports car that Gwen had sent over. Admiring the vibrant red color, she said with satisfaction, "This sports car is fantastic. I love it. Thanks, Ms. Lambert."With that, Ariana got into the driver's seat, leaving Gwen on the verge of fainting again in the driveway.In the rearview mirror, Ariana saw Gwen raging in the front yard. A faint smile curved her lips."Gwen, did you think this was over? No, it has only just begun," Ariana thought.Meanwhile, Brian was busy at Lodge Co."Mr. Lodge, aren't you going to step in? The Torrey family is in chaos, and Ms. Torrey might not be able to handle it all by herself," Emily said quietly.Everyone knew about last night's fiasco. It was going to be a lifelong joke. Igor's reputation in their circle was shot.Ariana, as his sister, was bound to be affected. If Belinda heard about how disreputable the Tor

Seeing Brian speak up for Ariana, Belinda merely nodded."Ariana, you've always been smart and well-behaved, but when it comes to matters affecting both families' reputations, you've been too careless. We'll let last night slide, but if it happens again, don't blame me for being mean. I'll have to reconsider your engagement then," she said with a smile, but there was a warning in her tone.Ariana tried to free her hand again, but Brian held on firmly. She was about to speak when Brian said, "You're right, Grandma. Ari has always been smart and well-behaved. Her brother is the one causing problems. Next time, she'll watch him more strictly, so it won't happen again."He then turned to Emily. "Emily, please escort Grandma out.""Yes, sir." Emily helped Belinda out.Brian pulled Ariana behind him, blocking her from view. She frowned and reached out with her free hand to pinch him hard at the waist.He gasped but had to stifle the sound in front of Belinda. Ariana felt a bit gratifie