The scene was in utter chaos.
Yet, that particular voice cut through the noise—cold, crisp, and piercing as an icicle to the lungs, making everyone shiver uncontrollably.
It wasn’t until all eyes shifted toward the source of the voice that the nearly one hundred people present finally snapped out of their daze. Astonished expressions broke out across the crowd, followed by a ripple of whispers. "Mr. Hawthorne?"
"Given that the Hawthorne family sits at the pinnacle of the domestic industry, they naturally wouldn’t miss today’s conference. Now that Mr. Hawthorne is here, it’ll be a showdown to see who wins the biggest bid today—him or Lance Langley."
"We’re just here for the ride," another person whispered. "But wait, shouldn’t the focus be on what Mr. Hawthorne just said? What did he mean by that?"
As the question was raised, the gazes directed at him grew increasingly peculiar and horrified. The realization dawned on them. Mr. Hawthorne was actually married? And just who on earth was the woman he had called his "wife"?
As the center of the incident, Zoe Lancaster’s back stiffened. She slowly turned her head. The man coming into view was tall and long-legged. He wore a perfectly tailored, dark black suit that exuded a cold, ascetic aura. A new pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his handsome, prominent nose. Through the lenses, one could faintly make out a light mole at the corner of his eye. His lips were alluring, yet somehow appeared callous.
No matter where he was, he seemed to forever be the center of attention. With looks like his, he could effortlessly captivate a room without doing a single thing.
Miles Yates narrowed his deep eyes, a hint of mockery playing on his lips. Simon Hawthorne had actually rushed over. Was he planning to—
The man who was relentlessly grabbing onto Zoe had absolutely no idea who Simon, the apex predator of the financial circle, was. Frowning and growing irritable at having his rhythm repeatedly interrupted, he forcefully raised his voice. "You have to give me an explanation! Is my youth worth nothing to you?"
Wendy Lawrence finally snapped out of her shock. She was somewhat astonished that Simon had shown up, but she subconsciously ignored the word "wife." Since things had already reached this point, she had no choice but to keep up the act. She stepped forward, grabbed Zoe’s wrist, and spoke with earnest persuasion. "Zoe, don’t keep making mistakes. Have a good talk with Miller. I know you still have feelings for Miller."
Zoe remained silent, her gaze fixed entirely on the man slowly approaching her.
It wasn’t until he drew near that he spoke. "Shane Shaw, if someone’s hands aren’t clean, you can just remove them."
Simon’s long, narrow eyes looked as though they had been steeped in ice water. Before anyone could react, someone seized Wendy’s shoulder and gave it a deft, forceful twist. The sharp pain caused her to instantly release Zoe’s wrist. Stumbling backward, she stared at Simon in sheer shock. "Mr. Hawthorne... why are you treating me like this? In broad daylight, even if you are in a position of power, you can’t just—"
"Why?" Simon’s cold gaze swept over her from above. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he grasped Zoe’s hand inch by inch, enveloping her small hand in his palm. His tone was cruel as he mocked Wendy’s reckless death wish. "Zoe is my wife. We’ve been married for years and have always kept a low profile. Who gave you the audacity to spread filthy rumors about my wife?"
The venue instantly plunged into a dead silence.
Wendy’s pupils contracted sharply, and she was so breathless with disbelief that she could barely gasp for air.
Even Zoe looked up in astonishment at the man’s cold, rigid jawline. He was holding her hand tightly, pulling her to his side, creating an impenetrable fortress to protect her. She had never expected their relationship to be exposed, let alone on such a grand occasion. Just when she had fallen into a quagmire and was unable to save herself, he had personally acknowledged her under the watchful eyes of the public.
Not far away, Martin Lancaster stumbled out of the crowd. "What...? How is that possible?!"
Wendy suddenly snapped back to reality. Her whole body trembled with cold, and cold sweat poured down her face. Terrified and unwilling to believe it, she shrieked, "Impossible... How could Zoe possibly be capable of this!"
The situation had abruptly reversed, catching almost everyone completely off guard. Initially, the massive scandals had dropped one after another, and the crowd had been more than happy to watch the drama unfold. They thought they were about to witness a woman’s reputation being dragged through the mud, becoming a pariah for anyone to spit on. Who would have thought...
Simon’s gaze landed with near-contempt on the man who had been causing a scene. A cold, mocking sneer tugged at his lips. "We’ve been married for two and a half years. You just claimed you two have been dating for over a year and are planning to get married. What? Do you think the marriage laws are a joke?"
The man finally realized what was happening. He had completely botched the act and messed with the absolute wrong person. She actually had a legitimate husband! He subconsciously looked toward a panicked Wendy. "I..."
Simon’s eyes held not a trace of warmth, staring at the man with the indifference one would show an ant. "Do I need to show everyone here my marriage certificate? Or are you suggesting... that my wife would somehow fancy a scumbag like you while having me? What exactly makes you think you’re worthy?"
His tone was calm and breezy, yet his words stabbed the man until he was practically bleeding out.
The surrounding crowd suddenly woke up to the reality of the situation. After all, Zoe was an incredibly capable and stunning beauty whose looks rivaled those of top celebrities. Why would she ever fall for some broke nobody? Furthermore, her husband was actually Mr. Hawthorne! Whether it was his status, appearance, wealth, or power, he was completely flawless. How dare anyone spread such filthy rumors!
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted bizarrely. Shocked and sarcastic gazes fell upon Wendy and Martin. If the onlookers still couldn’t understand what was really going on, they would have wasted all their years surviving in high society!
Martin’s old face looked exceedingly ugly. He never could have imagined that his own daughter possessed such immense capability! She had kept her marriage airtight for over two years, and it was actually with the head of the Hawthorne family! No wonder! No wonder Mr. Hawthorne hadn’t completely crushed the Lancaster family despite being wronged.
With bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zoe. "Zoe, are you intentionally making a fool out of your father?"
Wendy was the first to regain her wits. "No! It wasn’t me! I was deceived too; I actually thought this whole thing was true!" Her immediate instinct was to completely absolve herself of any blame.
The young man immediately caught on. He realized that he had likely provoked an incredibly powerful figure, and now this Wendy was trying to shift the blame and play innocent! He fiercely cursed at her, "You shameless old hag! You hired me to sling mud at her, shifting all of your own daughter’s scandals onto Zoe so she would die a graveless death! And now you want to deny it?! The transfer records are still there!"
Gasps echoed through the crowd. This scandal just kept escalating, with each revelation more explosive than the last. Zoe was a daughter of the Lancaster family after all; how could her stepmother be so utterly vicious to her!
In their circle, no one would ever dig for the so-called truth. Although Wendy’s methods were extreme, no one would have cared about the minor details. Fabricating filthy rumors and blowing them out of proportion was the most direct way to completely destroy a woman! If Zoe hadn’t been the madam of the Hawthorne family, her life would have been thoroughly ruined!
The ice in Simon’s eyes was terrifyingly cold. "My wife has suffered endless grievances in the Lancaster family for so many years. Chairman Lancaster stood by and did nothing, allowing this vicious-hearted mistress to bully his own daughter, and now, she nearly ruined Zoe’s spotless reputation. Originally, if you had shown even a shred of remorse, I might have acknowledged you as my father-in-law. But Chairman Lancaster, you’ve disappointed Zoe. I, Hawthorne, love my wife dearly, so there is no room left for sentimentality between us."
How could anyone present fail to understand the stance in his words? He was publicly declaring that Zoe was the daughter-in-law of the Hawthorne family. And that she no longer had any ties to the Lancaster family! They could forget about trying to ride on her coattails or reaping any benefits from her!
People in this circle were experts at shifting with the wind. Now that Simon had made his stance clear, who would dare to maintain deep business ties with the Lancaster family? Simon wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; there would be plenty of people ready to teach the Lancasters the true meaning of human malice. This was undoubtedly a lethal strike to the heart!
Martin fell into a daze, barely able to stand. Wendy broke down in a sobbing mess. She never expected things to turn out like this. Her good days were just supposed to be beginning, yet such a massive disaster had struck!
Soon, personnel arrived to clear the chaotic scene. The sound of crying and screaming faded into the distance. Only the reporters’ cameras remained fixed on the main characters.
Simon didn’t put the Lancaster family in his eyes at all. He turned around, lowering his gaze to look at Zoe’s complex expression, and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. "From now on, keep your back straight and walk forward."
Zoe’s eyelashes fluttered. To her, those words were virtually deafening.
He silently squeezed her fingers before indifferently turning his gaze toward Miles Yates. Their eyes met. It was so remarkably calm, yet exceedingly bizarre. Clearly, the standoff between the two men had become another major highlight of the scene.
Only then did the crowd remember... President Yates had just recently confessed his feelings to Mr. Hawthorne’s wife!
This was undeniably an absolute battlefield!