NovelNext Chapter 5
Chapter 5
All heads snapped toward the entrance.
A tall, striking man stepped inside—his mere presence drawing the room into silence. He wore a perfectly tailored black tailcoat, a gold-trimmed white bow tie, and a spotless white shirt without a single wrinkle.
His hair was golden-blond, slightly wavy, and effortlessly tousled. His eyes, a piercing celestial green, gleamed like stars compacted into irises. An air of royalty clung to him, so commanding that people instinctively lowered their eyes.
Lorenzo pushed through the crowd with an eager grin plastered across his face.
"Your Highness, welcome to New York!" he said, stretching out both hands with almost theatrical enthusiasm.
"I'm Lorenzo Nichols. On behalf of our business community, it's an honor to welcome you."
Prince Charles barely glanced at the outstretched hands, offering the quickest, most reluctant handshake before pulling away. His expression remained unreadable.
Lorenzo lit up like he'd just won the lottery. "Your Highness, we've prepared a small gift to honor your arrival. If you'd be so kind, perhaps after the banquet you'd consider visiting my humble home?"
Vanessa's eyes gleamed with thinly veiled greed. She looked at Charles like a starving woman sizing up a gourmet meal. In a syrupy, seductive voice, she stepped forward.
"Your Highness, if you find it hard to adjust to life here, I'd be more than happy to assist," she purred. "I could be your personal aide. Make sure you're comfortable… in every way."
Then, without shame, she reached for his arm, trying to link hers through his.
Charles's expression turned to ice. His gaze was sharp and cutting.
In one swift move, he flung her hand away like it was something dirty.
Then he turned to the mayor, his voice cold enough to chill the room.
"Are all the women in your city this... forward?"
The mayor's face flushed bright red. He opened his mouth to scold her—
But before he could speak, a sharp clink echoed at their feet.
Everyone looked down.
A gold-inlaid emerald ring had rolled to a stop near their shoes.
It had fallen from Vanessa's hand—she had just stolen it from me. And in her stumble, she dropped it for all to see.
Charles stared at the ring, confusion flickering across his face. He bent down to pick it up—and the second he examined it, everything changed.
His eyes hardened. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Vanessa by the throat.
"Where did you get this ring?" he asked, voice like a blade.
Vanessa, still clueless about the storm she'd just summoned, blinked up at him with teary eyes, putting on her best innocent act.
"Your Highness... you're scaring me," she whimpered, reaching out to gently stroke his hand. "I'm really frightened…"
But Charles's emerald eyes darkened, storm clouds gathering behind them. I knew that look. It was the stillness before his most terrifying rage.
Any noble who'd seen it before would be shaking in their boots.
Without warning, he hoisted Vanessa off the ground with one hand, like she weighed nothing.
"Speak," he ordered, low and lethal.