Chapter 12

Brandon was hunched over, holding his lower half like his life depended on it. His face twisted in pain as he let out a loud cry, like his soul had just been ripped from his body.

The scene was so shocking that even the club's security guards froze in place. His blond friend ran over in a panic, glancing nervously toward Brandon's lower half. "Bro, are you okay?"

Brandon's face twisted with fury, and his voice broke as he yelled, "Do I look okay to you? That crazy woman just kicked me. What are you all waiting for?Go grab her!"

But to his shock, not a single guard moved.

Instead, they looked past him, their faces turning serious.

The noisy crowd fell silent in an instant, like someone had flipped a switch. Conversations died mid-sentence. People began stepping aside without thinking, clearing a path straight through the middle.

A sharp, cutting voice broke the silence. "Brandon,who do you think you're messing with? And where'd you get the nerve?"

Heads turned as Ada appeared, arm-in-arm with her older brother, Korbin Douglas. Behind them, a squad of bodyguards in black followed closely. Their entrance didn't just command attention-it consumed it.

Everyone knew the Douglas siblings were close, but it was uncommon to see them in public together. Still,those who paid close attention noticed something else-both siblings walked to the left, while Elton Clark, the second son of the powerful Clark family,walked to the right.

And the one walking dead center was the man everyone instinctively focused on.

Tall,sharp-featured,and exuding a cold,commanding presence-Waylon. His aura was so strong, it felt like no one could touch him.

"Oh my God, it's him! It's really Waylon!"

"Whoa, no way-that's actually Waylon? How can someone look that insanely good? There's gotta be a law against it."

"Shh! Keep your voice down unless you want security throwing you out!"

The energy in the crowd crackled, even as people tried to stay composed. All eyes followed Waylon like he was royalty.

Waylon had been a legend since his school days. Even after being gone from Afoross for seven years,his name never faded.

While industries collapsed and markets struggled during economic downturns, he managed to breathe life back into Afoross's industries all by himself. Now,his name was known around the world.

To the business world, Waylon wasn't just influential -he was the kind of figure people looked to when everything else was falling apart.

Each of his steps echoed in that club like a slow-moving thunderclap.

As he passed, his eyes barely glanced at Brandon-cold and uninterested. But even that was enough. The guards immediately stepped in, dragging Brandon away like garbage blocking the way.

Brandon's pride took a hit, hisdignity crumbling right there, but he didn't dare say a word.

He knew better than to challenge someone like Waylon-the man at the center of the most powerful circle of heirs. Picking a fight with him wasn't just foolish, it was suicide.

Elton smirked as Brandon was dragged away like a kicked dog. "Bet Alexia's cringing watching this. Back in the day, she used to rush into casinos to defend that idiot. Got up in my face more than once."

Ada gave a half-laugh, sounding a little embarrassed "Come on, we've all made dumb choices when we were younger. Alexia's sober now. Why else do you think she completely humiliated Brandon today?"

Korbin raised an eyebrow. "So she's finally woken up and come to her senses?"

His eyes slid over to Alexia, still standing alone near the stairs. "Doesn't really seem like that to me. And she has Andre backing her up, doesn't she?"

He hadn't even finished talking before Ada sharply pinched him under his arm.

Korbin winced, plastering on an awkward smile as he turned to Waylon. "Maybe she actually does regret it.Who knows?"

Waylon stayed silent, but his eyes found Alexia's. In that split second, she saw it-just beneath his calm,polished surface was an unmistakable flash of annoyance.

They brushed past each other, barely inches apart,when Alexia suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Waylon stopped. And with him, the entire area seemed to freeze.

His voice came out low, steady, and cold. "Let go."

The atmosphere tightened in an instant-no one moved, no one breathed. But Alexia didn't blink. She Looked up at him, all composed, and said with a light smile, "Can we talk?"

Waylon's eyes narrowed. A slow, unreadable smile tugged at his lips. "Talk about what?"

The tension was thick enough to choke on. Even Ada Looked like she was about to say something,but Korbin quietly held her back with a hand on her arm.

Alexia stayed calm, letting the silence stretch for another moment. Then, with a gentletilt of her chin,she said, "Let's talk inside. It's freezing out here, don't you think,Wally?"

The reaction was immediate, like tossing a spark into a pool of gasoline.

Gasps erupted through the crowd, disbelief spreading like ripples on water.

"Wait,did she just call him Wally?"

"Who is she? And how does she have the guts to call him that?"

"She said it like it was normal. And look at him-he's not even mad. What even is their relationship?"

Even Elton and Korbin exchanged looks, both taken aback.

Damn! Alexia still knew exactly how to manipulate Waylon.