The man turned as pale as a ghost, dropping to his knees and pleading with Alexander, "Mr. Turner, please, let me explain!"

"I saw this woman wandering in the garden and approached her out of kindness. Who knew she'd latch onto me!"

Alexander ignored him, focusing instead on Wendy as she recounted what happened.

"A wniter told me you were looking for me and led me here,but you weren't around. Then this guy showed up, blocked my way, and assaulted me."

"She's lying! She's making it up!" The man was in a full-blown panic, his eyes wide and sweat dripping from his forehead.

"This woman has a history of cheating on her husband. Mr. Turner.You can't believe her! We're business parters; you can't just take her word for it!"

Without a word, Alexander took off his jacket and gently draped it over Wendy's trembling shoulders.

Then he turned and walked toward the man, each step echoing like a death knell in the man's ears, making him too scared to breathe.

When Alexander reached him, he swung his fist hard, landing a punch on the man's cheek.

The man fell to the ground, howling in pain, two teeth flying out.

Alexander planted his foot on the man's chest, looking down at him with

disdain.

"Mr. Turner, you can't do this! Mr. Turner! What are you going to do?"The man shrank back in terror, his voice breaking.

"From today on, you have no place in Aurora City," Alexander said,his voice low but filled with undeniable authority.

The man watched in horror as Alexander's polished shoe lifted high, then a sharp pain shot through his leg, the sound of breaking bones drowned out by his screams.

He stared in disbelief at his bleeding leg, his body convulsing in pain,barely able to speak.

"Mr. Turner! I was wrong! I didn't know any better, please forgive me! 1won't do it again!"

At that moment, several security guards rushed over. Without a word, they grabbed the man and dragged him away.

Alexander returned to Wendy's side, the coldness on his face replaced by guilt. "I'm sorry, I should have stayed with you."

Wendy's face was still pale, and the large bruise on her wrist was alarming.

Biting her lip, she said gravely, "Alexander, someone is definitely behind this."

As she thought over the series of events, Wendy felt more and more that something was off.

First. Chris' dress was inexplicably ruined, and then she was led to the back garden for no reason.

It was clear that someone had planned this.

Without needing her to say more, Alexander had already sent someone to retrieve the security footage.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll find out who's behind this. You should go inside;it's cold out here."

Wendy, wrapped in Alexander's jacket, felt the lingering warmth from his body,which slowly spread through her, giving her a sense of comfort.

He was like a beacon of light, always providing warmth and support when she was in dire straits.

Unconsciously, Wendy moved a little closer to Alexander, seeking more of that security.

She stayed close to his side, whispering, "Thanks. Now I owe you another favor."

The coldness in Alexander's eyes hadn't completely faded; the incident had clearly angered him.

But faced with Wendy's sincere gratitude, a different emotion stirred within him, one he hadn't noticed before.

He simply said, "You were my guest at the party. If something happened,it's my responsibility. No need to talk about owing me."

Alexander led Wendy back to the banquet hall, the incident in the garden seemingly cut off by an invisible curtain, unknown to the guests.

However, in the crowd, two pairs of eyes watched them with fear and unease.

Since Wendy had left with the waiter, Sarah had been on edge, her eyes fixed on the door to the garden.

When she saw the waiter return alone and close the door, she had trembled with excitement.

Lydia had been imagining the "show" to come: once the incident was exposed, Wendy would be shunned by everyone at the party, the Turner family would see her true colors, and Alexander would be disgusted with her.

She sat next to Ethan.paying no attention to the conversations around her,her mind elsewhere.

Butwhen she saw Alexander rushing toward the garden, she knew their carefully laid plan had failed again.

Why? Why did Wendy always manage to escape unscathed?

Lydia was stewing in frustration when Sarah came running over,stumbling as if being chased. "Lydia! That bitch is fine, and Alexander saved her again!"

Lydia suppressed her irritation, maintaining a gentle demeanor as she softly said, "Calm down. So what if he saved her? If you panic,people might suspect you did something wrong."

"But what if they find out.." Sarah's lips trembled, unable to finish her sentence out of fear.

"Relax, the waiter is long gone. What can they find?" Lydia reassured her,though the slight tremor in her fingers betrayed her own anxiety.

Chris, guided by his caretaker and bodyguard Eddy Bowers, hurried down

the stairs.

Alexander quickly grabbed him, his face dark with anger. "Someone used my name to lure Wendy to the garden, where a thug tried to harm her."

"What?" Chris' face turned ashen. This was a Turner family event, on their own turf. Who would dare to be so bold?

Moreover, Wendy was the date personally brought by Alexander!

Chris grabbed Alexander's arms, fuming. "Alexander! You can't let that scumbag off easy. If I'd known, I would have stayed with Wendy."

He was filled with regret, cursing his own lack of caution.

As they spoke, the hotel manager rushed over, looking flustered.

He bowed and reported, "Mr. Turner, the security footage shows that after locking the door to the garden, the waiter left the hotel. I've asked all the security and staff, but his phone is disconnected, and no one answers at the address he gave."

Alexander's face was like thunder, his eyes icy. "Who did he interact with at the party?"

"Mr. Turner, he was serving drinks, so he probably interacted with most of the guests," the hotel manager said, wiping sweat from his forehead,his voice tinged with urgency and fear.