Chapter 92

Bryson remained motionless, while his assistant nearly collapsed from exhaustion after countless failea attempts to sway him.

"Mr. Hardy..." the assistant began cautiously, but Bryson's sharp, icy tone cuthim off.

"Shut up!" A single sideways glare silenced the assistant instantly.

The assistant rolled his eyes discreetly-did Bryson think he enjoyed this ordeal? He had been talking until his throat felt scorched!

Though irritated,Bryson understood his assistant was right.

Exhaling slowly, he picked up his phone and dialed Marissa's number.

As the line rang, his thoughts drifted.

Standing by while Marissa suffered was simply not an option-especially after she had been heartlessly discarded by another man.

Seeing the call connected, his assistant quietly excused himself from the room.

Meanwhile,social media was spiraling out of control. Twitter buzzed like a hornet's nest, hashtags flying up the charts.

What began as a trivial rumor had snowballed into a frenzy of speculation. Curious users tried to guess which wealthy families were clashing and spending lavishly to outdo one another.

Rumors raced across the internet like wildfire.

The statement from the Fletcher family shot straight to the top of the trending list, reigniting speculation about what scandal had caused the fake heiress to be cast out.

Online discussions exploded, with users convinced that one faction had already triumphed while the other scrambled to control the fallout.

Gossip thrived in the chaos, and everyone knew that whoever broke the silence first would instantly become the focal point of attention-yet no one stepped forward.

The lack of response only fueled wilder theories. Soon, talk turned absurd, with some even claiming Marissa had secretly been involved with Phil behind Susanna's back.

When Marissa scrolled through the mess online, she was speechless at how far people's imaginations could stretch.

Phil and her? Really?

But then, a thought struck her-a possibility she hadn't considered before.

Could Susanna's hostility toward her stem from this very misunderstanding?

The realization made her laugh suddenly, a quiet but strange sound that drew Theodore's attention.He glanced at her curiously but didn't look at her phone.

Theodore had also seen the online chaos and recognized that things were spiraling out of control. "Should we head to the banquet first or contact the authorities?" he asked evenly.

Marissa hesitated briefly before replying, "Let's hold off on calling the police."

She had a hunch that something unexpected might unfold at the banquet.

Her thoughts briefly wandered to Holley-what surprise could she possibly bring tonight?

Theodore didn't press for explanations, and the topic ended there.

Moments later, the car rolled to a stop beneath a grand arched entrance. A sharply dressed attendant moved to open the door but was stopped by the Brooks family's bodyguards, who stood like sentinels on either side.

"Mr. Brooks," one greeted respectfully before stepping back and opening the door himself.

Theodore exited first, offering his hand to Marissa. "We've arrived."

She took his hand and stepped out gracefully, still wearing flats instead of heels. Before she could loop her arm through his, a familiar voice called from nearby.

"Hey, Theodore! Long time no see! Didn't think you would show up here!"

A young man climbed out of a luxury car and strode toward them with a smug grin.

Theodore didn't acknowledge him, instead securing Marissa's hand and leading her inside without so much as a glance.

Marissa looked briefly at the man but didn't ask who he was, matching Theodore's calm pace.

The young man had never seen Marissa before. For a brief moment, her beauty left him speechless-but admiration quickly gave way to resentment.

How bold of Theodore to bring a woman to a Curtis family banquet.

"Theodore, are you planning to break off the engagement with the Curtis family?" Theodore's cousin, Farris Patel, caught up effortlessly, undeterred by Theodore's cold indifference. "By the way, Marc was spotted out with some girl this afternoon."

Theodore didn't bother responding, his expression unreadable. But Farris, ever the talkative type, continued without shame. "No idea who she is. Oh, I heard from my mother that you got injured down there.Is that true? As men, we really shouldn't ignore issues like this-it ends up affecting your private life with your partner..."

His sentence ended in a startled grunt as he suddenly stumbled forward and dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

For a split second, confusion flashed across his face.

Marissa,standing beside Theodore, calmly retracted her foot and looked down at him with polite innocence."Oh my, what happened? You should be more careful," she said lightly, her tone betraying not a hint of guilt.

The action had been instinctive, a reflex she didn't care to explain, and she certainly wasn't about to start now. Farris, oblivious to the real cause of his fall, winced and snapped at Theodore's bodyguards, "What are you staring at? Help me up!"

Farris, thick-skinned as ever, showed no hint of embarrassment over his clumsy fall.

The two bodyguards, having clearly seen Marissa's discreet move, exchanged knowing glances but kept their mouths shut.

They didn't step forward to assist; instead, their eyes flicked toward Theodore, silently awaiting his signal.

Theodore, however, remained perfectly composed, his gaze cold and indifferent as he watched Farris struggle on the ground.

When it became obvious that no help would come, Farris huffed and pushed himself up, brushing the dust off his trousers with an annoyed grunt.

"Damn it! WVhy on earth would the Curtis family pick this dump for a banquet?" he muttered bitterly

His expression darkened with irritation, but his mouth, as usual, didn't stop running.

"Anyway, let's get back to where we left off," he continued as if nothing had happened.

Farris was desperate to confirm whether. Theodore's manhood was truly impaired.

A sly glint flickered in his eyes. Farris had always envied Theodore's steady success and composed nature,but if that rumor about his supposed injury turned out to be true, it would finally give him something to laugh about.

Leaning closer, his tone turned mocking and crude. "Tell me, Theodore, are you still capable... in bed?"