Chapter 119: She doesn’t need an invitation.
Elena’s words only fueled the crowd’s anger.
"This is outrageous. How dare she challenge us?"
"I can’t tolerate her anymore. Throw her out."
"Yes. Throw her out."
Soon, the guests were shouting in unison.
Noah wanted to stand up for Elena. But when he saw the influential guests turning against her, he remained silent.
Everyone present was powerful and well-connected. Offending them would bring consequences even he couldn’t afford.
’If only you had listened to me,’ he thought, ’I could have saved you.’
Tessa sneered inwardly. ’What a wonderful day.’
Watching Elena being humiliated in front of so many people filled her with indescribable satisfaction.
The guards seized Elena by both arms and began dragging her toward the exit.
"Let go of me." Elena struggled fiercely, trying to free herself.
But the guards refused to loosen their grip. No matter how hard she resisted, she couldn’t break free.
"You have no idea what you are doing," Elena warned through gritted teeth. "Wait until my husband gets here. He’ll explain everything."
"Enough," one of the guards barked. "You’ve caused enough trouble already. Everyone wants you out. Leave quietly."
At that very moment, Elias walked into the banquet hall. The instant he saw the guards dragging Elena away, he stopped in his tracks.
His eyes turned icy.
"What are you doing?" His deep voice echoed through the hall. "Release her. Now."
The overwhelming authority in his voice sent a chill through everyone present. Without thinking, the guards immediately let go of Elena.
The moment she was free, Elena hurried straight into Elias’ arms.
Seeing another man holding Elena so protectively, Noah’s body stiffened. His fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged across the backs of his hands.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Elena away from Elias and beat the man until he could no longer stand. But he could only watch.
Elias ignored every pair of eyes fixed on him. His entire attention was on the woman in his embrace.
"Are you alright?" His voice was filled with concern.
Elena shook her head. The fear and frustration she had been suppressing finally overwhelmed her, and tears blurred her vision.
The sight of her tears ignited a violent rage inside Elias. His expression darkened as he turned toward the guards.
"Who gave you permission to lay your hands on my wife?" Every word was cold enough to freeze the air.
The guards instinctively lowered their heads. Although they didn’t know who he was, his commanding aura alone told them he wasn’t an ordinary man. None of them dared to answer.
Even the guests who had been shouting moments earlier fell silent.
The banquet hall became eerily quiet.
Just then, Tessa stepped forward. "They were only doing their job," she said with a mocking smile. "She entered without an invitation, so they were escorting her out."
Elias slowly turned his gaze toward her. His eyes were so cold they sent a shiver down her spine.
"She doesn’t need an invitation." His voice rang through the hall. "She is my wife."
He wrapped an arm around Elena’s waist before continuing, "Elena Rowan. My wife. And this is our family’s charity gala. Who exactly thinks they have the right to stop her from attending a family event?"
"Family event?" Tessa stared at him in disbelief.
The crowd immediately broke into whispers.
"Who is this man? Why did he call it a family event?"
"Is he... a member of the Rowan family?"
"Oh my God... Did we just offend someone from the Rowan family?"
For a brief moment, unease spread through the hall.
Then Tessa suddenly burst into laughter. "I’m sorry."
She laughed so hard she almost doubled over. "I just can’t help myself."
The guests looked at her in confusion.
Finally, she wiped the corner of her eye. "Just because your surname is Rowan doesn’t make you part of the Rowan family."
She pointed at Elias. "This man is nothing more than the CEO of a small finance company. He has absolutely nothing to do with the Rowan family."
Hearing her confident words, many guests visibly relaxed.
"Thank goodness. I almost thought we had offended the wrong person."
"But why is he pretending to be a member of the Rowan family? Has he gone mad?"
"If Mr. Rowan finds out, these two impostors are finished."
Instead of getting angry, Elias smiled faintly. He found Tessa’s confidence almost amusing.
"How are you so certain," he asked calmly, "that I’m not the man you’ve all been waiting to meet?"
"Oh, please." Tessa waved her hand dismissively. "I know exactly who you are. If you still want to survive in this city, stop pretending and leave before it’s too late."
Elias ignored her completely. His gaze swept across the distinguished guests filling the hall.
"I know all of you have been waiting to meet me. For many years, I chose to stay away from the public eye. But today..."
He paused. "I’ve decided it’s time to introduce myself."
He stood tall, his commanding presence filling the entire hall. "My name is Elias Rowan. I am the heir to the Rowan family and the owner of Novacrest Global."
Then he intertwined his fingers with Elena’s. "This is my wife, Elena Rowan. We welcome all of you to tonight’s charity gala."
The hall fell silent.
The guests exchanged uneasy glances. No one knew whether to believe him or not.
"Owner of Novacrest Global?" Tessa scoffed loudly. "What a ridiculous lie."
She turned to everyone. "Don’t listen to him. He is nothing more than the CEO of AscentCore Finance. He has absolutely nothing to do with Novacrest Global."
"She is right." Noah finally stepped forward. "I know this man."
His eyes remained fixed on Elias. "He stole my fiancée from me. He manipulated her into marrying him. He is willing to tell any lie to achieve his goals, even pretending to be the heir of the Rowan family."
Gasps spread across the hall.
"Oh, so that’s who he is. Now I remember the rumors on social media."
"I saw that."
"So did I."
"He is the man everyone has been criticizing online."
"What shameless people."
"How dare he impersonate Mr. Rowan?"
Elena’s brows knitted tightly. She had no idea rumors about Elias had spread this far.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" she snapped. "Elias never manipulated me. It was you who—"
"Elena." Noah cut her off before she could finish. "This man can’t give you the life you deserve. His company is already on the verge of collapse. If you stay with him, you’ll only suffer."
His eyes were filled with longing. "Come back to me. I’ll pretend none of this ever happened."
Beside him, Tessa’s face turned pale with jealousy. She couldn’t believe Noah was still begging Elena to return.
"Noah..." She grabbed his arm.
He shoved her aside without even looking at her.
Caught off guard, Tessa stumbled backward. She barely managed to keep herself from falling.
Noah didn’t spare her a single glance. His entire focus remained on Elena. He slowly stepped toward her.
"We can start over," he said earnestly. "No one will come between us again. I’ll devote all my time to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for everything I’ve done."
His voice softened. "Please... Come back to me."
He reached out to take Elena’s hand.
Before he could touch her, Elias stepped in front of her, shielding her completely. With a sharp smack, he slapped Noah’s hand away.
"Keep your hands off my wife." His voice was low, cold, and filled with unmistakable warning. "Stay away from her."