Chapter 122: You are the reason
Vincent’s legs gave out beneath him. He dropped to his knees, his face drained of color as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Rowan," he pleaded. "I didn’t recognize you. Please forgive me. I beg you."
His trembling gaze shifted toward Tessa. "It’s her... She misled me."
"What did you say?" Tessa snapped. "You are blaming me?"
Vincent’s expression darkened. He slowly rose to his feet, glaring at her.
"If you hadn’t insisted he was an imposter, I would never have offended Mr. Rowan."
He pointed at her accusingly. "You kept telling everyone he was lying."
"I was only telling the truth," Tessa argued stubbornly. "He is a liar."
Then she pointed at Owen. "And this man worked at AscendCore Finance as the CEO’s assistant. They are working together to fool everyone. Don’t fall for their tricks."
"Shut up," Vincent roared, trembling with fury. "If he isn’t Mr. Rowan, why was I fired?"
"What?" Tessa stared at him in disbelief. "You are... fired?"
"Yes." Vincent nodded bitterly. "I lost my job because I offended Mr. Rowan. And you are the reason for it."
"No..." Tessa shook her head repeatedly. "This can’t be."
Beside her, Noah stood frozen.
"So..." His voice was barely audible. "He really is Mr. Rowan..."
His mind flashed back to the day Elias had casually written him a check worth one billion dollars. At the time, Noah had wondered how anyone could throw away such an enormous sum without hesitation.
Now everything made sense.
Only one of the richest men in the world could treat a billion dollars as though it were pocket change.
The realization struck him like lightning. His face turned pale. His legs weakened, and he nearly lost his balance.
’Who have I been provoking all this time?’
"Impossible," Tessa shouted, refusing to accept reality. "He is only the CEO of a small finance company. How could he possibly be the richest man in the country?"
Even now, she refused to believe it.
But the expressions on the guests’ faces had already changed. Most of them now accepted the truth.
"You are all being deceived," Tessa shouted desperately. "His lies won’t last much longer. The real Mr. Rowan will be here soon. When he exposes this imposter, you’ll all realize I was right."
Elena let out a quiet scoff. "You are truly hopeless. Even now, you refuse to accept the truth."
"The truth?" Tessa sneered. "You are the gullible one. You can believe whatever nonsense he feeds you. But I’m not that stupid."
"Enough, Tessa." Noah suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Stop talking."
His face was unusually grim. He already knew they were in serious trouble. If Tessa continued provoking Elias, they wouldn’t just lose the partnership with Novacrest Global.
The Sinclair family could lose everything. He couldn’t allow her to make things worse.
Tessa stared at him in disbelief. "Are you actually afraid of that imposter?"
She searched his face. The hesitation in his eyes made her heart sink. Her anger exploded.
"Have you lost your mind? You believe him too?"
Just then, Ryan entered the banquet hall, followed by several men dressed in black. His imposing presence instantly silenced the room.
Relief washed over Tessa. ’Perfect. Ryan is finally here. He’ll expose Elias once and for all.
She hurried toward him.
"Mr. Ryan."
Before she could get close, the men in black suits stepped in front of her and blocked her path.
Ryan didn’t even spare her a glance. He walked straight toward Elias. The stern expression on his face softened immediately. Lowering his head respectfully, he apologized.
"I’m sorry for being late, Mr. Rowan." His tone was filled with guilt. "But I promise everyone who dared to insult you and Madam will be dealt with accordingly."
The entire hall fell silent. Every guest stared in disbelief.
Tessa stood frozen. Her mind went blank. ’How could he bow to that man? This can’t be happening...’
Elias smiled faintly. "I’m not blaming you, Ryan. Handle the matter properly."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Elias sat down on a nearby plush sofa and gently pulled Elena down beside him. Sliding an arm around her waist, he drew her closer.
Elena immediately stiffened. A blush spread across her cheeks.
"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Everyone is watching."
"So?" Elias looked completely unconcerned. "I’m hugging my wife. My legal wife. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
Leaning closer, he lowered his voice until his lips were almost brushing her ear.
"Now..." A playful smile tugged at his lips. "Enjoy the show."
He nodded toward Ryan. Following his gaze, Elena looked over.
Ryan had already turned toward Vincent.
Vincent trembled violently. Shame and regret were written all over his face. He opened his mouth to apologize.
Before he could speak, Ryan raised a hand.
"Mr. Carter," his voice was icy. "I specifically instructed you to welcome Mr. Rowan and Madam upon their arrival. You failed. Because of your negligence, they were humiliated."
He paused. "And to make matters worse, you ordered security to throw them out."
Vincent’s knees almost buckled again. "I’m sorry. I truly didn’t know it was Mr. Rowan. Please... Show me mercy."
"You didn’t know?" Ryan’s voice rose sharply. "I sent you Mr. Rowan’s photograph over an hour ago. How could you possibly fail to recognize him?"
Vincent froze. With trembling hands, he hurriedly unlocked his phone.
There was indeed Ryan’s message with a clear photograph of Elias.
His blood ran cold. A chill crept down his spine.
His trembling fingers lost their grip, and the phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the marble floor.
He had been so busy handling hotel affairs that he had never checked his messages. Fresh tears streamed down his face.
He knew no apology could undo what had happened. Still, he tried.
"I... I failed to check your message." He lowered his head. "It was entirely my fault. I was dealing with several urgent matters, so—"
"I don’t want excuses," Ryan cut him off coldly. "I entrusted you with one simple task. And you failed miserably."
He clenched his fists. "Because of your negligence, Mr. Rowan and Madam suffer humiliation."
He looked at Vincent without the slightest pity. "You are no longer qualified to manage this hotel."
"Mr. Ryan, please..."
Ryan ignored him. He turned toward Graham. "Take him away."
"Yes." Graham nodded.
He grabbed Vincent by the arm and pulled him to his feet. "Enough. Come with me."
He dragged the devastated man toward the exit.
"Mr. Rowan," Vincent cried desperately. "Please forgive me. I know I was wrong."
His pleading voice gradually faded into the distance.