Chapter 233: You’re Paying in Full

"I changed the guards as well."

The words hit the ballroom like a physical impact.

An instant wave of panic erupted through the crowd. Socialites gasped in horror, backing away from the doors as they realized the terrifying truth: the men guarding the exits weren’t the venue’s security at all. They were an occupying force.

"We’re trapped!" a prominent investor yelled, his champagne glass shattering on the floor as he stumbled backward. "The doors are sealed!"

"Who is this woman?!" a high-society matriarch whimpered, clutching her pearls as she tried to hide behind her husband. "My God, why can she have the powerful men in the city back her up!"

"It’s over! We’re caught up in the Morgans and Le Moreno’s mess. The Golden Dragon won’t spare us."

Nat let out a low, predatory laugh, rolling his shoulders as his golden eyes scanned the panicking crowd, clearly savoring every second of the chaos.

Xavier didn’t say a word, but the cold, absolute authority radiating from his tall, imposing frame was enough to keep the entire room rooted in fear.

And just like Nat, Alexander seemed to be enjoying the chaos as well. How many times had he wished to crash an elite party like this? This was the sweetest thing ever.

Oliver and Samuel, along with Emily, merely observed, both men tilting their glasses up in perfect unison.

On stage, Madam Morgan’s knees buckled. She grabbed the edges of the podium to keep from collapsing entirely, her face draining of all color as she stared at April in utter horror.

"You..." Madam Morgan gasped, her voice barely a rasping whisper through the microphone. "What... what do you want?!"

April’s smile faded into an icy, razor-sharp expression of pure, unadulterated retribution.

"I told you, Madam Morgan," April said softly, stepping closer to the base of the stage. "One day, I will come to collect your debt. And tonight is that night." She furrowed her brows, glaring at her. "You’re paying in full."

Selma’s blood ran cold, her screeching tirade freezing in her throat as her eyes darted between April and the surrounding tactical units. Seeing Madam Morgan reduced to a shaking, helpless wreck on stage only sent Selma into a deeper, more hysterical state of denial.

"Don’t you dare look at us like that, you wretch!" Selma shrieked, pointing a manicured, trembling finger straight at April. She turned frantically toward the crowd, desperately trying to rally the panicked guests. "This is a farce! A cheap, fabricated lie! This woman right here is just an ungrateful, low-class wretch trying to drag down noble names. She doesn’t know her place!"

But just then, Selma’s eyes locked onto the white-clad figure stepping out from behind Alexander and Samuel.

Emily moved without a sound as she took her place directly beside April. Side by side, under the blinding crystal lights, the resemblance was absolute, breathtaking, and utterly terrifying.

Gasps rippled across the room.

"Wait... There are two of them?!" Cai gasped, his eyes wide with shock and he nearly fainted.

On stage, Madam Morgan’s jaw dropped, her bloodshot eyes darting back and forth between the two identical women.

Selma stumbled back a step, her mind completely scrambling as she stared at Emily, then at April, unable to process which twin was the meek daughter-in-law she had abused, and which was the actual strategist controlling the room.

"Who... which one of you—" Selma stammered, her voice cracking.

April let out a low, melodious laugh, tilting her head with dark, glittering amusement.

"Confusing, isn’t it?" April murmured, her voice carrying a chilling, razor-sharp edge. "This is how you confuse your enemies. You thought you were treading on a helpless girl, Selma, never realizing there were two of us coming back to burn your world to the ground."

Emily stepped half a pace forward, her clear, dark eyes locking onto Selma with an icy, unforgiving stillness that sent a shiver straight down the older woman’s spine.

"This is only the beginning of our payback," April declared, her voice ringing out across the suffocating silence of the hall. "We still have so much left to settle."

April turned her head towards Nat and nodded her head.

At the signal, Nat eyes flashed with predatory excitement and snapped his fingers.

The guards shifted in perfect, terrifying unison, their boots thundering against the marble floor as they locked down every single emergency exit, service tunnel, and entrance. Heavy iron bars slammed shut, completely sealing the ballroom into an inescapable cage.

"Hey! You can’t keep us in here!" a high-society heir yelled, sweat dripping down his temple as he shoved past a guard, only to be met with the cold, immovable chest plate of an operative. "This is illegal! The evidence on those slides is fake! You can’t prove any of this!"

"Fake?" Alexander stepped forward, a dark, thoroughly entertained smirk playing on his lips as he swirled his champagne glass. "Every single ledger shown up there bears the official, verified signatures of the Morgan Group’s board and the LeMoreno family trust. If you think it’s fake, feel free to sue... assuming you survive the night."

"The financial routing alone ties directly into human trafficking and dark money accounts across three continents," Xavier added, his deep, commanding voice cutting through the hall with absolute, suffocating weight. "Reed Industries has already seized every liquid asset tied to both families as of five minutes ago."

"Lies! All lies!" Steven Morgan bellowed from the stage, his face blotchy and desperate. "They manipulated the files! They’re terrorizing us just to please their woman!"

Selma grabbed Cai’s shoulder, pulling her whimpering son up as she glared at April with pure venom. "You think these powerful men will protect you forever?! You’re nothing! You’re a useless parasite! You will regret laying a hand on any of us! Go down on your knees and apologize right now and we might give you a light punishment! Kneel!"

The word ’kneel’ hadn’t even fully left Selma’s lips before the atmosphere in the hall plummeted into an absolute, suffocating sub-zero freeze.

"Who..."

Nat took a single, heavy step forward, his voice dropping into a low, guttural growl that reverberated off the high marble walls like a predator prowling through a small cage.

"Who did you just tell to kneel?"