Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 8 Alaric's Identity Revealed

In the banquet hall, Tamsin, now in a beige evening gown, pursed her lips and looked at Julian with a troubled expression. "Mr. Russell, I..."

Julian, puzzled, signaled her to continue.

Tamsin went on, "When I was changing in the lounge, I think I heard Cecilia talking to another man."

Julian frowned, looking irritated. "What did they say?"

Tamsin hesitated before saying, "The man seemed to give something to Cecilia. I only overheard a little bit, but I don't know what else they said."

Seeing Julian's darkening expression, Tamsin added more fuel to the fire. "I thought I'd misheard, so I paid more attention. Then I saw Cecilia coming out of that small compartment."

"Then I saw Alaric coming out too." Tamsin bit her lip, her voice muffled. "How could Cecilia get involved with such a dangerous person?"

Alaric again? Julian couldn't believe Cecilia didn't see Alaric's obvious intentions towards her. But why did Cecilia keep approaching Alaric?

Thinking about Cecilia's recent changes, Julian's eyes turned cold, and he clenched his fists. "I've really underestimated you, Cecilia."

Cecilia had just placed the fish tank on the marble table against the wall in the hall when Julian walked over.

His sharp eyes glanced at the fish tank as he asked, "Who were you meeting with?"

"Excuse me?" Cecilia frowned. She never knew Julian was so concerned about her whereabouts. "The goldfish was missing, so I went to ask about it."

Tamsin also walked over and grabbed Cecilia's arm, "Cecilia, Alaric is not a good person. Don't be fooled by him!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Cecilia's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure as she impatiently pulled her arm away and said coldly, "Mind your own business. I don't need your warnings."

"Cecilia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overhear." Tamsin timidly withdrew her hand, looking quite aggrieved. "But Alaric is really dangerous. Such a person is not trustworthy!"

Cecilia frowned and observed her coldly. From Tamsin's expression, she probably didn't hear much of the conversation.

Julian frowned and shielded Tamsin behind him. "Tamsin is just worried about you. How can you say that? I advise you to stay away from Alaric and not bring trouble upon yourself."

"I know him well, and I don't need your judgment." Cecilia gave them a cold look.

In her past life, Julian had also confronted her countless times for Tamsin. He was so good to Tamsin that everyone thought Tamsin was his wife.

"Cecilia, you're the Medici heiress! Alaric is nothing but a thug!" Tamsin's voice rose, her face flushed. "He's beneath you!"

Just as she finished her words, the hall instantly became silent, and the sounds of conversations and clinking glasses disappeared.

Heavy leather shoes stepped on the floor, making a low sound.

An elderly man in a dark suit walked over slowly, his steps heavy, his back straight, exuding an aura of authority.

Cecilia looked over, and Julian and Tamsin also turned around.

A tall, strong bodyguard saluted the elderly man and looked around the room, speaking steadily, "This is Mr. Percy."

Everyone immediately showed respect and raised their glasses in honor.

Cecilia paused, her eyes widening in surprise. This powerful figure… was the same man who had been apologizing for bumping into Tamsin with the fishbowl!

Tamsin's face instantly turned ashen. Oh no, she had just offended the head of the entire Percy family!

At that moment, Alaric slowly walked over and stood upright beside Mr. Percy. Noticing Cecilia's gaze, he gave her a faint smile, but a sense of foreboding surged in Cecilia's heart. Things seemed to be slipping out of her control.

"Everyone, I invited you here tonight to announce an important message." Bodhi's voice was authoritative and deep, completely different from the apologetic old man from earlier!

Everyone's eyes were on him, eagerly awaiting his next words. Cecilia's heart pounded wildly.

Bodhi continued, "Alaric is my grandson and the sole heir of the Percy family. His status must not be underestimated or questioned by anyone."

With that, Bodhi's gaze swept over Tamsin, his eyes sharp as a knife. Tamsin felt a chill down her spine and couldn't help but shrink back.

Bodhi added, "And my grandson Alaric is not a rude and unscrupulous person!"

As Bodhi finished his words, the hall fell into silence, and everyone looked at Alaric in shock. Cecilia was flustered, her heart pounding like thunder. She knew the timeline was completely wrong. It should be two years later when Bodhi passed away that he finally acknowledged Alaric's identity and left all his assets to him. But why did it happen right now?

Cecilia took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Too many unexpected things had happened tonight, and it seemed her rebirth had not only subtly changed the course of events but also inadvertently altered the timeline.

On the other side, Tamsin's face was pale as Bodhi's last words were clearly directed at her. But she had heard that Alaric was an orphan. How did he suddenly become Bodhi's grandson?

What should she do now? If she had really offended Bodhi, her career in finance was over. Tamsin bit her lip tightly, looking anxiously at Julian.

Sensing her gaze, Julian said to Bodhi, "Mr. Percy, Tamsin didn't mean any disrespect. She is still young and inexperienced. Please don't hold it against her."

Bodhi snorted coldly. "Youth is no excuse. I've heard that Mr. Russell has taken on a bright young protégé. I hadn't expected this."

Tamsin lowered her head, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms, her face extremely ugly. Bodhi's goodwill towards Tamsin had long vanished, and he clearly didn't want to talk to her any further.

Cecilia watched this without expression. Tamsin hadn't just offended Bodhi in his disguise; she'd then proceeded to insult his grandson. Insulting two members of the Percy family in one night was… an accomplishment of sorts. The fact that Bodhi hadn't thrown her out was likely due to respect for Julian.

Julian was a sensible person. Given the current situation, he couldn't say much more.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter