Chapter 10

Just as Marsha raised her hand to knock on the door, she suddenly froze in place. "What's wrong?" someone nearby asked. Marsha looked startled for a second, then her face flushed like she was embarrassed. She glanced at the locked door, then at the crowd around her, clearly hesitating to speak. Someone, confused, took a few steps closer to the door—and then everyone heard it. Some strange, muffled noises were coming from inside. Was that... heavy breathing? Something didn't sound right. The guests exchanged looks, their expressions shifting into weirded-out and concerned. "What's going on?" Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, along with Old Mr. Johnson, had noticed the commotion and headed upstairs after hearing something about Liliana. The crowd politely made way for them to get through. "Liliana had too much to drink at the party," Marsha said, her voice full of worry and hesitation. "I came up to check on her, but the door's locked, and there are... odd noises coming from inside." Mr. and Mrs. Johnson looked genuinely anxious. "Why can't it open? Did something happen to her?" "I'm not sure," Marsha answered, eyes lowered as she shook her head. But her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Clearly frustrated. The noise inside and the locked door should've made people question the situation—but all they cared about was that wild girl's safety! Wilson finally arrived, his face dark and unreadable. "She's in there?" "We need to figure out a way in fast. If something's happened to Liliana, this could get serious," Marsha said while still pretending to be all considerate. She nodded earnestly, trying to hide the satisfaction in her eyes. "She's really in that room? Is it possible there's some mistake?" Chloe suddenly spoke up. Marsha immediately countered, "I asked the housekeeper who took her upstairs. That's definitely her room." Chloe's expression shifted oddly. "But I think I saw Ethan slip into that room earlier. Maybe he's the one inside?" Her words dropped like a bomb. The hallway went dead quiet. Could it be... the two of them? Alone in there? That plus the strange sounds—they all instantly started thinking the worst. Wilson's expression turned absolutely terrifying, the vibe coming off him cold enough to chill the whole hallway. People instinctively moved away from him. "Grandpa, what do we do now?" Marsha whispered. Everyone knew about Liliana and Wilson's engagement. If she really was in there doing something shady with Ethan, opening that door now would be the ultimate public scandal—ruining the family's reputation. Old Mr. Johnson stood closest to the door, frown deepening as he listened to the faint sounds inside. After a long pause, he made his call. "Open the door," he ordered. Someone quickly stepped up with a tool to unlock it from the outside. *Click.* As soon as the lock gave way, Wilson shoved the door open. Marsha watched his cold back enter the room, her lips curling slightly despite herself. She forced down that thrill, kept her tone gentle and concerned. "Liliana probably got emotional after drinking. Don't be too hard on her, Mr. Clark—" But she never got to finish. The door swung open fully, and the scene inside completely floored everyone. Liliana was pinning Ethan against the coffee table. One foot dug into his stomach, one hand gripping his neck hard, the other raised in a tight fist, mid-punch. Clearly, she'd been at this for a while. Liliana paused when she heard the commotion outside the door, turning to find a full-on audience staring at her. She blinked. Great. Second time today someone caught her mid-fight.She couldn't care less about what the others thought, but Wilson—he was staring at her with this super complicated look. "Huh?" Liliana blinked awkwardly, but her grip still didn't let go. "Aren't you supposed to be drunk?" Marsha looked at her like she'd seen a ghost. She had poured the drug herself and watched Liliana finish the drink. She should've been out cold by now. How could she still have the strength to... "I am drunk," Liliana muttered, then dropped her fist onto Ethan' face. He howled in pain. Ethan lay there miserable as hell, humiliated in front of an audience. He tried to wriggle free, but Liliana had latched onto him like a bulldog. "Ahem." Old Mr. Johnson cleared his throat, his face grim. "Liliana, what are you doing? Let go. Now." The Brooks and Johnson families were both prestigious, and with the Brooks elders here too, not to mention all the high-society guests around, any squabble needed to stay behind closed doors. Liliana had gotten her point across. She finally let go, straightening up as she met Wilson's conflicted gaze again. Feeling awkward, she wiped her hands on her dress and her mind whirled before she threw herself at him. "He's all muscle and bones. My hand hurts more than his face does." She hugged his waist, blinking up at him with watery eyes, looking completely pitiful. Wilson didn't say anything. One hand held her steady by the shoulder, the other gently massaged hers—comforting her without needing words. If what she claimed was true, had she really moved on from Ethan? He glanced over at Ethan, who struggled to get up from the coffee table, face bruised and battered beyond recognition. If she still cared about him, there's no way she would've gone that hard. She didn't look like she was faking it. Mrs. Brooks gasped when she saw her son's beaten face and nearly fainted on the spot. After a moment to gather herself, she rushed over to check him out, panic written all over. Seeing how badly her son was hurt, she snapped her head toward Old Mr. Johnson. "Sir, my son is injured under your roof. We need an explanation." Old Mr. Johnson glanced between Liliana and Ethan before calmly asking, "What happened between you two? Why would it come to blows?" Liliana peeked up from Wilson's arms, lips pouting as she laid it all out. "I was resting, a little tipsy, and suddenly he barges in and tries something! Can you believe that?" As she spoke, her eyes burned with both fury and humiliation. "If I hadn't fought back, who knows what would've happened to me." Wilson felt her tremble slightly and gently tightened his arms around her. "It's okay. I'm here now." People still remembered the lakeside incident and had always been wary of Ethan. Now with this mess, whispers started spreading fast—no one was looking at him kindly. "Ethan, is that true?" Mrs. Brooks wasn't about to take one side blindly and looked to her son. "I..." Ethan wanted to explain himself, but after taking hits straight to the head, he couldn't even get his thoughts in order. He stammered a bunch of half-sentences but couldn't say anything clear, which only made Liliana's story seem more legit. The Brooks couple had come there for answers, demanding justice. But seeing how much at fault Ethan seemed to be, they couldn't push any further. All they could do was drag their disgraceful son forward and offer an apology. Marsha, on the other hand, was fuming. Not only did Liliana come out unscathed, she even had Wilson doting on her? The jealousy was eating her alive. "Ethan was wrong, sure. But Liliana, seriously, there's a line—you didn't have to beat the guy black and blue."