He looked back at Larry. "Go on, continue. I won’t stop you anymore.”

Larry’s face turned crimson, as though Christian had physically punched him. "Do you think I'm a joker for your wife?" he snapped. "Jesus Christ, Christian Evans, you have no respect for me!"

With that, Larry huffed loudly, shoving his empty glass into Christian’s hand before stomping off, making Ivy laugh even harder. Christian was right—Larry did look like a betrayed ex.

Christian sighed and dropped the glass on the nearest table before turning back to Ivy. “Don’t worry about him. It’s his everyday tantrum.”

"Ivy?" a familiar voice called her name, drawing her attention. Turning, she saw Ellie standing before her, dressed in a stunning brown dress with her hair tied neatly into a bun, a few curls framing her youthful face. She looked both sexy and adorable at the same time, a lethal combination of gorgeousness.

Ivy rushed over to hug Ellie. "Hi! I didn’t expect to see you here!"

"Hi, Christian," Ellie smiled at him.

Christian nodded in return, offering a quiet greeting. "Hi."

Ellie continued, her smile not faltering. "Sawyer’s just around. He said he needed to talk to you. Can you find him whenever you have some time tonight?"

Sawyer and Ellie had recently married after a long courtship. Their childhood love story had become somewhat of a legend among their friends. Ivy had heard it countless times when she worked at Licious, the café was the hotspot for their circle. However she had never come across Sawyer, perhaps because he was too busy during that period and also because she only worked there for a few weeks.

Christian leaned down, whispering in Ivy's ear, “I’m going to handle some work things. You can hang out with Ellie in the meantime. I’ll be back soon. If you need me or feel alone, just call. I’ll come find you.”

Ivy met his gaze, nodding with a reassuring smile. “Of course. Don’t worry, go.”

Christian turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ivy to enjoy the evening with Ellie.

Christian walked through the crowd, spotting Larry. He approached him, pulling a few business cards from his pocket and handing them to Larry. "I want you to meet these people tonight," Christian instructed. "They’re working on an important project with our company. If you can manage to get them onboard as investors for the next construction projects, that’d be great."

As they were discussing the details, a man in his late twenties appeared beside them. His eyes were fixed on Christian with an almost arrogant intensity. Without hesitation, he sneered and spoke in a loud voice.

"You’re still alive? How are you, Evans? Are you able to walk straight yet?" he taunted, his words dripping with malice.

Christian and Larry ignored him as if he were an annoying, buzzing fly, continuing their conversation.

The man, Ryan Walker, was the son of one of their competitors, someone who had never achieved the same level of success as Christian. With his blonde hair, dirty smirk, and mismatched goatee, Ryan tried to project an air of dominance, but it only made him appear desperate and pathetic.

"Is your brain straightened yet? What about your crippled body? I’m surprised to see you standing. Not long ago, you couldn’t even lift your head," Ryan mocked, his laughter harsh.

Ryan had always been bitter about his inability to achieve as much as Christian, despite coming from similar backgrounds. His jealousy and hatred ran deep, especially now that Christian's success only served to humiliate him more. His mocking words reflected the years of frustration he had bottled up.

Larry’s patience finally snapped. "Fuck off, Ryan," he growled, shooting the man a glare.

Ryan smirked, looking at Larry with disdain. "Oh, look, you brought your dog to the party too. Are you going to take him to bed? I saw the chick you brought tonight. Does she do a good job? Does this dog get to crawl into your bed too, or—"

Before he could finish, Christian’s fist collided with Ryan’s face with brutal force. The blow landed so fast that Ryan crumpled tothe floor, gasping for air. Christian didn’t stop there—Ryan was on the ground within seconds, Christian relentlessly pounding his face until he was gasping for air. The crowd around them shuffled back, startled by the violence.

Christian stood up, his expression deathly serious as he kicked Ryan in the stomach with a powerful blow.

"Don’t you ever insult my wife again, fucker," Christian growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You won’t see the sun tomorrow if you ever try that again. Fucking try me."

Chapter 32 Walker Estate

Larry quickly stepped in, patting Christian’s shoulder and pulling him away from Ryan before things escalated further. Ryan lay on the ground, bloodied and gasping.

Ryan lay on the floor, bloodied and gasping. As the crowd murmured in shock, a figure emerged from the crowd. Handsome with dark eyes and a rugged stubble, the man had a commanding presence. His hair was thick and messy, falling over his forehead in a way that made him look effortlessly captivating.

"Mr. Vaughn?" someone murmured as the crowd took notice.

Adrian ignored the moaning Ryan and walked over to Christian, frowning. "What’s going on?" he asked, glancing at Christian’s dark face.