Vincent lifted his head and glanced at the man who spoke at the door. He pursed his lips into a malicious smile and carried on in washing his hands.

  "So, you are Liam's friend. Mr. John Jackson, right?" asked Vincent. He straightens his back and reaches for the paper towel to dry his hands.

  "I could see that you are so overconfident because you become Mr. Jacob's son-in-law," said John maliciously.

  Vincent chuckled and shook his head. He muttered, "Isn't it something to be so proud of as it made others envy like you?"

  Instead of feeling irritation, Vincent was in the mood to respond to the insult that clearly this guy was trying to throw at him.

  "It looks like you were a huge fan of Liam Huo," he added.

  "Liam is a good friend!" John sneered.

  Vincent did not withdraw his gaze from John. Instead, their eyes wrestle. John displayed how exasperate he was toward Vincent after failing to provoke him.

  On the other hand, Vincent sees this is only a meaningless conversation, and so he walks toward the door, but John blocks his way.

  "Mr. Jackson, I honestly have no time listening to your ridiculous rants. You were speaking to the wrong person. My advice to you? How about joining Liam Huo wherever he is now?"

  John clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. He was thinking how arrogant Vincent is because his backer is Jacob Davies.

  "If you talk to me outside Sydney, I would not hold myself from punching your smug face!"

  Vincent let out an amusing laugh that even annoyed John.

  "Did you just threaten me, Mr. John?" Vincent contracted his pupils. The smile on his lips disappears, and his expression becomes solemn.

  John suddenly felt that intimidating aura emitting from Vincent's body. The warm appearance Vincent has shown everyone at the party is now replaced with coldness. John could even feel that chill lingering on his back.

  It was as if the person he was following had shifted to another person all evening. The smile he gives to every person trying to converse with him now disappears.

  John breathed inwardly and gathered his senses not to be intimidated by Vincent. He made a quick resolution on how he could counter.

  "Mr. Shen, don't make a quick conclusion and misunderstand my words. I…"

  "It is clear to me that you want to annoy me. I don't know for what purpose. But please, stop mentioning Liam Huo in front of my face because it will annoy me."

  With what Vincent had said, John was encouraged to provoke the guy. John parted his lips into a mocking smile as he said,

  "Liam loves the princess so much. He is her first knight. When they were kids, Liam proposed to Hailee for marriage, and Hailee promised him to… Ack!"

  John was pushed against the wall by Vincent. His hands clenched John's tie as he eyed him with a sharp glare.

  "Mr. Jackson, I just told you I am not interested in listening to your blabber about Liam Huo. I don't care how much he loves my wife. Whatever he will do, my wife will never fall in love with a criminal like him!"

  Vincent tightens his grip on John's tie that starts choking him. But he is not finished.

  "Piece of advice, Mr. Jackson. You should choose a perfect person to provoke. Because I would take it as an honor to beat your fucking face like what I did to your beloved Liam Huo. And this time, I don't need my wife to shoot you on both of your knees to become crippled like your beloved Liam Huo, as I will do it myself with my own hands."

  After saying that, Vincent releases John, who is chasing with air. He was coughing, trying to loosen his tie, but he froze on the wall when Vincent lifted both of his arms and reached for his collar.

  John's eyes become vigilant as his pupils shrunk, anticipating what Vincent would do now. But Vincent only fixed his tie and the collar of his shirt that aptly crumpled. Vincent then patted John's shoulder. He pursed his lips into a triumphant smile before he headed to the door and left.

  John breathed with a sigh of relief. He was still in a bit of a trance after Vincent pinned him to the wall. He thought Vincent would punch him in the face, but he only threatened and warned him.

  He could still feel the tension in his body. He tried to break free from Vincent's grip, but he was strong. The more he tried to twitch the arm pulse that gripped his tie, the more strength he was putting into it.

  John calmed himself. He straightens his suit and glances at his reflection in front of the mirror. John turned to the door as he was ready to return to the party and act as if nothing had happened.

  However, seeing the person by the door brought a great shock to his entire system. The way this person looks at him is more intimidating than Vincent made him experience.

  "Pri… princess… What are you doing here in the men's room?" John stuttered his words as the woman, none other than Hailee, walked toward him. He laughed nervously and said, "The ladies' room was the other way, princess."

  "You are not my knight, and so, you have no right to call me that."

  Once again, John was shocked when Hailee snapped at him. The woman standing in front of him is far different from the girl he has known all his life. True, they were not close, but they had common friends, and he went to the same school as she was since they were in kindergarten. But Hailee doesn't notice him at all.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Hailee……"

  "Mrs. Shen! Call me Mrs. Shen, nothing else."

  John had rendered speechless by being snapped one more time. He couldn't look straight at her eyes, as it was so cold that it made him so uncomfortable. Probably because he only saw Hailee's soft sides. He never witnessed her being angry before, but only her sweet smile, and so, he doesn't know if Hailee knew how to get angry.

  "I'm sorry, Mrs. Shen." John has to yield and admit his mistake instantly. "I will bear that in mind."

  However, this didn't please Hailee.

  "Mr. Jackson, I could see that you are crossing too much line when it comes to my affairs. It seems like I need to clarify to you that Liam Huo is likely a stranger to me. So please, don't mention him again to my husband."

  John remained his mouth shut as he had no way to retort Mrs. Shen. He realizes that provoking Vincent Shen is indirectly infuriating this heiress.

  He couldn't control his resentment when Vincent became the star of the party. Everyone wanted to approach him and get close to him. He was even boasting that annoys not only him but others too.

  For all men who like Hailee, she marries someone else. True that most of them had no courage to court her, as she was above heaven while they were only below the earth. But how did Vincent Shen make the Davies princess fall in love with him?

  The Davies princess was not only crazily in love with Vincent, but she was also very protective of him, something they all envy about.

  "Mrs. Shen, forgive me for saying this, but Liam did everything for you. If Mr. Shen loves you. Liam is also…."

  "I had just said Liam's name is a taboo for you to mention, Mr. Jackson. So what are you saying now that Liam loves me? If so? Does it earn him the right to kill my friends and innocent people? Can that be called love if he causes my heartbreak, my sadness, and even suffering, thinking of how I could protect my friends, bring justice to others that have nothing to do with me but he murdered them, especially attempt to kill the man I love the most?"

  John could not retort but listened to Hailee's scolding.

  "Liam did nothing but teach me how wrong I am to think that this world is perfect. I was too na?ve to think that this place was a paradise where I could get everything in a snap of my fingers. But Liam made me realize a person like him should not exist in this world."

  John remained silent. Even breathing seems complicated for him to do. Hailee uttered every word, full of bitterness and regret, that she met Liam.

  "I will not repeat this, Mr. Jackson. Do not hit my bottom line. Otherwise, you will regret siding with Liam. Stop provoking my husband as well because I would only spoil him and rather persuade him to go rogue and step on every person who would block his way. Remember, I am indulging Vincent this way."

  After saying that, Hailee turned around and walked to the door. Before she stepped out, she halted in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder.

  "By the way, Mr. Jackson. Don't forget that Vincent has the full authority to manage Davies Corporation soon. You would not want Jackson Enterprise to be the first company to be wiped out by him, right? As I said already, I would love to encourage him to do that… and please, take a detour next time you see me. I don't want to have a glimpse of your face anymore."

  John gulped when he received that warning. He knew very well that it was the end of the Jackson family if he would taunt Vincent again, especially Mrs. Shen.

  John felt like all of his energy had been sucked out of his body. The red warning from the Davies heiress is something to take seriously.

  Leaning on the bathroom wall, John pulled out his phone from his coat pocket and dialed a particular number.

  "Dad, I can't touch Vincent Shen."

  'Only an idiot would have the guts to do that, and I just made myself a fool!' John added to his head.