Chapter 183

Chapter 183

The car doors swung open. Countless elite enforcers in sleek black suits, ramrod straight and radiating lethal precision, poured out in formation. Their discipline was absolute. Their killing intent—suffocating.

A commanding figure stepped forward from the center of the convoy, moving with unhurried authority.

Mateo.

After the fall of the three major gangs, he'd unified Harborview City's entire underground. Now, he was the undisputed emperor of the city's underworld.

"It's Mateo!"

"The underground king of Harborview City! The boss who crushed all three gangs!"

The moment the arrogant thugs recognized his face, their bodies went rigid. Terror flooded their expressions.

Every last one of them went white with fear, knees buckling. Their swagger evaporated in an instant.

Mateo's voice cut through the air like ice. "I'd like to see who dares cause trouble here."

The moment he finished speaking, nearly a hundred mafia elites stepped forward in unison. The killing intent surged, blanketing the entire venue in crushing pressure.

The opposing hundred-some gang enforcers completely fell apart. Not an ounce of their earlier bravado remained.

Thuds rang out one after another as knees hit the ground.

The same men who'd been all snarling threats moments ago now knelt, trembling violently, heads slamming into the pavement as they begged for mercy.

"Mateo, please spare us!"

"We didn't know this was your place! We were wrong! Please, have mercy!"

Every single one of them on their knees, shaking, groveling pathetically. The scene stunned everyone present.

Jeremy and Evelyn couldn't hide their shock.

Every relative in attendance stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Take these men away. Beat them within an inch of their lives. And make sure it doesn't disturb Mr. Lockwood's banquet."

At Mateo's command, his men swarmed forward, dragging the troublemakers away.

Piercing screams echoed through the air.

Jeremy's face turned ashen. These were men he'd paid top dollar for, and they'd been crushed effortlessly. Infuriating.

"Mr. Jones, looks like my banquet can continue after all," Kane said with a light chuckle, his tone dripping with mockery.

Jeremy's expression darkened, but he showed no fear. Instead, his eyes glinted with deep contempt and disdain.

To him, no matter how much Mateo had unified Harborview City's underworld, he still operated in the shadows—a creature of the gray zone who could never step into polite society. He wasn't worthy of the Jones family's regard.

Jeremy sneered. "Here I thought you'd brought some big shot to back you up. Turns out it's just a gang of street thugs?"

"Kane, your horizons are embarrassingly narrow, and your connections are bottom-tier. Of course you'd only know lowlifes like these. Pathetic."

Evelyn immediately regained her confidence, piling on with equal arrogance. "How embarrassing!"

"Other people's celebration banquets are packed with elites, and yours has nothing but gang thugs propping it up!"

"Bringing these shady characters out in public? You're dragging down the entire event. It's laughable!"

The two of them went back and forth, their smugness reaching unbearable heights.

The moment those words left their lips, the mafia elites behind Mateo erupted in rage, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "How dare you! You insult Mr. Stervani to his face? You're asking to die!"

"Disrespecting the Stervani family? You have no idea what you've done!"

Dozens of black-suited enforcers simultaneously drew guns and blades from their waistbands. The air turned thick with the promise of violence.

Evelyn's arrogant expression crumbled. Her face went white as a sheet. Her legs gave out, and she let out a shriek, scrambling into Jeremy's arms, trembling so hard she couldn't speak.

Jeremy's heart lurched, but he forced himself to stay defiant, glaring at Kane. "What? Can't win an argument so you resort to violence?"

"The people you invited have zero class! All they know is threats and brutality. Absolutely barbaric!"

Mateo didn't even bother responding to his bluster. He turned, bowing respectfully toward Kane. "Mr. Lockwood, just say the word, and I'll make him disappear from Harborview City entirely."

A simple sentence. But it carried the weight of absolute killing intent.

Jeremy's body went stiff. Cold sweat drenched his back in an instant.

Kane raised a hand calmly, his expression unruffled. "Today's my wife's celebration. It's a happy occasion. No need for bloodshed. Stand down."

"Yes, sir!"

Mateo immediately reined in his killing intent, signaling his men to holster their weapons and fall back.

But to Jeremy and Evelyn, the scene read completely differently.

They mistook Kane's restraint for weakness—for cowardice. Their arrogance came roaring back.

Evelyn smirked coldly. "And here I thought you had some real backbone. Turns out you're all talk. You don't have the guts to touch us!"

Jeremy lifted his chin with disdain. "At the end of the day, it's all just posturing."

Just as the two of them were mid-taunt, a series of solemn, resonant announcements rang out across the venue!

"Harborview City Mayor—Charles Green has arrived!"

"The Chief of Police is here!"

"City council members have arrived!"

One dignified announcement after another echoed through the hall, shaking everyone to their core.

A procession of high-ranking government officials in formal attire appeared, surrounding Harborview City's mayor, Charles Green, as they entered in grand formation.

Nearly half of Harborview City's core government leadership was present.

The lineup was unprecedented.

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

Every relative, the heads of the three major families, every single person present stood frozen, eyes wide with shock.

Jeremy—who'd just been mocking the gangsters for being beneath respectability—felt his smile freeze on his face.

It was as if he'd been slapped hard across the cheek by an invisible hand.

He'd just spent all that time sneering about how street thugs couldn't step into high society. And the very next second, the entire city's top government officials walked through the door to attend the banquet.

This level of presence was more stunning, more prestigious than any wealthy elite could ever command.

Evelyn's face turned ashen, drained of all color. Her arrogance evaporated completely, replaced by sheer disbelief.

Meanwhile, parked quietly on a secluded street some distance from the hotel, a luxurious black sedan sat idling.

Inside, white-haired Frank sat upright, eyes wide, mouth hanging open in shock. "How is this possible?"

He'd come to watch Isabelle's humiliation. But instead, not only had the heads of the three major families shown up in person—

So had Mateo.

And that was one thing.

But now even the mayor and the entire upper echelon of Harborview City's government had arrived!

His driver couldn't hide his own shock, murmuring quietly,

"Mr. Spencer, this is unbelievable. Just a few days ago, that hundred-billion-dollar citywide project groundbreaking only had a deputy mayor show up to cut the ribbon."

"But today, for a private family celebration banquet, the entire Harborview City government leadership is here in full force!"

Frank clenched his fists so hard they trembled, endless regret surging through him.

He watched as every government official treated Isabelle with respect and deference, and his heart twisted with remorse.

If only he hadn't coldly cast Isabelle out all those years ago.

If only he'd treated her well.

Today, this stunning scene—he would have been the most honored person in the room.

Even the mayor would have approached him personally to offer a toast.

One wrong choice. And he'd lost infinite glory.