Chapter 210 Unexpected Turn of Events

Chapter 210 Unexpected Turn of Events

On the other side of the ballroom, Nathan, Seraphina, and Aurora were surrounded by a group of guests. Nathan wore a charcoal gray suit, hands clasped behind his back, sporting a forced smile as he occasionally glanced toward Olivia in the distance, his tone deliberately affectionate.

"Olivia has been such a wonderful daughter since childhood. Now that she's married to Matthew, the Smith family has been blessed with honor as well."

The nearby guests chimed in with agreement, while Seraphina smiled and nodded beside him, clutching her handkerchief tightly, though her eyes remained cold. Aurora stood behind her parents with her head down, barely speaking, only occasionally lifting her gaze to steal quick, complicated looks at Olivia.

Several guests who knew the Smith family's true situation stood nearby, watching Nathan's performance with expressions of disdain.

"What an act—pretending to adore Olivia so much. Everyone knows how terribly he treated her before, wouldn't even pay for her education," whispered a woman in a black evening gown to her companion.

"Exactly. Now that Olivia's married into the Howard family, suddenly he's playing the loving father. Absolutely disgusting," the man beside her grimaced, turning away to chat with others rather than continue watching the charade.

In a corner of the ballroom, two men dressed as servers held trays, appearing to organize utensils while actually whispering to each other. They were assassins sent by the Hades Website, their alert eyes scanning the entire venue, yet they hadn't spotted Jasper anywhere.

"What's going on? Only Olivia's here—Jasper's nowhere to be seen," the assassin on the left murmured, his voice laced with confusion.

"Maybe he's still in the hospital? We found out he was injured—probably hasn't recovered enough to attend the gala," the right assassin frowned, his tray trembling slightly in his hands.

"So what do we do now? The boss ordered us to eliminate both of them, but we've only found one."

The left assassin glanced toward Olivia, a flash of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

The right assassin considered for a few seconds. "How about we split up? I'll stay here and watch Olivia; you head to the hospital to find Jasper. Once you locate him, strike immediately and leave no traces."

The left assassin nodded, about to agree, then hesitated. "With all these people here, can you handle it alone?"

"Don't worry, I've got this. Once you finish with Jasper, come back and find me. We'll leave together," the right assassin replied with confidence, his eyes full of determination.

Not far away, Scarlett held an empty tray, standing behind a pillar as she watched more and more Howard family members fill the ballroom, her brow furrowed tightly. Her gaze swept the crowd again and again, but she still couldn't spot Jacob anywhere.

That bastard who'd assaulted her and used the video to blackmail her was a crucial target on tonight's kill list. If he didn't show up, her plan would be missing its most important element.

'Why isn't he here yet? Patrick's here—there's no way Jacob wouldn't come.'

Scarlett grew increasingly anxious, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of her tray as the hatred in her eyes intensified. She'd waited so long for this moment—she couldn't give up now. Jacob had to pay for what he'd done.

Outside the estate, Jacob sat in his black sedan, fingers drumming against the steering wheel as he stared coldly at the manor's entrance. Just then, his subordinate hurried over, opening the car door and sliding into the passenger seat.

"Mr. Jacob Howard, we've confirmed it—Ryan infiltrated the gala in disguise. He's wearing a fake beard, changed his hairstyle, and is posing as an ordinary guest."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a cold smile. "Bold of him to dare enter Howard Manor."

"Should we publicly expose him and humiliate him?" His subordinate suggested.

But Jacob shook his head. "Humiliating him publicly won't accomplish much—this is a rare opportunity. Go sabotage his brake system. Make it subtle, don't let anyone notice."

His subordinate nodded and immediately went to make arrangements.

After his man left, Jacob leaned back in his seat, his eyes full of ruthless determination. Everyone thought Ryan was Matthew's opponent, that Jacob didn't even qualify to compete at their level. But tonight, he would show everyone that Jacob was every bit as capable as Matthew.

In the ballroom, the two Hades Website assassins had finalized their plan. The left assassin set down his tray, pretending to head to the restroom while preparing to quietly leave the estate for the hospital to find Jasper.

The right assassin continued holding his tray, slowly moving toward Olivia's direction, the murderous intent in his eyes growing more obvious.

Suddenly, the manor's front doors burst open. A group of uniformed police officers charged in, carrying handcuffs and radios, shouting, "Nobody move! We're the police!"

The ballroom guests instantly panicked, freezing in place as they stared at the incoming officers, their faces full of shock.

Matthew frowned, striding forward to address the lead officer.

"What's happening? Why the sudden inspection?"

The lead officer glanced at Matthew and replied, "Mr. Stanley Howard has been engaged in a series of illegal activities overseas that threaten national security. This arrest operation was ordered by the Department of Homeland Security."

The two Hades Website assassins were also stunned, retreating as they kept their eyes fixed on the police while trying to appear calm and remain in place.

Hearing the police announcement, Scarlett's heart skipped a beat. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to adjust her uniform, terrified of attracting police attention. Her plan wasn't implemented yet—it couldn't be interrupted like this.

Ryan and Joan stood in their corner, watching the police storm in with barely concealed satisfaction in their eyes. This was exactly according to their plan.

Celeste also approached, her face showing displeasure as she addressed the officers, "Officer, I demand an explanation. My brother could never have been involved in any illegal overseas activities."

Stanley stood behind Celeste, his expression dark and eyes cold. Of course, he knew the police were telling the truth, but he'd been extremely careful. How could anyone have discovered his activities?

'Could it be Matthew? But I've been constantly on guard against him. How could he have obtained this evidence?'

Stanley's gaze shifted to Matthew, his eyes full of suspicion.

Just then, Stanley's phone rang. The moment he answered, his subordinate's panicked voice came through.

"Boss, all our overseas operations have been shut down, and many of our guys are being hunted by the police. I had a contact at the station investigate—all our criminal evidence has been exposed, and the leak came from Olivia's email account."

Stanley's face turned ashen.

"You idiot, keep your voice down! Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"