Chapter 208
Chapter 208 Alice Ruined Jacob's Life
Anthony's slap left everyone in utter shock.
The crisp, resounding smack pierced through the air of the hotel lobby.
What... What?
A member of the Nevilles was publicly humiliated?
And Anthony struck him instead of standing up for him?
Liam, who had been waiting eagerly to watch Robin's downfall, found himself utterly confused.
He'd never dealt directly with the higher ranks of the Nevilles and had no clue what kind of methods this powerful family might employ. This certainly wasn't what he had expected to happen.
Liam tried to reason tentatively, "Mr. Anthony, Mr. Jacob was only trying to maintain order at the auction ..."
Anthony remained silent as two men from the Nevilles immediately shoved Liam aside.
Anthony pointed at Jacob. "You fool! What gave you the right to call this invitation fake without verifying it through the reader?
"The Nevilles don't operate with such brashness and lack of respect!"
He then directed his icy glare toward the eight attendants in the hall. "Slap their faces."
Instantly, all eight of the beautiful attendants were slapped by the Nevilles' men. Their faces were bloodied.
At first, Jacob couldn't understand Anthony's fury.
Then, he began to suspect he might have made a grave error as he nervously glanced at the invitation in Anthony's hand.
"Mr. Anthony, I... I didn't recognize the pattern on the invitation card ... " Jacob stammered.
Anthony shook his head in frustration. "Does ignorance justify your actions? You judged someone by appearance and acted so thoughtlessly without verifying it. The Nevilles never tolerate such behavior!" Alice was equally stunned.
Never had she expected Anthony to rebuke Jacob instead of going after Robin.
The situation left her feeling unfair.
In her mind, it should be Robin groveling before Anthony instead of Jacob.
Did Mr. Anthony make a mistake?
"Mr. Anthony, you might be mistaken about Mr. Jacob. That premium invitation doesn't match ours. Both Mr. Liam and Mr. Jacob thought it was a fake ... "Alice couldn't help but try to defend Jacob. The entire hall fell silent, and everyone shifted their gaze to Alice, holding their breath for what might happen next.
How could she be so reckless as to speak up now? Isn't she scared of the consequences?
Jacob wanted nothing more than to silence her, realizing that her words were only adding fuel to Anthony's anger.
Hearing Alice's remark, Liam wanted to strangle her.
He considered stepping forward to explain, but he couldn't find the words to do that.
His only thought now was to slip away silently.
Even a fool could see that Anthony was practically ready to kill Jacob over that invitation card.
Now was the time to disappear, but Alice kept bringing up the card, reminding Anthony that it was Liam and Jacob who'd questioned its validity in the first place. What a stupid woman!
Without a word, Anthony placed the card into the verification machine.
"Rosewood Hotel VIP Zone, Seat Number One."
The machine's automated voice echoed through the hall, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
The premium invitation is real!
All eyes turned toward Robin in astonishment.
VIP Zone, Seat Number One.
He's the honorable guest of the Nevilles!
And yet, Liam and his foolish entourage had just derided him as a lowlife?
No wonder Anthony had been so enraged.
Jacob was paralyzed by regret.
He understood all too well that his impulsive judgment had just cost him his entire career with the Nevilles.
He crawled to Robin's feet.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ramsey," he pleaded. "Please forgive my ignorance..."
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd.
Jacob, one of the promising young elites of the Nevilles, who might have the chance to join the family's inner circle, had just destroyed his bright future with one foolish act. Liam trembled as he realized now that Robin's invitation was genuine.
He remembered Robin's earlier assertion that Mavis had sent him this card.
That alone gave out a lot of information and he wondered about Robin's identity.
Liam didn't know what to think of Robin anymore.
However, Alice still refused to believe that Robin actually possessed a VIP Zone premium invitation to the auction.
She stepped forward and said, "Mr. Anthony, even if the invitation is authentic, it might not be Robin's! He must've stolen it from someone else. You're being unfair to Mr. Jacob." Jacob's anger flared.
This woman was too much!
He reached out, grabbed Alice, and slapped her hard across the face.
"You wretch! What I did is none of your business! Say one more word, and I'll kill you!"
Alice, who felt dizzy from the slap, stared at him in shock.
What on earth was going on?
I was defending him, yet he slapped me.
Had he lost his mind over Robin?
Ignoring Alice, Anthony shoved the invitation into Jacob's mouth. "Swallow it, you fool! As of today, you're no longer part of the Nevilles!"Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.
Jacob panicked and begged, "Mr. Ramsey, please forgive me..."
Robin ignored him and walked into the auction hall.
Alice clutched her stinging cheek while she watched Robin's retreating figure, feeling utterly bewildered.
The noble Mr. Jacob was humiliated and expelled from the Nevilles over an invitation card.
Robin's invitation card!
How was that even possible?
She couldn't believe it.
How could someone like Robin, a lowly nobody, be more important than Mr. Jacob?
It didn't make sense.
She then noticed Daphne and Rita who were standing beside Robin.
Robin, you scoundrel!
Who knows what you've done to deceive Ms. West!
The Nevilles must have punished Jacob out of respect for Daphne.
"Robin, stop right there!" Alice shouted, pointing at him.
Zachary tried to pull her back, but it was too late.
Robin stopped, glanced at Jacob, and smirked at Anthony. "Well, I just remembered-he said the Nevilles would make sure I spent the rest of my life on my knees." Anthony felt a chill down his spine.
Idiot Jacob, do you even know who you said those brainless words to?
This man is a living nightmare, capable of countless deaths!
Just for that one remark, the Nevilles might suffer a thousand times!
"Idiot!" Anthony roared. "Since when have the Nevilles acted so ruthlessly? How dare you disrespect our guest?"
"Break his legs! From now on, he can kneel and wait for his death!"
In an instant, the sound of Jacob's agonizing screams filled the lobby as his legs were chopped off.
Everyone was horrified by the bloodbath and they were too scared to make a sound.
This is the terrifying power of the Nevilles!
Many glanced at Robin's back with dread.
Luckily, we hadn't said much earlier.
If this man had turned his wrath on us we'd be done for.
Alice was shaken to the core.
For the first time, she felt a pang of doubt.
Could I have misjudged him?
Is Robin hiding some powerful, secret identity?
Could he be the heir to a secret elite family?
Under the glittering lights, Daphne and Rita hurried to Robin's side, heading with him to the VIP Zone for the auction.
Alice scoffed, muttering to herself, "So I was fooled. Turns out he's just relying on Daphne's presence to act as if he is a powerful man. Eww." Vera noticed Alice's hesitation and said, "Alice, Jacob got into this mess because of you!
"If you hadn't kept pushing, Mr. Anthony wouldn't have acted so harshly."
Alice frowned. "How is this my fault? I was just standing up for Mr. Jacob, Vera. Stop talking nonsense!"
Vera pointed toward Robin's back. "Can't you see that Mr. Anthony was worried Robin would still be angry? That's why he acted this way. "Originally, Mr. Anthony was just going to kick Jacob out of the Nevilles. But you reminded Robin of everything Jacob said..." "Enough, Vera!" Alice sneered. "I nearly fell for Robin's trick, too. Didn't you see Daphne by his side?
Mr. Anthony only acted this way to avoid upsetting Ms. West.
"Robin is a nobody. Do you seriously think Mr. Anthony would cripple Jacob over him? You're delusional!"
Vera shrugged, saying no more. "Fine, forget it. The auction is about to start. Let's see if Robin will buy me a gift!" she said with a laugh.
...
The VIP Zone and Zone One of the auction hall were on the second floor of the Rosewood Hotel, one on the left, the other on the right.
The main difference was that the VIP Zone had only five seats, making it more spacious.
After Robin, Daphne, and Rita entered, they headed toward the VIP Zone on the second floor.
Just as they reached the hotel's staircase, a female voice snapped, "Move out of my way!" Robin, Daphne, and Rita turned to see what was happening.
A woman in her twenties, flanked by four fierce bodyguards, strode toward them from behind.
Robin and Daphne ignored her and continued on their way.
"Didn't you hear me? Move!" the woman shouted when the three of them didn't step aside.
Rita halted and barked, "Why should we do that? Who are you? Get lost!"
"You'll be shocked to know who I am," the woman sneered. "I'm Ruby, daughter of the president of the Brookhaven Martial Alliance. Everyone in Brookhaven knows who I am!"
Rita rolled her eyes. "You're delusional."
"You... you're asking for it!" Ruby fumed and signaled to her bodyguards to attack.
One of the fierce bodyguards raised his fist to strike.
"Stop!" Anthony shouted, arriving just in time. "Who is causing trouble here?"
Ruby saw it was Anthony and pouted, "Mr. Anthony, it's me. They're blocking my path, and I'm furious!"