Rose’s heart raced in her chest, the rhythm pounding with an intensity that mirrored the storm brewing in her mind.
Alex’s behavior over the past few hours had been inexplicably unpredictable…he had completely shut her out, refusing to answer her calls, leaving her alone at the mall, his actions growing colder and unpredictable by the hour.
This was nothing like the Alex she knew. This wasn’t the man who had once been so attentive and obsessed with her, so affectionate, so… there.
Now, as if to add fuel to the fire, he had gone to the Winters estate’s party, and he had done it alone.
That small detail kept hitting at her in Rose’s mind, as an unsettling thought gripped her chest with icy fingers.
‘What if he’s planning something?’ Was the only thought after thinking about it in Rose mind.
“Dad, listen to me,” she said urgently, cutting through the line with a note of panic in her voice.
“Don’t engage with Alex. Just leave him alone for now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Her voice shook with tension, but she didn’t give him a chance to respond before she quickly ended the call.
Without wasting another moment, she called a cab from her mobile, her mind racing with a thousand questions and worries.
She told the driver the destination…the Winters estate, trying to quell the rising anxiety that was on her mind since her Aunt call and the cards that were declined.
…..
Inside the glittering banquet hall of the Winters estate, Alex stood at the center of a growing crowd of powerful figures, effortlessly basking in their attention.
The party was in full swing, people dressed in extravagant attire, glasses clinking, laughter filling the air. It was a scene straight out of the pages of a high-society novel, but Alex barely noticed. His focus was somewhere else entirely.
One after another, prominent business leaders approached him, eager to extend their congratulations and compliments.
“Alex, you’re truly a rising star in the industry,” said one businessman, his tone reverent, as if Alex’s success were something to be marveled at. Others eagerly followed suit, adding their praise.
“A toast to you, Alex! May your business continue to thrive… more, more, and more.” Another voice chimed in, as glasses of champagne and cocktails were lifted in his honor.
“To your success!” The words rang out as clinks of glass filled the air.
Smiling with practiced ease, Alex clinked glasses with each individual in turn, responding with the effortless charm of a man who had mastered the art of socializing in high society.
The transformation was almost jarring. Gone was the Alex who once spent all his time chasing after Rose, the man who had been a lovesick fool, ignoring business connections, neglecting the very industry he now dominated.
That version of him was a distant memory, a shameful past if you need a word for it.
Yet, despite the celebrations around him, Alex’s mind was far from at ease. Amid the applause and the laughter, his eyes flickered toward something, or rather, someone… at the edge of the room.
From the corner of his eye, Alex saw a young man following through the crowd with an effortless grace. He was strikingly handsome, with an aura of charisma that seemed to draw people toward him like a magnet.
Despite his youthful appearance, there was an air of maturity in his every gesture and word. His smile was infectious, his laugh genuine, and the way he carried himself made him seem like someone who had been born into this world with a high status, comfortable among the most powerful figures in the room.
The circle of admirers around him grew rapidly, like a metal to magnet pull that no one could resist. The man was like the life of the party, his every word causing laughter to echo throughout their crowd.
Alex’s lips curled into a thin, knowing smile. He had seen this before.
“So… you’ve finally appeared,” Alex muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in recognition.
The young man was none other than Ethan Carter… the protagonist of the very novel Alex had been trapped in.
Three months from now, in the original timeline, Ethan would form an alliance with Rose, and together they would tear through Alex’s empire.
Bit by bit, Alex’s company would be systematically dismantled from the inside out. Ethan, with his inexplicable luck and connections, would leave Alex in ruin, stripped of everything he had fought for.
But it wasn’t just his wealth that would be lost.
Ethan would push Alex into a corner so dark and inescapable that it would lead to a tragic end, with Alex’s life in tatters, and his final choice one of desperation.
Ethan wasn’t some hidden heir to a fortune or the son of a tycoon waiting for his moment to shine. No. Ethan was something worse. He was simply a man with plot armor, an absurd stroke of luck and fate that defied all logic.
With his sheer ability to manipulate the world around him, Ethan could crush anyone who stood in his way, no matter how powerful they were. He was a walking narrative force, and Alex knew all too well the consequences of crossing him.
The danger was absolutely real.
Alex clenched his jaw as a flash of cold calculation flickered in his eyes. This wasn’t just a chance encounter. No, this was the first step in a series of events that would inevitably lead to his downfall.
If Ethan was here, it meant the timeline was already working on their way to the end, and the events that would set the wheels in motion had already begun.
Just as Alex was lost in thought, processing the Ethan’s appearance, a sudden chime echoed through his mind, breaking his concentration.
[System Notification!]
[Ding! ]
[System Alert: A “Heaven’s Chosen One” has been detected near the Host.]
[Warning: Due to the overwhelming luck of the protagonist, any direct conflict may result in unpredictable outcomes.]
[Initiating “Luck Protection Mode” to shield the Host from forced plot interference.]
[Additionally, as a preemptive countermeasure, the system is rewarding the Host with—Master of Geomantic Energy!]
(A/N: So, did you enjoyed it? I know… I know there wasn’t that much in this chapter other than the introduction or the appearance of the main protagnist. But I’m working on it in next chapter or maybe in the next two chapters Alex will go there wuth his hidden props.)
Don’t forget to add this nicel to library and sent some power stones for support if you like the novel.