Chapter 261 Do you think your bankrupt little pack would get a single investor?
Aria’s POV
I heard someone calling my name—a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. I glanced up, and through the crowd, I spotted Sophia on the other side of the lobby.
My assistant and bodyguards immediately stiffened at the breach in protocol.
"Miss, do you know her?" one of them asked quickly.
A flicker of surprise crossed my mind, but I straightened and met Sophia’s gaze head-on.
Derek rushed over and grabbed Sophia’s arm, trying to pull her back. "Sophia, stop it. You can’t make a scene here—"
"Look properly! That’s Aria!" Sophia cut him off sharply.
Derek’s words died in his throat. His eyes locked on me, and I watched realization dawn on his face.
He froze.
Yes, it was me. Still the same face, still the same features. But I wasn’t the woman they’d known at the Holt house anymore.
Everything about me had changed—my clothes, my presence, the way I held myself. I radiated wealth and power now, the kind that made people step back instinctively. The kind that made wolves lower their eyes.
"A-Aria?" Derek’s voice cracked slightly.
He moved toward me, but my security detail stepped in front of him like a wall.
I glanced at both of them with cool indifference. I had nothing to say to these people. I turned and walked away without a word.
"Aria! Don’t you dare walk away from me!" Sophia’s voice turned shrill. "Don’t think just because you stole from the Holt family that you’re somebody now! Stop pretending to be some corporate queen—you’re nothing but a fraud!"
"You hear me, you pathetic little bitch?! You’re just my brother’s leftovers! A filthy, scheming rat from the gutter!"
"Everything you’ve done—every disgusting, underhanded thing—it’s all going to come back to you! You’re going to get what you deserve!"
She was screaming now, completely unhinged, struggling against my guards while hurling insults like weapons.
"Sophia, that’s enough!" Derek grabbed at her, his face flushed red with embarrassment.
The commotion was already drawing attention. Hotel security began moving toward us.
I could have kept walking. Should have, probably.
But when I heard those words—*leftovers*, *gutter rat*—I smiled.
And I stopped.
Rick leaned toward one of the security supervisors and murmured something in his ear. Within seconds, I watched the supervisor’s expression shift.
This was a private matter involving the Smith family heiress. They would handle crowd control and ensure discretion.
The security team immediately understood. They began clearing the lobby, redirecting guests to another entrance. They even moved the registration desk inside and cordoned off this entire section of the entrance.
I had to admit it—Rick was a damn good Beta. I hadn’t opened my mouth, and he already knew what I needed.
Within minutes, the space around us had emptied.
Derek and Sophia didn’t even notice. They were too focused on me as I turned back around and walked toward them, heels clicking against marble.
"Aria, wait—she didn’t mean it," Derek stammered, trying to salvage the situation. "Sophia’s just emotional. We can talk about this like—"
One glance from me, and two of my guards grabbed him from behind. His mouth was covered before he could finish the sentence.
I stopped directly in front of Sophia.
"Did I hear you correctly?" I asked softly, tilting my head. "You just called me a bitch?"
Sophia was being restrained by three guards now, her mouth covered, but I nodded slightly and they released her.
"Yes! That’s exactly what I called you! A filthy, backstabbing BITCH!"
She spat the last word with all the venom she could muster.
I smiled.
And then I slapped her.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the empty lobby like a gunshot. I’d made sure to angle my hand just right—the two diamond rings on my fingers caught her cheekbone on impact.
Sophia’s head snapped to the side. Blood filled her mouth instantly. The guards held her arms so tightly she couldn’t even flinch away.
I flexed my fingers, adjusting the rings back into place.
Derek’s eyes went wide with shock. He tried to move, tried to say something, but the hands holding him didn’t budge.
That’s when he finally noticed—the security team was gone. The guests were gone. It was just us and my people.
"Where the hell was hotel security?"
Sophia spat blood onto the floor, her eyes wild with rage.
"You hit me?!" she shrieked. "You actually HIT me?!"
"You cursed at me," I said calmly. "Why wouldn’t I hit you? I warned you back at the Sliver Creek Pack, Sophia. Don’t provoke me. But apparently, even bankruptcy wasn’t enough to teach you a lesson."
"You fucking—"
Before she could finish, the guards clamped her mouth shut again. She thrashed violently, trying to break free.
I could see it in her eyes—if someone handed her a knife right now, she’d try to gut me with it.
I walked around behind her and plucked a business card from her open handbag.
"So you’re here looking for investors," I mused, holding up the card. "Tell me, Sophia—does the Sliver Creek Pack even qualify for a summit like this?"
"Mmmph—!" She glared at me with pure hatred, muffled sounds choking out from behind the guard’s hand.
Derek, to his credit, had stopped struggling entirely. He knew better than to fight. His eyes kept darting toward me, trying to signal submission, trying to plead.
I didn’t even look at him.
"I guess some people really don’t know when to quit," I said lightly.
I tossed the card onto Sophia’s chest, then turned slightly toward my assistant, as if asking a casual question.
"If I put out word today that anyone who helps the Holts is making an enemy of the Smiths... do you think your bankrupt little pack would get a single investor?"