Noah looked at her in disbelief.
“You’re serious?”
Lexi tossed her hair.
“We’re upper class now. Maybe if he drinks our spit, it’ll cure your poverty curse.”
Chris felt his son trembling beside him.
He could have ended it right then.
One call.
One name.
One order.
But he waited.
Not out of weakness.
Out of sorrow.
Noah needed to see the truth fully.
Chris’s phone rang.
Ashley.
He answered.
“Hey, honey.”
A woman’s voice burst through the speaker from Jack’s side.
“He’s busy. We’re waiting for him to drink our spit wine.”
Silence.
Then Ashley’s voice turned deadly calm.
“Where are you?”
Chris gave her the location.
“Oh, your old lady’s coming? Can’t wait to meet the desperate woman who married a broke nobody.”
Chris hung up.
Noah looked at him.
“Dad…”
Chris placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Sometimes seeing someone’s true nature is a blessing in disguise.”
Noah swallowed hard.
“I can’t believe it took me this long.”
“I’m proud of you,” Chris said. “It’s never too late to see the truth.”
Jack slammed the glass onto the table.
“Enough of the father-son therapy. Drink.”
He shoved the glass toward Chris.
Noah moved first.
He knocked the glass from Jack’s hand.
Wine and spit splashed across Jack’s suit.
The room froze.
Jack’s face twisted.
“Security! Smash this old man’s teeth in. Beat them both within an inch of their lives!”
The door opened.
Ashley Lockhart walked in.
Behind her came Linda, her assistant, carrying gift documents, and four security officers in tailored black suits.
The entire room went silent.
Lexi whispered, “CEO Lockhart…”
Ashley’s eyes moved from the broken glass to Noah’s pale face to Chris’s service jacket.
Then to Jack.
“How dare you use Lockhart Group’s name to blacklist anyone?”
Jack stammered.
“Miss Lockhart, it’s not what it looks like.”
“It never is when cowards get caught.”
Lexi rushed forward.
“Ms. Lockhart, thank you for promoting me. I won’t disappoint you.”
Ashley turned to her.
“I did not promote you because of your talent.”
Lexi froze.
“I promoted you because I believed you were connected to someone I respect.”
Her gaze moved to Noah.
“Noah Johnson. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Noah blinked.
“Me?”
Linda stepped forward.
“Mr. Johnson, these are welcome gifts. A villa, a limited-edition Maserati, a Porsche timepiece, and a one-hundred-million-dollar check.”
The room exploded into disbelief.
Lexi’s face drained of color.
Jack looked at Noah as if seeing him for the first time.
Noah stared at Ashley.
“I don’t understand.”
Ashley smiled nervously.
“Your father and I got married.”
Noah turned slowly.
Chris cleared his throat.
“You told me to remarry.”
“The wife you found is the CEO of Lockhart Group?”
Chris shrugged.
“Why is it weird that I landed a great wife?”
Ashley slipped her hand into his.
“I’m the lucky one.”
Noah looked from his father to Ashley, then at the gifts.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “But I’m young and able-bodied. I’d rather earn my own future.”
Ashley’s eyes warmed.
Chris smiled with quiet pride.
“That’s my boy.”
Lexi rushed toward Noah.
“Noah, wait. Five years together—you can’t throw that away.”
He stepped back.
“I’m not throwing it away. You did that when you decided my father was something to spit on.”
Lexi began crying.
“Noah, I was wrong.”
“I preferred your arrogance,” he said. “At least that was honest.”
Ashley turned to Linda.
“Lexi is terminated. Jack too.”
Jack laughed suddenly.
“You think I care? My father just got promoted inside Johnson Holdings. Lockhart Group is nothing compared to them.”
Lexi grabbed onto that hope.
“Jack can get me into Johnson Holdings.”
Jack smiled viciously.
“And I know people worse than lawyers.”
He made a call.
Minutes later, a woman named Zoe entered the suite.
She was Devin Alger’s personal enforcer.
The room chilled.
Jack pointed at Chris.