His father had paid a heavy price for that stunt, entirely losing his chance at a promotion for three long years.
Seeing Dane now, Leigh looked like a cornered mouse spotting a predator.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Do you need something from my fiancée?"
Dane's tone was anything but friendly.
Leigh gasped. "She's your fiancée?"
"Since when did you have a fiancée?"
Dane raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to file a report with you before getting engaged?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised."
"Mr. Green, your fiancée is absolutely stunning. You two are a match made in heaven!"
"Thanks." Dane remained utterly unfazed.
Leigh, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. Every conversation with Dane was a nerve-wracking ordeal.
In his ignorant youth, he had foolishly believed that riding his father's coattails into Cabinda instantly made him a top-tier aristocrat.
He hadn't realized that his father's rank was just one small link in a very ruthless food chain.
The waters here were incredibly deep.
Just like this gorgeous, nameless girl standing before him—she actually turned out to be Dane's fiancée. What a terrifying surprise.
"Mr. Green, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"The tea today is great. I drank a little too much, so I need to hit the restroom."
Without waiting for Dane's nod, Leigh sprinted toward the bathrooms.
Claire couldn't help but let out a laugh. "He seems completely terrified of you."
"He's not originally from Cabinda. When he followed his old man here, he was a bit too arrogant for his own good."
Still, a spoiled rich kid like Leigh wasn't inherently evil.
Dane had only intervened back then to send a clear warning.
By scaring the living daylights out of him once, Leigh finally learned that he couldn't just mess with anyone in Cabinda, nor could he do whatever he pleased just because of his father's title.
And surprisingly, Arthur Marlowe had completely approved of the harsh lesson once he found out.
His wife had passed away early, leaving him with only one son whom he couldn't bear to discipline too harshly.
Yet, he was constantly terrified that his son would get carried away, fall in with the wrong crowd, and completely sabotage his political career.
So, the older Marlowe had given tacit approval to Dane's actions.
Even though it came at a heavy cost, Arthur considered it a fair trade if it finally taught his son the meaning of fear.
FindNovel.net
Dane mentioned that Leigh's past foolishness had mostly been instigated by others.
Because of that, he didn't harbor any deep hatred for the guy.
As long as Leigh didn't cross him again, Dane was willing to be somewhat lenient.
But pulling a stunt like today was unacceptable.
Hitting on Claire? The guy had a death wish!
"An idiot like him is probably a prime target for scammers, right?"
The Marlowe family was considered new money in the political sphere.
Leigh's father had built an impressive track record in regional government.
That was exactly how he had climbed the ranks so quickly.
But because he lacked deep roots in the city, many factions would try to pull him into their circles.
At a critical juncture like this, he needed to be more cautious than ever.
The fact that his own son had nearly dragged him down must have been a massive headache for the deputy mayor.
Sacrificing three years of career advancement for a son who finally learned to behave was still a bargain.
"Afterward, Mr. Marlowe was actually incredibly grateful to me."
This was another major reason why Leigh was so terrified of Dane.
Not only would his father refuse back him up, but if Dane beat him to
a pun
his father would probi 10~
applaud the effort. Content Delongs to swnövels
Why on earth would he ever provoke Dane again?
He wasn't a masochist.
"You two have fun. We're a bit swamped today, so sorry if we haven't been the best hosts,"
Van and Tilda said as they walked over to offer a ceremonial toast.
Claire and Dane waved it off; the newlyweds were understandably busy and they were perfectly capable of entertaining themselves.
Taking advantage of the lull, Walden eagerly pulled Claire aside to introduce her to
several prominent figures.
"I heard that when General Harrison Darwin was in the hospital, a young female doctor treated him with acupuncture."
"Could that be you, Claire?"
A few curious guests sized her up.