The volatile sequence of events happened so fast that barely anybody had time to react.
Before the bodyguards could intervene, Tyler pulled Trent out of the soup and shoved him away.
The petrified Cooper heir stumbled and fell on his butt.
As soon as he was free, he let out a somewhat effeminate shriek.
One could only imagine the pain of being immersed face-first into a bowl of scalding soup.
The servants panicked and splashed cold water over Trent’s face to wash away the vegetables.
Ultimately, he looked disheveled and ragged like a soaking wet tabby cat.
His facial skin turned a darker tan.
Erica ran to her fiance in tears.
“Are you okay, darling?” she asked, trying to comfort him.
The young man swatted her hand away and glared at Tyler with bubbling hatred.
“You delinquent!” Erica hollered at his attacker.
“Are you trying to kill my fiance?”
Tyler returned to his seat and continued enjoying his meal as if nothing unusual happened.
“If I really tried to kill him, he would already be dead,” he said between morsels.
“If anybody else is hungry for soup, he may go ahead and disturb me again.”
Trent looked around and found the banquet hall guests gathered to witness his embarrassment.
A few of them sniggered in the background.
“Guards!” he ordered.
“Clear the area!
The event is postponed until later!”
Within minutes, all the guests pooled out of the banquet hall.
Trent turned towards Tyler but maintained a sound distance from him, staying within the safety enclosure of his guards.
“I won’t let you escape alive today,” he mouthed to the young man.
Tyler looked rather disinterested and picked up another loaf of bread for a second serving.
The young heir turned to Huxley and his two dozen goons.
“Surround and attack him!
I want him dead!”
Huxley didn’t act on the order immediately.
His last encounter with Tyler hadn’t been pleasant.
The latter seemed to be an experienced martial artist who could tackle a dozen petty gangsters easily.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the hall’s north entrance.
Over fifty guards armed with batons poured out and positioned themselves behind Trent.
The crowd parted, and a middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit emerged.
He was none other than Mark Cooper, Trent’s father and the family patriarch.
“What the hell is going on here?” Mark demanded.
“Where is the troublemaker who dared to crash our family event?”
Trent pointed an accusatory finger at the occupied VIP table.
“Do you remember this wastrel, father?
He barged into my party, attacked and humiliated me!
I want him dead!”
Mark glared at Tyler with bloodshot eyes.
“Are you the one who acted against the Cooper family?!”
The young man shrugged his shoulders.“I was having a comfortable meal when your sissy son came over to disturb me.
He got what he was asking for.
I must warn you it will be better for the Coopers to leave me alone.”
Mark’s eyes were red and inflamed.
He could barely recognize Tyler, who used to be a skinny, harmless boy.
The man before him was tall, bearded, athletic, and highly arrogant.
Regardless, he deserved the ultimate punishment of death for hurting a member of the Cooper family.
“Do you think you can escape unscathed through defiance and arrogance?
I have crushed thousands like you under my feet!”
Tyler raised a glass of peach lemonade to him.
“Good for you.
But you have been warned.”
Mark turned to his guards and issued commands.
“First, break his arms and legs!
Then torture him until he begs for death!”
Dozens of goons were about to pounce on Tyler when footsteps echoed from the south entrance.
Silas and Natalie emerged, followed by over fifty armed men.
“What’s going on, Mark?” Silas asked the Cooper patriarch.
“We heard there was a troublemaker and immediately rushed over.”
Silas Anderson and Mark Cooper were business partners in several ventures and quite familiar with each other.
While Mark was jealous of his counterpart’s more tremendous success, both maintained a sound professional relationship.
“You must bear witness to the death of this man who offended my family.
Later, you can help dispose of his corpse once we are done with him.”
“Where is the troublemaker you speak of?” Silas asked, himself enraged.
If a miscreant dared to infiltrate his five-star hotel, it was his liability to begin with.
Mark pointed a hateful finger towards the VIP row.
The billionaire looked around but couldn’t find anybody unfamiliar.
The only person behind the VIP table was Tyler Grant.
He sat comfortably amidst the guards, enjoying his meal.
“Mr.
Grant…” Silas said politely.
“If it’s not too much of a bother, do you mind if we shift you to a VIP private room?
We have to deal with an emergency in the banquet hall.”
Before Tyler could respond, Mark threw up his arms in confusion.
“Why are you speaking so respectfully to this wastrel, Silas?
He barged into the banquet hall, attacked my son, and scared away the guests!
He is the very person I want dead!”
Silas and Natalie exchanged surprised glances.
“You must be mistaken, Mr.
Cooper,” Natalie chimed in.
“Mr.
Grant is a gifted healer treating my father’s heart condition.
We arranged a VIP table for him.
He’s definitely not a troublemaker.”
“Gifted healer?” Mark spat.
“What nonsense!
Tyler is an ex-convict who was just released from jail!
He comes from a downtrodden household that isn’t even worth spitting on!
He must be running a scam to swindle your family!”