Ashton stared at Julian, his cold sneer unwavering.
"So what if you're her fiancé? I'll kiss her if I want to. Did she tell you about our kiss? Or was she too scared to mention it?"
Despite his refined upbringing, Julian was still a man. The provocation ignited his temper. "Ashton, I've tolerated you for a long time. Do you really think I won't hit you?"
Sensing the escalating tension, Luke and the others rushed over to intervene. "Don't cause a scene here, everyone is watching. Julian, calm down. Ashton, drop it!"
Ashton's expression grew volatile, a fiery intensity flashing in his eyes. He shoved away the hands trying to hold him back. "My girlfriend and I had a fight and broke up, and you swooped in to take advantage of her vulnerability! Destiny? Bullshit!"
Ashton had grown up as the undisputed alpha of their elite circle and was no stranger to a brawl. Once he saw red, Luke and the others couldn't hold him back.
Faced with Ashton's relentless provocation, Julian rarely lost his cool, but this pushed him over the edge. "So what if you can't accept it? Sylvia is never going to choose you!"
Ashton let out a dark, furious laugh. He lunged forward, grabbing Julian by the collar. "Good. Very good. Say that one more time and see what happens."
The atmosphere was suffocating. Tristan stepped in, trying to pull him away. "Ashton, let's talk about this later."
Quinn placed a restraining hand on Julian's shoulder. "Julian, don't provoke him. He just lost his girl, so naturally, he's losing his mind. Let it go."
Luke chimed in nervously, "Sorry about this, Julian. We'll formally apologize later, but don't engage with him right now. It's going to end badly."
Julian's voice was icy. "I'll let this slide, but he needs to stay the hell away from my fiancée."
Ashton's lips pressed into a thin line, the words grating on his nerves. "Your fiancée? Don't you know exactly how you manipulated your way into getting her?"
"Does it make a difference?" Julian replied evenly. "The result is what matters. You're embarrassing yourself right now."
Ashton's eyes burned with a raw, agonizing intensity. Her words struck deep, flashing a fleeting look of hurt across his gaze. Without a word, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
Julian immediately caught Sylvia's other arm, glaring at Ashton. "Let her go."
Ashton ignored him completely, his predatory gaze locked entirely on Sylvia. "Come with me."
Panicking, Sylvia sank her teeth hard into Ashton's hand. Blood seeped from the bite marks, but he didn't so much as flinch.
At that moment, Harrison emerged from the private VIP lounge where the senior executives had been meeting. Alerted by the chaos, someone had rushed to fetch the Wyatt family patriarch.
Harrison took one look at Ashton stubbornly dragging a young woman who was clinging to Julian, her face pale with distress. Fury erupted within him.
"Ashton, let her go this instant!"

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