Chapter 40: Payback in the Suite

The heavy doors of the private suite clicked shut, and the lock turned with a sharp, chilling snap.

Inside, the Sterling security operatives turned around, stepping toward the four remaining members of the Vance family with ominous expressions.

Leo swallowed hard, shrinking back into his seat. "M-Mom, what are they going to do to us?"

"I don’t know..." Elenor mumbled through her swollen lips, shaking her head. "But we live in a society governed by law! They wouldn’t dare go too far—at most, they’re trying to intimidate us."

Arther step forward " let me handle them , you know at my younger days ,i fight ten of them and that’s how i impress your mom.

At this Elenor shyly said "arther your so mean "

And isn’t this meaness make you fall for me ,Arther smirkingly said .

Grasping at that thought to steady his nerves, Arther tried to maintain his aristocratic composure as an operative stepped directly in front of him.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Arther barked, her voice thick and raspy. "This is a private dining room booked under the Vance name! Get out right now!"

The operative chuckled softly. Without warning, he raised his palm.

SLAP!

Arther’s head snapped to the side, a fresh wave of blinding, burning pain tearing across her cheeks.

"You—how dare you—" he choked out, trembling with pure, impotent rage.

"Consider this a lesson," the operative sneered coldness. "Who gave you permission to abuse Master Vance?"

In their eyes, Julian was the only person alive capable of keeping President Sterling’s lethal temper in check. Anyone who dared mistreat him was an enemy of the entire Sterling estate.

"Brothers, give them a proper lesson," the lead operative ordered.

Arthur Vance jumped up, roaring, "You lawless thugs! Do you have any idea who I—"

Before he could finish, a thick cloth gag was shoved forcefully into his mouth, cutting off his words into muffled groans.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Sharp, brutal cracks echoed rhythmically through the room as the operatives methodically targeted all four family members. By the time they finished, Arthur, Elenor, Sienna, and Leo were left battered, bruised, and unrecognizable, their faces swollen like overinflated balloons.

Binding all four securely to their chairs with heavy nylon rope, the lead operative clapped his hands cleanly. "Wrap it up, boys. We’re done here."

They slipped out quietly, leaving the Vance family trapped in silence to await hotel staff.

It took over two hours for room service to discover them and call an ambulance.

In the hospital ward later that evening, Elenor wept tears of humiliation as the doctors treated her swollen face. "Call the police! Arthur, you must call the police right now! I want Julian and that psycho woman thrown in prison for life!"

An official investigation was launched, but when Elenor called the station the following morning demanding immediate arrests, the lead officer offered a flat response.

"Mrs. Vance, all security camera footage from the Grand Plaza Hotel’s upper floor was corrupted by a localized system glitch. We have no visual evidence or identifying records."

Elenor shrieked into the receiver. "Do you even need footage?! Isn’t it obvious Julian and his sugar mommy orchestrated it? Go arrest them and interrogate them!"

The officer rolled his eyes on the other end of the line. The woman in question was Victoria Sterling, CEO of Sterling Enterprises—one of the most formidable corporate titans in the country. Investigating her over an unsourced private room scuffle was absurd.

"We will continue looking into the matter, Mrs. Vance," the officer replied perfunctorily before hanging up.

Discharged later that afternoon, Elenor slammed her phone onto the living room coffee table in their estate. "Useless! Absolutely useless!"

Leo sat nearby, wincing as he held an ice pack to his swollen jaw. "Dad, now that Julian has severed ties and refused the match... what happens with the Ross family alliance?"

Arthur sneered, his eyes dark with bitter pride. "Julian was just throwing a childish tantrum to get our attention. Mark my words, he’ll realize how brutal the real world is soon enough, and then he’ll come kneeling back to beg for our forgiveness!"

Right at that moment, Arthur’s phone rang loudly. Seeing the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat—it was Mr. Ross.

Plastering on a flattering, polite smile, Arthur answered quickly. "Ah, Mr. Ross!"

"Arthur," Mr. Ross spoke cold and sharp. "At the venue three days ago, I gave you a three-day deadline to bring Julian back and fix this engagement with my daughter. The time is up. Where is he?"

"Mr. Ross, we ran into a slight bump in the road," Arthur pleaded hastily. "Give me a few more days! Even if I have to drag Julian here in chains, I will force him to apologize to you and Miss Ross!"

"Unnecessary," Mr. Ross snapped, cutting him off cleanly. "As of this moment, the Ross Group is severing all commercial partnerships and joint ventures with the Vance family."

Click.

The line went dead.

---------

Inside the Ross estate, Miss Ross sat in her wheelchair, her eyes red and tear-stained as she gripped her father’s sleeve. "Dad, please! Can’t you help me arrange the marriage with Julian? I don’t want anyone else!"

Mr. Ross rubbed his temples, looking at his daughter with a mix of exasperation and pity. "Merry, open your eyes! The boy clearly wants nothing to do with you, and he’s backed by a woman with terrifying influence. Why are you degrading yourself for someone who looks down on you?"

"As my daughter, you can have any eligible bachelor in the city! I will find you someone tenfold better. Forget about Julian Vance!"

"Dad..." Miss Ross sobbed, shaking her head stubbornly. "I only want Julian! I don’t care about anyone else!"

Sighing heavily at her stubborn obsession, Mr. Ross motioned to the housemaids. "Take Miss Ross back to her quarters."

"Yes, sir."

As her wheelchair was pushed down the hall, Miss Ross wept loudly, her cries echoing through the grand corridors, while her father sat alone on the sofa, wondering how his sensible daughter had grown so blindly obsessed.

Meanwhile, at Rose Manor, a completely different atmosphere reigned.

Julian sat comfortably on the plush leather sofa in the main lounge. Victoria curled beside him, resting her head gently against his chest while idly twirling his fingers in hers.

"Julian," Victoria asked softly, her tone deceptively casual. "Do you truly despise the Vance family?"

"I do," Julian answered without hesitation. "They’re selfish, hypocritical, and manipulative. I don’t want anything to do with them ever again."

Victoria’s eyes flickered with a quiet, dangerous dark light. "Do you want me to handle them for you? I can erase their business overnight so they never bother you again."

Julian’s eyes lit up. Having an overpowered heiress crush his toxic family with a snap of her fingers sounded fantastically convenient.

He was just about to enthusiastically agree when an uninvited glowing panel flashed across his vision:

> [SYSTEM PROMPT]

> Host must dismantle the Vance family’s influence through your own actions to complete the storyline arc. Relying on external third-party forces to execute the total destruction will result in task failure.

Julian: "..."

You Motherfu**##

It’s a truly garbage system.

[It’s against the protocol to insult or swear against system , resulting system is being taken away from host]

Stop , iam not insulting you ,i just remind some anime character Madara Uchiha

[System:It’s not MADARA, I hear Something else]

Julian: "..."

So Is it bad to be a kept man? In my previous life I work like dog 10 to 5 job ,sometimes I even do overtime to gain some meager salery and after colapsing from overwork i got hospitalized and trasmigrating in this novel ,

I even left behind most of the trasmigrator ,to get scoring big in my first try , so even got backing of most powerful villainess, i had to complete this brain dead novel plot ,and this novel is just a urban novel , with no super powers so even i get through the all plot and got complete it ,what can I get ," Money " but money is a least thing he wanted

He has to strive.

Julian’s expression instantly collapsed. Of course. What a useless, demanding system! Why can’t I just be a pampered, lazy sugar baby in peace?!

Suppressing a sigh, Julian turned back to Victoria, offering a warm, reassuring smile. "Thanks, Victoria, but there’s no need. I want to deal with the Vance family using my own hands when the time is right. You don’t need to waste your energy on them."

Victoria searched his eyes, delighted by his independence yet reassured by his open communication. "Alright. But if you ever need my backing for anything at all, just say the word."

"Got it," Julian smiled, leaning down to lightly kiss her forehead. Having her as a safety net made him feel vastly more confident.

Moments later, Julian’s phone buzzed on the glass coffee table.

Glancing down, he saw Arthur Vance’s name flashing on the screen—undoubtedly calling in a panic after Mr. Ross pulled his business funding.

Without a second thought, Julian tapped the screen, rejected the call, and promptly added Arthur’s number to his block list.

Tossing the phone back onto the cushions, he wrapped his arms around Victoria, content to enjoy the quiet luxury of Rose Manor.