Chapter 385 This Is My Lawful Wife
The voice had barely faded when two figures burst through the private dining room doors.
A well-dressed couple in their fifties swept in with an air of authority. The moment Elizabeth saw them, her expression hardened with a mixture of anger and contempt.
It was Kismet's parents—Roy Murphy and Zara Jenkins.
Though Roy had been relegated to logistics after stepping back from his prime position, his network and influence in Collinsport remained unmatched. He could still pull strings not just locally, but at the state and federal levels. Without his connections, how else could his daughter have secured such prestigious positions and married a college graduate with such social standing?
In this godforsaken corner of Collinsport, few dared to cross Roy.
Thirty minutes earlier, a high school teacher—one of his daughter's former classmates—had sent him a photo showing Kismet kneeling before strangers. This teacher, who had once carried herself with academic pride and ignored Kismet's advances, had eventually been broken down by Kismet's manipulations. Now she served as little more than Kismet's personal informant and enforcer.
"Sir," the teacher had warned him, "Kismet's phone has been confiscated by some out-of-town group. They have no idea who she is or what family she comes from. You need to get down there fast, or they might take her away."
Roy and his wife had rushed over immediately, their blood boiling with protective fury.
At the hotel, the teacher and a helpful staff member were waiting. "They're in that private room," the server had said obsequiously. "I can't escort you in myself, but you'll find them there." The server had quickly retreated, leaving the couple to storm in alone.
Blinded by concern for their daughter, neither parent bothered to assess the room's atmosphere or the expressions on the faces around them. Roy recognized most of the people present, which only fueled his confidence.
"Are you all completely useless?" he roared. "Just standing there watching while my daughter gets humiliated?"
As the words left his mouth, Roy noticed something familiar about the woman his daughter was kneeling before. Where had he seen that face?
"Long time no see," Elizabeth said, rising gracefully to greet them. Her tone was perfectly neutral, almost conversational.
Recognition hit Roy like a sledgehammer. "Elizabeth!" he snarled.
"Yes, I'm Elizabeth," she confirmed with a slight nod.
"You little whore!" Roy exploded, his composure completely shattered. "My daughter told me all about you—dropping out of school as a child, running off south to sell yourself before you were even legal! Do you even remember how many men you've serviced over the years? Just because you've made some money doesn't mean you have real power, you little slut! In this town, you'll always be nothing but a cheap prostitute! And now you have the audacity to humiliate my daughter? You must have a death wish!"
Roy rarely spoke so crudely—his public position usually demanded more decorum. But seeing his daughter prostrate like a beaten dog had stripped away all his rational thought. A man who lost his mind made mistakes all too easily.
His face twisted with malicious glee as he continued his tirade. "Don't think that earning some money on your back gives you the right to act high and mighty! Let me tell you about one of Kismet's classmates—a high school teacher, graduate of a prestigious university. She thought she was too good for Kismet, acted all cold and superior!"
"Want to know how that worked out for her? She's a whore now too—working the underground circuit! When Kismet tells her to service someone, she doesn't dare refuse! More obedient than a trained dog! And you—you dare to humiliate our precious Kismet? I'll strip the skin from your bones!"
Roy lunged forward to strike Elizabeth, but managed only a single step before his own son-in-law tripped him. He crashed face-first onto the floor in an undignified heap.
Behind him, Zara remained silent. While her husband had been ranting, she had carefully studied the other people in the room. Every single person present outranked her husband significantly—the kind of power players who would normally never include Roy in their circles. The fact that he hadn't been invited to this dinner spoke volumes about how far his influence had actually fallen.
These titans of industry and politics sat watching Kismet grovel on the floor without the slightest reaction. Zara felt ice forming in her stomach.
Roy scrambled to his feet, his teeth loosened from the impact, his rage now volcanic. He slammed his fist on the table. "You'll all pay for this—"
Zara clamped her hand over his mouth. "Stop talking!" she hissed.
From the floor, Kismet looked up at her father with desperate eyes. "Dad, are you trying to get me killed?"
Only then did Roy truly observe his surroundings. These were people who commanded respect across multiple industries and political spheres, yet they all regarded Elizabeth with unmistakable deference. Not one of them had spoken up for his daughter—even his own son-in-law had actively worked against him.
The man seated at the head of the table was unfamiliar, but Roy could sense the dangerous authority radiating from him.
"Perhaps... there's been some misunderstanding?" Roy's tone shifted to obsequious placation. He turned his most ingratiating smile toward Alexander. "Sir, I believe my daughter may have been misrepresented. Elizabeth here has always been a troublemaker—she lived with our family for a week when she was young, and even in that short time, she became vain and lazy, eventually dropping out of school. She even stole from us—"
"Roy, can you shut your damn mouth!" Willie looked ready to murder his father-in-law.
Elizabeth remained perfectly composed throughout the verbal assault. "Roy, after all these years, your family still shows no remorse whatsoever. Instead, you continue to distort the truth? You've just admitted that your own daughter forces women into prostitution—what possible excuse could you have?"
Roy fell silent, but his eyes remained fixed on Alexander. He could tell immediately who held the real power in this room.
"Sir," he began again.
Alexander's response was calm and measured. "I'm not in charge here. My wife is the one with authority—I answer to her." He gestured toward Elizabeth with unmistakable pride. "This is my wife. My legal, lawfully wedded wife."
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