Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 21: Crown Prince of Kaelon

The soundproofing in the VIP lounge was excellent, completely blocking out the noise and restlessness outside.

The ice bucket held wine of an excellent vintage, and the air was tinged with the faint, rich aroma of high-end cigars.

A few men lounged lazily on the expensive leather sofa, chatting and laughing freely.

"So, Young Master Donovan plans to settle in Riveria and completely hand over the title of ’Crown Prince of Kaelon’?" joked a man in a garishly patterned shirt.

He was Evan Hughes, the youngest son of The Hughes Family, currently managing part of the family business in Riveria and also the behind-the-scenes owner of this ’Misty Riveria.’

Shane Donovan was lounging casually on the leather sofa, his long legs crossed, a cigar unlit between his fingers.

The ambiguous lighting cast on his sharply contoured profile, the vermilion mole at the corner of his eye flickering in the dim light, adding an unspeakable allure.

He lazily lifted his eyelids, ignoring the comment, and instead nudged Evan Hughes’s shoe tip, "You’ve assimilated well here, making this ’side business’ so prosperous."

Another man nearby laughed, "Evan is just playing to his strengths. With that face and build, it’s a real loss to the industry he hasn’t become the headliner at a nightclub."

"Get lost!"

Evan Hughes laughed and cursed, catching the metal lighter Shane Donovan tossed with precision, spinning it deftly between his slender fingers, his movements dashing and unrestrained.

He raised an eyebrow, a roguish smile in his eyes, "I’m just providing the brothers with a good relaxing spot, what do you know?"

Another person brought the conversation back on track, looking at Shane Donovan, "Seriously, Young Master Donovan, things have opened up here in Riveria, and the Donovan Group’s foundation is solid. Haven’t you considered moving to Kenton? That’s where the real action is."

The Donovan Family had deep roots in Crestfall, and calling Shane Donovan the "Crown Prince of Kaelon" was not an exaggeration. But he had chosen a different path, coming to Riveria alone a few years ago to develop, one Innovatech Bio by itself increasing his worth by billions, polishing the Donovan Group’s name in Riveria, and expanding the business scale several times over.

Originally everyone thought that after establishing a foundation in Riveria, Shane Donovan would march northward, aiming for Kenton. Yet he seemed content in Riveria, showing no intention of moving north.

Shane Donovan’s expression was indifferent, "Kenton is too noisy. Riveria is quite good."

His tone revealed no emotion but carried an inherent decisiveness that brooked no argument.

The others knew his nature and stopped pressing him.

Soon, the people in the booth shifted from business discussions to catching up on personal matters, inevitably also mentioning some people and events within the circle.

Someone, changing the subject abruptly, suddenly brought up a name, "Hey, did you guys hear? ’The First Lawyer’ of Kenton, Jasper Hawthorne, seems to have come to Riveria recently."

"Jasper Hawthorne? From Clearstone Law Firm? Why would he leave Kenton to come to Riveria?"

"Who knows? I heard he’s looking for someone. But his business ability is really like this," the person gave a thumbs up, "If anyone has a tricky business case, catch him while he’s here, it’s a rare opportunity."

"Jasper Hawthorne..." someone mused, "I heard he’s very cold and not easy to hire."

"Talented people always have a bit of a temper..."

The discussions in the lounge grew more animated.

Shane Donovan leaned back on the sofa, listening expressionlessly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cool wall of his glass.

Upon hearing the name "Jasper Hawthorne," his gaze darkened imperceptibly, his brow furrowing minutely.

He lifted his glass, downing the residual amber liquid in one go, an inexplicable irritation quietly rising within him.

He instinctively turned his head, his gaze piercing the massive one-way glass wall of the booth, towards the bizarre, crowded dance floor outside.

His gaze swept over initially at random, but in the next second, it fixated abruptly—

A familiar figure in a black slip dress was being embraced by a slightly awkward-looking man, dancing amid the crowd.

The man’s movements were stiff, clearly absent-minded, his eyes darting around.

It was Stella Sterling...

And her assistant, who seemed not particularly bright.

Why was she here? Dressed like that?

With that assistant...

Shane Donovan’s brows immediately knitted together, a flash of cold sharpness in his eyes that even he wasn’t aware of, as he abruptly stood up and walked out of the booth.

...

Meanwhile, Stella Sterling was still attempting to gather evidence.

However, her appearance and figure were too eye-catching in the crowd, quickly drawing the attention of several clearly inebriated men.

The men exchanged looks, laughing lewdly as they surrounded her, one with bleached hair rudely pushing Finn Lockwood aside, his groping hand reaching for Stella’s waist.

"Hey beautiful, here alone? Come have a drink with us," the sly flirtations were drowned in the deafening music, yet sounded particularly grating.

Finn Lockwood was shoved aside, staggered, and upon recovering immediately tried to rush forward, "What are you doing! Let her go!"

Yet before he could approach, another burly man easily pushed him back, nearly knocking him to the ground.

Stella’s face changed dramatically, quickly stepping back to avoid the hand, shouting sharply, "Show some respect! I don’t know you!"

"Have a drink, and you will!" The bleached-haired man smirked, closing in again, his accomplices jeering as they tried to isolate Stella with them away from Finn Lockwood, "We’ve got good liquor at our table, guaranteed to make you happy!"

"I’m a lawyer! What you’re doing constitutes sexual harassment, and I can sue you!" Stella’s brow furrowed as her hand discreetly moved towards the pepper spray in her purse...

"A lawyer? Oh, I’m so scared!" The men, evidently very drunk, were unfazed by her words, becoming even more excited, "A lawyer lady is even more thrilling! Come on, don’t ruin the fun!"

With that, they started groping, attempting to drag Stella toward their booth.

Finn Lockwood was so anxious his eyes were red, trying to rush forward but being firmly held back.

The surrounding music was deafening, others either didn’t notice or remained indifferent, incidents like these seemed commonplace in such venues.

Stella’s heart sank to its depths, struggling desperately, yet she was no match for the strength of several men.

Just as she was on the brink of being forcibly taken away, preparing to pull out the pepper spray for a desperate stand—

A dark figure, wrapped in a fierce gust of wind, suddenly arrived!

"Bang!"

A dull thud, accompanied by the crisp sound of bones dislocating and a terrible scream, the bleached-haired man pulling Stella was kicked away like a rag doll, crashing heavily into a glass coffee table, liquor, ice, and glass shards scattering everywhere, drawing a chorus of screams.

The music seemed to pause for a moment.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Stella only felt her waist tighten, in the next second, she crashed into a solid, warm chest...